Schoolchildren inspired by ‘wild things’

Sunday 15 April 2007

The University of St Andrews is inviting local pupils to let their imaginations run wild this spring with its 19th century collection of natural history specimens.

The launch of a new art competition for children follows the announcement of a £449,000 Heritage Lottery Fund grant for a new Museum of the University of St Andrews (MUSA), which will provide a central point for the University’s collections and is due to open in 2008.

Entries are now being accepted for the MUSA Young Artist Award, a new annual art contest for schools in Fife. The theme for this year’s competition is ‘Wild Things’. Museum staff are asking schoolchildren to visit the University’s Bell Pettigrew Natural History Museum – or check out its collections online – and create an original work of art inspired by the museum’s weird and wonderful displays of birds, beasts, fishes, fossils and insects from around the world.

The competition is open to all P1- 7, S1-3 and special education school pupils in Fife. Teachers may book free workshops at the museum for their pupils or download special materials from the competition website for use in the classroom. Five local primary and secondary teachers helped select exhibits from the University’s collection and designed the materials for the contest.

Pupils may create artworks in any two- or three-dimensional medium. Works will be judged on their link to the collections as well as their originality and boldness. Eight lucky winners will receive medals and vouchers to spend on art supplies.

The MUSA Young Artist Award is sponsored by the Vettriano Trust. The Trust is keen to promote art in Fife and wholeheartedly supports the competition, which aims to recognise creativity in schools and to encourage both teachers and pupils to make use of the University’s collections.

The closing date for all entries is Friday 29 June 2007. Entry guidelines are available on the competition website at http://www.st- andrews.ac.uk/museum/art- competition/

For all enquiries about the competition and workshop bookings please contact Alison Hadfield, Learning & Access Curator, Museum Collections Unit. Tel: 01334 462396 / 462417 Email: alh10@st- andrews.ac.uk

The Bell Pettigrew Museum of Natural History is located in the University’s School of Biology, St Mary’s Quadrangle, South Street, St Andrews. It is open to the public on Tuesday and Friday afternoons during the summer and by appointment at other times of the year. The natural history collections were founded during the heyday of the Victorian age and the museum retains many of the original display cases, zoological arrangements and a superb mosaic floor.

 

ENDS

 

NOTE TO EDITORS:

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT ALISON HADFIELD, LEARNING & ACCESS CURATOR, TEL: 01334 462396 / 462417 EMAIL: ALH10@ST- ANDREWS.AC.UK

NOTE TO PICTURE EDITORS:

IMAGES OF THE NATURAL HISTORY COLLECTIONS ARE AVAILABLE – PLEASE CONTACT PRESS OFFICE, CONTACTS BELOW.

 

Issued by Press Office, University of St Andrews Contact 01334 467227 / 462529 Ref: wild things 160407 View the latest University press releases at http://www.st- andrews.ac.uk


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