Highland Pupils open the door on Ruscha’s Room

A group of pupils from five Highland secondary schools have created an exhibition which is their interpretation of the works of American artist Ed Ruscha.

‘Ruscha’s Room - Seòmraichean Luchd-ealain’ is currently at Inverness Museum & Art Gallery until 12 February 2011. The exhibition by pupils from Fortrose, Kilchuimen, Millburn, Alness and Invergordon Academies is the creation of their experiences of attending a series of talks and workshops exploring Ruscha’s unconventional methods - which combine typography with commonplace objects.

The pupils created text-based art in the form of collages, which they developed into printed t-shirts and animated films forming the core of their exhibition.

The inspirational source of their designs was an exhibition by ‘Ed Ruscha – Major Works from 4 Decades’ which is one of the ARTIST ROOMS art collection jointly owned and managed by National Galleries of Scotland and Tate on behalf of the nation. It was this exhibition that formed the basis for the workshops and talks that the pupils attended.

Millburn Academy pupil, Hannah Griffin said: “I really enjoyed the exhibition, loved the paintings. My favourite type of art is typography.”

As part of the project the pupils emailed questions to Ed Ruscha in Los Angeles and his intriguing responses are included in the show.

Councillor Bill Fernie said: “I am really impressed by the pupils’ exhibition and how they have expressed their own interpretation of an international artist’s work. Bringing young people out of the classroom and into the world-wide arena of art and culture while culminating in an exhibition of their own is an excellent example of how the curriculum for excellence is allowing our schools and pupils to widen their education in more meaningful ways.”

Invergordon Academy Teacher Joan Anderson said: “Participating in this initiative connected well to the capacities, outcomes and experiences within Curriculum for Excellence as it allowed the pupils to experience new areas of education and expertise boosting their confidence and self esteem.”
 
Maggie Beaton, Art Teacher at Kilchuimen Academy added: The pupils really enjoyed the workshops and used some of the techniques in their expressive units in their Intermediate 1 and 2 courses in art and design.”
This unmissable exhibition by the pupils is at Inverness Museum & Art Gallery until 12th February which is open Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm. Admission is free.