The Maclaurin Art Gallery News
South Ayrshire Secondary Schools Art Awards
The Maclaurin Gallery • December 9, 2019
The bi-annual Senior Schools Art awards are currently open at the Maclaurin Art Gallery and the exhibition continues until mid January.
Two prizes were being competed for: the principal one, The Maclaurin Award, given to the pupil who, in the opinion of the judges, has produced work of outstanding creativity and artistry.
The winner of the Maclaurin Award this year is Mhairi Smeeton from Kyle Academy. No stranger to open competition Mhairi won the Kilgour Award two years ago.
The other major award, The Kilgour Award, named in memory of Jack Kilgour who was a major influence at the gallery in its early days and one of the instigators of the Friends of the Maclaurin organisation.
This year the award went to Katie Bryan from Carrick Academy. Katie also received a Highly Commended in the Maclaurin Award competition.
All images courtesy of Iain Forrest Photography.
There was a huge amount of preparation for these two exceptional exhibitions, celebrating RSA200 years and we enjoyed a joint launch event, kindly opened by Councillor Alec Clark, Portfolio holder for Tourism and Culture, along with Gallery Engagement Officer Erin Crossan and Trustee Michael Clark. In addition to the RSA200 shows, Michael and Ian McNicol got together and curated the excellent PRINTMAKING: A RECENT HISTORY exhibition which is hanging in gallery one. Using the words of Dianne Gardner, we have 3 exhibitions for Ayrshire and a real spirit of cooperation in the making. Call in and see these special shows, here throughout the summer. It’s a fantastic opportunity to see selected works from the Maclaurin and South Ayrshire Council’s permanent collections, enhanced with fabulous artwork on loan from the Royal Scottish Academy. Guest RSA artists include Bronwen Sleigh, Ade Adesina and Frances Walker.
Saturday 20 June - Sunday 30 August 2026 Founded in 1826, the Royal Scottish Academy supports art and architecture in Scotland. It is an independent, non-governmental institution, governed by Members to operate on a charitable basis.
We were delighted to host the Private View for Visual Arts Scotland on Saturday afternoon and what a turn out it was! This exhibition FUTURE FOLKLORE: THE ART AND CRAFT OF STORYTELLING has over 300 pieces of contemporary art on display and, as a result, we also had a very busy Private View! The exhibition was opened by Chair of the Maclaurin Trust, John Walker, along with Amanda Airey, Trustee of Visual Arts Scotland. Visual Arts Scotland supports over 1400 artists and makers in and around Scotland and we are very fortunate that VAS brings this major show across to Ayrshire. Please take advantage of it being right here on your doorstep! As always, entry is free to the gallery and all artworks for sale. Keep an eye out for some of our Ayrshire artists taking part as well.