Eden Court marks the spot on the map for Highland pupils’ art exhibition

An art exhibition, on the theme of maps, created by pupils from six Highland secondary schools goes on show this week at Eden Court, Inverness.

“Mapping our land” is the title of the exhibition that is being exhibited at Eden Court until 28th October and then at Lochaber High School during the first week in November.

The exhibition is the culmination of several months of work between pupils at Inverness High, Grantown Grammar, Fortrose Academy, Lochaber High, Kilchuimen Academy and Golspie High. Each school worked with Highland Council’s Arts Links Officer Lynn Johnson and the Highland Print Studio to create an artistic interpretation of maps of the local area surrounding their schools.

Chairman of The Highland Council’s Education, Culture and Sport Committee Councillor Bill Fernie said: “Apart from being absolutely fabulous the works of art and mapping are an excellent example of how a cross curricular project fits into the educational programme through ‘Curriculum for Excellence’.”
Lynn Johnson added: “The pupils have worked really hard, with great enthusiasm, with the artists and specialists at the Highland Print Studio to create artworks in the style of a map of the local area around their schools. The process linked the expressive arts and social studies within the curriculum, using art & design as a medium to explore the history and imagery of map-making.”

The project was an opportunity for pupils to look at what makes their local area special and to create artworks inspired by mapping imagery from the past and present.  Each school researched their environment, local social history and contemporary culture of their own doorsteps. The pupils expressed their local ‘artmaps’ using a combination of traditional screenprinting and digital imaging techniques.