School Art Competition Celebrating the Life of 'Clarice Shaw'.

Last year I was invited to Grange Academy in East Ayrshire to spend two days sharing my knowledge and skills with pupils.

The visits were arranged within East Ayrshire schools to form the “Clarice Shaw Art Competition”, created and supported by local Labour Councillor Cathy Jamieson MP. Clarice Shaw was the first female Labour member of a town council and the first female Labour MP for Ayrshire, having won her seat in Kilmarnock in 1945. Throughout her life, Clarice had a personal interest in women’s rights and medical and child welfare issues until she died at the age of 63 in 1946.

To help pupils with the ‘book’ theme of the competition, I shared my experiences and assisted pupils and teachers from all nine East Ayrshire secondary schools.

Cathy Jamieson said: “I am pleased to have created and supported this project. I was keen to give pupils the opportunity of working with an artist, as well as marking the incredible contribution that Clarice Shaw made to education, women’s rights and local politics. Seeing the workshops first-hand showed just how much the pupils were inspired by Su Blackwell and I am looking forward to seeing the artworks they create.”

I was invited, along with Cathy, to be one of the judges in the competition.

  And the Winner is  

'Then and Now' by Charley Skilling from Grange Academy

 

The winning artwork will be on permanent display at The Dick Institute in Kilmarnock. 

The Runner-Up 

'Shaw over Parliament' by Alison Farrell & Basilia Weir from Cumnock Academy.

 Here are some of the other entries in the competition.

Artwork by Ellis Inglis from Grange Academy

Artwork by Rachel Woodburn from Grange Academy