Between January and March 2020 we ran 'Generation Strathaven', our biggest project to date, in collaboration with Strathaven CARS. But, it's one that not many people remember. That's because 'Our Generation Strathaven', the exhibition of artwork created by Strathaven Academy pupils and main part of the project, was forced to close after 3 days to Covid-19. As well as organising the exhibition, we had planned a full programme of events - from local history talks to local history tours - to take place alongside it from14th to 22nd March 2020.
'Generation Strathaven' combined education and art to create a living heritage project. Throughout the project, the pupils involved explored what history and heritage meant to them, and considered their place in the community's and town's futures. The aim of the project was to document Strathaven at that moment in time through the eyes of the young people living in the area.
As the project progressed, there were many opportunities for experimentation. S1 pupils learnt about printmaking, and created all of the prints displayed in the exhibition. They also learnt more about observational drawing and were encouraged to play with scale, materials and line. The S5s and S6s who were working towards a National Progression Award in photography focused on exploring a sense of self, and their own interpretations of history and heritage within their photographs that were then exhibited alongside the artworks by the S1s.
Despite having multiple contingency plans in place, no one could have predicted a global pandemic would come along at the same time as 'Our Generation Strathaven' opened. Nor could we have predicted the impact that Covid-19 and a national lockdown would have on our lives, or our best laid plans.
The artwork by the pupils was removed from the exhibition space at the old Post Office on Townhead Street, and kept safe by the Art teachers...until now.
We're delighted to be running the exhibition again from the Strathaven John Hastie Museum with a selection of the original artwork created in 2020. The exhibition is open from 10am-4pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and from 1.30pm-4pm on Sundays at The Strathaven Museum at 10 Todshill Street until Sunday 14th April.
