In February, we welcomed Gray’s School of Art third year student Rita to Lumsden to undertake a work experience at SSW as part of her Fine Art course. It was fantastic to have Rita join the SSW team over 10 days. Rita supported the delivery of our Community Making Space Programme, assisted with SSW marketing and communications, and took part and supported our Large Sculptural Handbuilding course.
Rita reflects on her time at SSW below.
Words and images by Rita MacDonald.
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As a third year, studying Fine Art at Gray’s School of Art, it is hard to imagine one day leaving Art School for the last time. I am at the stage of my education where this distant thought is becoming more of a reality. At the end of February, I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to experience what possibilities of life after Art School could look like working in the creative industries, by spending 10 days at the Scottish Sculpture Workshop in Lumsden on work experience.
Whilst on work experience, I had time to work on my own art. The Scottish Sculpture Workshop was so different from my usual environment in Gray’s, and I worked in ways completely different to what I was used to. I was so inspired by not only the variety of artists around me, but also the environment that surrounds SSW. This work experience gave me an opportunity to focus on processes I was interested to learn about and took away any pressures and expectations I previously had about outcomes. Being located out in rural Aberdeenshire, the workshop allowed my work to slow down and reflect on the beauty of the nature and calmness surrounding me, which I feel is such a rarity, after learning to work and meet deadlines very quickly in education.
In the course of my work experience, I helped out at a variety of classes held in the Community Making Space. During my time here, I saw how the space was shaped by the people who used it, from local residents, to visiting artists, and the staff all sharing ideas. What stood out the most was how making became a way of bringing a community together, whether that be in one of the evening classes or during the community lunch, in a rural setting where living can sometimes be quite isolating, this space is so important for not only creativity but for socialising, and coming from a rural village I recognise how not only vital, but rare, social spaces like this can be.
I learnt skills in the ceramics workshop, that without this experience, I think I would have felt too intimidating to ask where to begin elsewhere. Having a relaxing and open environment in the workshop made it easy to ask questions and learn from everyone around me. During my time here, I got to take part in the Large Sculptural Handbuilding Course, where the encouragement was to build big. Like many people, I found the idea of this very intimidating, however, with the freedom of accepting failure, and everyone learning together, it was such a relaxing environment where I made sculptures I never could have imagined making before.
I hope to take away the freedom I found in slowing down, learning to focus on the process of making rather than the outcome, and appreciating how it feels to create.
