"Inspiring" & "Amazing Talent" ... Verdicts We're Delighted to Hear

April 15th was the 'Private Viewing' for the 1st-ever Exhibition of Paintings to be held at The Prestoungrange Gothenburg, all work done by members of the 2003/ 2004 Arts Workshops led by Andrew Crummy for the Prestoungrange Arts Festival. And we are delighted to say that nearly a hundred visitors came, and many left saying they were quite simply "inspired". Some of that inspiration led to early sales of the works, some to a determination to join future Workshop sessions themselves.

Such manifest talent, and plenty more still latent which seemingly abounds in Prestonpans and Vicinity, reinforces the avowed intention of the Arts Festival to see that the Workshops flourish across the coming years. The small Grant from You and Your Community division of the Millennium Commission must properly take the credit for giving the fillip to the first Workshops series, but the Arts Festival has already gladly trebled that funding for 2004/ 2005.

Adele Conn, Montjoye for the Baron Courts, reported as follows:

"The 1st Exhibition of Paintings and Drawings by the Prestoungrange Arts Workshops opened last night to a very impressive audience. Nearly a hundred people attended the Private Viewing of local artists in the Lord Mayor's Bar at The Prestoungrange Gothenburg. “Excellent work”, “Amazing talent” and “Inspiring” were the most widely heard phrases.

Andrew Crummy, (extremely proud) tutor and international muralist, opened the Exhibition giving insight into The Gothenburg Principles; how the Prestoungrange Arts Festival is run as a Scottish charity; and how the Prestonpans community already has and will continue to benefit both from the charity and in particular from funds raised from this 1st Exhibition and the many others planned to follow. He concluded his introduction with a tour downstairs to see the Fowler's real ale microbrewery and the adjoining James Fewell Bar - which also enabled a brief explanation of the history behind his own 21st Century interpretation of the Prestoungrange Ceiling in that Bar [and a first-sighting of Kate Hunter's 'Fewell' micromural].

What a truly fantastic evening. All except two of the exhibited paintings and drawings are being offered for sale and three are already, as Australians say, 'laid by'.

Public Viewing April 19th - 30th

The Exhibition runs now until 30th April and is open Monday to Friday 10am –2pm. Just a few paintings are shown below, so be sure to make the visit to see them all, contemplate your own lay-by, and of course enjoy the emergent hospitality of The Prestoungrange Gothenburg. Access is still via the ongoing building works at the rear that are adding The Thomas Nelson Suite and more to the total facilities. So walk carefully!

Click on picture selection below to enlarge





Arts Festival Thanks The Artists and Their Publick

Thank you to all the artists for your time and talent, and thank you also to all fellow Panners (and the Arts Festival's many supporters well beyond the old baronial lands).

The fourteen artists exhibiting are:

Jim Allan, Eddie Anderson, Muriel Blackley, Jane Bonnar, Liam Bonnar, Robyn Bonnar, Adele Conn, Andrew Crummy, Tom Ewing, Delia Marriott, Josh Marriott, June Coull, Adele Robertson and Lisa Wynn