This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Children's Arts Day celebration
03/07/2003
Children must be encouraged to encounter and engage with art as both viewers and makers, in and out of school, Culture Minister Frank McAveety said today.
The Minister was in Glasgow meeting children participating in the Art on the Bus project, one of the events that form Children's Art Day 2003.
Children's Art Day is a UK-wide initiative with events being run in schools, galleries, museums, art centres and science and discovery centres throughout Scotland.
Mr McAveety said:
"The National Cultural Strategy recognises that we owe all our children and young people the opportunity to sample and enjoy the widest possible range of cultural experiences in their formative years.
"Cultural activity develops skills for life; extending the range of learning experiences, building self-confidence, encouraging team working and communication skills.
"It is important to recognise the importance of creativity within education and this is reflected in the National Priorities for Education. The Executive is committed to equipping pupils with the foundation skills, attitudes and expectations necessary to prosper in a changing society and to encourage creativity and ambition.
"Running parallel to the day is a young artists competition, which schools from all over Britain have entered.
"I am delighted that children involved in projects at Caol Primary School in Fort William and Croileagan Uig Playgroup, Isle of Lewis are amongst those receiving Young Artists of the Year awards."
Principle funders for Children's Art Day are the Clore Duffield Foundation. Managers of the special grants programme are Engage - the national association for gallery education. 50 grants of £500 have been made to galleries and museums running projects on Children's Art Day
Clore Duffield Foundation also devise and fund The Artworks: Young Artists of the Year Awards. Over 37,000 participants representing 550 UK schools submitted entries this year. A virtual exhibition of all the winning works will be viewable on the Artworks website www.art-works.org.uk
Art on the Bus receives funding from Glasgow City Council, the Scottish Arts Council and the National Deaf Children's Society.
It is a magical mystery bus tour for children aged 3-11 and their families. Each day, the bus tours the city for an hour with a storyteller on board who points out key city landmarks and historic sites.
The bus then drops the children off at a city arts venue, where they meet with arts professionals, get a 'backstage' tour and then take part in a creative work shop reflecting all that they have done in the morning.