A window exhibition is about to take place of colourful aprons and cushions created by Langholm schoolchildren to celebrate the town’s heritage as a centre for textiles.

The display is the result of a project run by Upland CIC that saw Kirkcudbright-based international designer and artist Morag Macpherson work with pupils from Langholm Academy and Langholm Primary School.

The three aprons, which have echoes of the workwear once worn by millworkers, and the cushions, are patchworks of linen and tweed.

The linen patches have each been printed with designs by the children. 

These were inspired by visits to Elliot’s Shed where l weaver and designer Lynn Elliot inspired the students with his traditional mechanical pedal looms.

All the pieces will be on show in the window of 42-44 Langholm High Street, from this Friday until 29 November.

Morag said: “The children were fantastic to work with. I was blown away by their imagination, their creativity and their openness to new ways of working.

“The designs are really striking, bold and colourful so I hope that people will enjoy seeing the exhibition.

“Everyone involved – the schools, teachers, local businesses and organisations – have been so positive and helpful and have shown a real pride in their town and its heritage.”

The work is part of Making Connections, a wider project being run by Dumfries & Galloway arts development agency Upland CIC, which is enabling artists and makers to explore Langholm’s textile history in a variety of ways.

According to Langholm Academy art and design teacher Adam German, his S2 students, and the P6 primary pupils benefited a great deal from the project.

He said: “It was a great opportunity for the pupils to work with a professional designer and learn about her process. They learned a lot about how to develop a source of inspiration to create a surface print.

“It’s also been very rewarding for the pupils because they are learning about the history of the town, and it has personal resonance for many of them as their grandparents and even parents worked in the textile industry.

“We think that the community will enjoy having the chance to see work that the children have produced that’s inspired by their town and their history.”

The secondary school pupils shared pictures they had taken and information they had collected with the primary children, something Adam welcomed because it allowed students of different ages to collaborate.

The project involved close collaboration with Lucy MacLeod of Outpost Arts and the Langholm Initiative Textiles Eskdale Project (funded by the Holywood Trust) who organised young people’s visits to Elliot’s Shed and sourced the textiles.

Judith Johnson, Langholm Initiative Project Manager, said: “I was delighted to see how Morag and the children have incorporated traditional Langholm tweeds and beautiful contemporary digital designs – it’s a fabulous mix of old and new technologies.”

Textiles Eskdale aims to re-energise Langholm’s traditional textile heritage and to develop new opportunities for enjoyment, training, employment and enterprise in the sector. This made it a natural partner in the Upland CIC arts project.

Amy Marletta, Uplands Creative Director, said: “The schools work has been a great success under difficult circumstances. The Covid-19 pandemic threw everything into doubt but thanks to the enthusiasm and determination of everyone involved it has resulted in some really beautiful work.

“It’s incredibly positive to see young people building on the history and heritage of the textiles industry to create vibrant new work and to start to think about how it can contribute to a positive and creative future.”

  • The schools project is supported by the Archie Sutter Watt Trust.
  • Making Connections is supported by Creative Scotland and the National Heritage Lottery Fund.
  • See the Upland website at www.weareupland.com.     

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Notes for editors 

About Creative Scotland

  • Creative Scotland is the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland on behalf of everyone who lives, works or visits here.  We enable people and organisations to work in and experience the arts, screen and creative industries in Scotland by helping others to develop great ideas and bring them to life.  We distribute funding provided by the Scottish Government and the National Lottery. For further information about Creative Scotland please visit www.creativescotland.com. Follow us @creativescots and www.facebook.com/CreativeScotland.

About Upland

Upland CIC (Community Interest Company) supports artists and makers based in, and with connections to, the region. It will delivers, events, training, networking, support and opportunities as part of a year-round programme to benefit the region, its artists, communities and economy. Upland CIC runs the annual Spring Fling contemporary visual art and craft open studios weekend in Dumfries and Galloway. It will work closely with other arts bodies in the region to further-strengthen the sector. Upland is based at Gracefield Arts Centre in Dumfries and exists to:

  • produce and deliver festivals, events, and experimental projects of the highest quality
  • nurture an environment where artistic excellence thrives and grows
  • inspire and educate a wide range of audiences, customers and clients to understand, celebrate, be actively engaged in and supportive of visual art and craft practice
  • raise the profile of visual artists and makers locally, nationally and internationally fulfilling a crucial role in the culture and tourism of Dumfries and Galloway
  • build strategic partnerships at regional, national and international level
  • maintain a financially sound and adaptively resilient organisation
  • use, and encourage the use of, innovative and emerging digital technology
  • work to the benefit the local economy and the sustainability of local communities.

Its funders are Creative Scotland, D&G Council, The Holywood Trust, The William Grant Foundation, The Heritage Lottery Fund, ASWT, Barfill. 

For media information contact Matthew Shelley on 07786 704299 or at [email protected] or call Upland on 01387 213 218.