Meet the Artist - Will Maclean - Tea, Talk and Tour

Will Maclean, born in Inverness in 1941 and was a midshipman before attending Gray's School of Art, Aberdeen (1961-65).

Having attended Rome’s British School in 1966 as part of a year on a Gray's Travelling Scholarship he spent another period of time at sea in 1968 as a ring-net fisherman. The talk will mention MFV “Misty Isle" BRD 354 which was built in 1947 for the McRae Brothers of Kyleakin Isle of Skye. She fished herring using the ring net method until the 1970’s and now, still privately owned, is berthed at Irvine harbour. In 1972

Receiving a major bursary in 1973 to study ring-net herring fishing resulted in the Ring-Net Project, a body of over 400 drawings which was exhibited at the Third Eye Centre, Glasgow and at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh, where it entered the permanent collection.

Other appointments have included, lecturer at the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, University of Dundee, Professor of Fine Art, Senior Research Fellow and Emeritus Professor. Elected Royal Scottish Academician in 1991 and in 1997 he designed and as part of the team, won the Scottish Natural Heritage Supreme Award for three Memorial Cairns in Lewis.

In 1999 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of St Andrews, winning the Scottish Arts Council Creative Scotland Award in the same year. The British Library and Tate Artists Lives Sound Archive made a valuable recorded interview with him in 2005, the year he was awarded an MBE for services to Education and the Arts.

2pm-3pm with optional tour until 4pm.