The original school building, at Gilmour Street
Contemporary view, Gilmour Street
Some background
Following the discovery of an archive paper which recorded a public desire for an Arts School in Paisley - proposed by Paisley Philosophical Institution in 1836 - two educators at the University of Scotland (Rachael Flynn and Trent Kim) wanted to find out more about this innovative vision proposed by the town's forebearers.
Flynn and Trent were inspired by the radical, and still very relevant, discussion contained in a document which was almost 200 years old. What was particularly significant in this historic proposal was the vision and determination put forward by these local figures and wider community who believed in the potential for their own local cultural wealth to create cultural, economic and social change.
The momentum for Paisley School of Arts grew over the following years, with several activities and efforts put in place to foster the provision of arts education in Paisley. From its origins as ‘Paisley School of Art’ on 14 Gilmore Street; the establishment of a Government registered School of Design; a period as a Government School of Art; followed by further growth in size to form the ‘School of Arts and Science’ (1870); leading to the amalgamation with local technical education provision to form the ‘Paisley Technical College and School of Art’ (1897) on Gordon Street; followed by developments in the 20th century including Paisley Technical College/Polytechnic (1950), the University of Paisley (1992) and now, presently part of the multi-campus educational presence of the ‘University of the West of Scotland’.
Through this timeline, there is evidence of a continuing flow and flourish of local creativity, with global impact. Whilst national focus and spotlight have been diverted elsewhere, this project seeks to reassert the significance of this long-established creative community, which continues to innovate. As we move towards a new chapter in the creative and cultural history of Paisley, including the £100 million investment of Paisley Town centre, this project will contribute to this reimagined vision. As part of this wider initiative, this project aligns in contributing a refreshed focus towards Paisley as a legacy-rich educational site of creative and cultural merit. Through this project, the team attached believe in the potential for the activity engaged in to empower, stimulate and raise cultural ambition through learning of the resilience of relatable figures local to themselves.
The project celebrates this largely unknown history of creative arts education in Paisley, which can be traced through this significant timeline.
Community Projects
This project developed four individual community projects between 2019 and 2022. These were designed to explore different perspectives on the history of Paisley School of Arts. Firstly, from the perspective of arts educators (Unfulfilled Vision of Arts Education), Rachael and Trent used archival materials and publications to interpret how the idea of Paisley School of Arts can inspire their own teaching practices. Secondly, from the perspective of arts students (Paisley School of Arts Reimagined in VR), a group of UWS's New Media Art students were invited to respond to Paisley School of Arts through the medium of virtual reality. Thirdly, from the perspective of creative community (Sharing the History), another group of UWS's New Media Art students designed and facilitated participatory workshops for members of STAR project. Fourthly, from the perspective of new artists (Fresh Expeditions), we collaborated with Leo Plumb as a lead artist and members of Art Boss as participating artists to see how this type of archaeological thinking sparks new conversations for artists. Creative outputs from the projects have been archived in this site under 'community projects.'