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Paisley Art School

Type	Art school
Established	1838
Location	Paisley , Scotland

Paisley Art School was an independent art college in Paisley, Scotland, providing tertiary education in art and design.

History

A Paisley Art School was first proposed by the Paisley Philosophical Institution in 1836.

The Art School started in 1838 at 14 Gilmore Street, Paisley.

The school later signed up to the Kensington system and so became the Paisley Government School of Art and Design in 1846. This helped many new art schools work to a standardised grading, albeit to an English model. (By comparison the forcing of this model on the much older Trustees' Academy in Edinburgh, versed in its Scottish and European outlook, caused a breakaway institution back to its Scottish model; and the Trustees' Academy, now left as a Trade and Design academy under Kensington instruction, became defunct in 1903.)

Although art was taught at Paisley art school, and the students even awarded medals at the school, the inspectors then sent off their students work to be graded in London:

The examination is conducted by an inspector, who brings his own copies and examples, to be drawn in his presence in a given time. These embrace freehand, geometry, perspective, mechanical, model, and memory drawing. There are two grades of proficiency. The second grade is higher than the first, and of a more difficult nature. Those who pass in the first cannot be again examined in the same grade, but must try the higher exercise. The exercises are collected and sent to London, where they are examined, and their merit determined. From this decision there is no appeal.

Teaching

The appointed first headmaster of the school was a German artist. He was Mr. Wornum.

1851 William Stewart

In 1853, the Paisley Herald and Renfrewshire Advertiser congratulated the sheer number of students rewarded with prizes at the Art School.

It thus appears that two thirds of the Paisley Exhibitors have been rewarded. In the other schools it never amounts to more than a half.

The newspaper also noted that Paisley was high on the list of students gaining medals at Government Art Schools in Britain.

In the number of medals, Paisley follows Manchester, 12; Glasgow, 12; Sheffield, 8; the Potteries, 8. The two first have four times the number of students, the two latter twice. There are 20 schools in all.

At this time Paisley had around 90 students. It did grow and by the 1890s it could even boast of 70 students coming from outside the burgh, such was its reputation.

Closure

The school became a victim of its own success. It was expanded to the School of Arts and Science in 1870. Then in 1897 it joined with other technical provision in the town to become the Paisley Technical College and School of Art. The college was now based at Gibson Street. In effect the Art School became part of Paisley Technical College. The college later formed the basis of the University of the West of Scotland.

Notable alumni

• James Laird Macfarlane, painter

References

Category:Art schools in Scotland Category:1857 establishments in Scotland Category:Paisley