'The An Dealbh Mòr project was one of the most innovative and exciting developments that I have seen in Primary education. Using their unique location, language and culture, the staff, pupils and parents created a wonderful experience that leaves such a rich legacy for Sleat, Skye and our nation. I will always remember my visit to Sleat to see the project and listen to the youngsters tell their tales of such an interesting and worthwhile learning experience. The project is an excellent example of how a small Primary School can use enterprise in education to deliver many of the aspects of the Curriculum for Excellence.
This was a community enterprise project of the highest calibre.'

Bruce Robertson Director of Education, Highland Council

‘This is such an excellent example of the best of contemporary art practice in visual arts and performing arts, linking with the Scottish Executives priorities in Gaelic and education. The sort of example you would hope that ‘cultural entitlements’ may lead to....’

Maggie Maxwell Head of Equalities, Scottish Arts Council (SAC)

The Children's Views

'It was exciting getting our first cheque after all our work and writing all these letters.
It was different that our friends were running the project. We knew our ideas would be listened to.' - Lasair Ealain

Do you see your surroundings differently now?
'I liked the freedom of sitting down to do my own painting. We were able to draw what we saw combined with our own imagination.' - Elspeth P5

'When you are painting you don’t just look at a view once, you don’t draw it instantly, you have to look at it a few times before you get it right in your head.' - Seumas P4

'We appreciate where we live more.' - Marie P6

On tone, texture and colour
'Sometimes you don’t get the right colour at first, sometimes you have to look at the shades and the different textures before you can get the right colour. We learnt to paint in layers using under-colours which makes the painting look better, more real.' - Fiann P4

'I see that sometimes the mounains are blue, sometimes they’re pink.' - Robbie P4

'It was good to learn new techniques like how you make cool colours and warm colours. ' - Criòsdean P7

What did you learn most?
'I liked the art trips. I liked choosing our own view and not being made to draw something I didn’t want to. It meant you could play to your strengths. You do your best when you are interested in what you are drawing. We had more choice and therefore more responsibility for ourselves. It is good to be different from the others.' - Linda P5

'It was good to use high quality paint and materials (brushes, paper etc). The quality of paint is very bad in schools as the council are also worried that the younger ones might eat it but we don’t do that when we are older. It was good not to be treated like little children but be allowed to fulfil our full potential with such good colours. And the younger ones also enjoyed this without mucking about .' - Mairi P7

'We were encouraged to change things or improve on something but nothing was ever actually wrong.' - Raonaid P7

'I liked using the professional art palettes the best because it’s better than the squishy paint that you get that you can’t really mix.' -Matthew P4

Children’s reflections on the project
'It was a once in a lifetime chance.' - Linda P5

'It was great to have the teachers learning with us. We were all equal. I felt no-one was treated higher than me and no-one was below me.
We all worked together. It was like a savings account – all the work that you put in was paid back out to you in reward – and MORE!' - Dor P6

'The paintings were all different. They were all about each person and expressed our own feelings in the painting. This allows the spectator to see their own feelings in the pictures depending on their mood. When the sun was out you can see the rain glistening and put that into your painting which is really beautiful. I liked being able to express my mood that day through the painting or drawing I was making.' - Mairi P7

'It is interesting the way you paint freely when you are young but that gets more difficult to achieve when you are older.' - Steaphanaidh P 7

'I liked the way we were working with different classes so sometimes I was painting with a P1.' - Rhiannon P4

Low Points!
'I didn’t like the midges, raindrops smudging my drawing – and people distracting me. ' - Finlay P4
'I got annoyed with People standing on my paintings.' - Michael P4

Discussions
'I liked looking at other people’s drawings and talking about them, and saying why I thought they were good. I learnt a lot.' - Lucy P2

The children were so much freer than us in their' painting, we learnt a lot from looking at their work. I thought if the children can do it, so can I, and it doesn’t matter if it’s not right. ' - Jeanette Maclure

'Everyone’s drawings are different because some people are better at drawing than others.' - Caleb P4

'No, everyone’s drawings are different because everyone draws differently.' - Magnus P4

An Tuireann workshop
'I liked teaching the adults and leading the workshop at An Tuireann. It felt good to be in charge.You could help the people but you weren’t actually doing the painting yourself so you could see the drawing from the outside and suggest helpful options for them to choose from. It made us remember our paintings and want to do another.mWe are also learning when we teach.' - Neil P5

Working on big charcoal composition and big painting
'When we started the big charcoal drawing I thought that we were just going to join all our pictures together but in fact it was one big picture with all of us working together on it. ' - Calum P5

'I was a bit worried: I was a bit shocked by the size when I first saw it.I thought we wouldn’t have enough to fill the huge canvas, but when I started I realised we would! ' - Ruairaidh P6

'There was a bit of an electric aura in the school when we were doing the big painting. When I wasn’t working on it, I was wondering about which bit was being painted now, wondering if they had done the mountains yet or if they had finished the pier.' - Dor P6

'It was good to use big brushes.We liked walking on the painting as we worked on it. We couldn’t quite see what we were doing when we were close up because things were so big. It was good to go up a ladder and see from afar what we had just been painting. ' - Isabel P7

Developing the performance
'An Dealbh Mòr inspired me to play the saxophone much more, and Piers let us do lots of things we hadn’t done before, making up sounds and rhythms.We were able to experiment with new sounds .Piers gave lots of helpful advice.' - Benny P7

'We were using our books in a different way. The colours we were working with were very rich and the music was rich as well.' - Winnie P7

'The feel of the land and the colours in our paintings and drawings expressed movement and the way we danced.' - Jamie P7

'We were asked to kind of act out a favourite drawing from our books. It was mostly the shapes in my drawing that made me think of my solo dance piece. Claire, the Choreographer, helped us.' - Linda P5

'I made my dance from my drawing of sticks in my sketch book.. I thought about it first. ' - Connor P2

Performing for the public
'My favourite part was when we were doing the dancing and all the colourful lights went on, lights that changed, yellow and green were my favourite.' - Magnus P4

'I liked Rowan’s volcano. I liked shooting out.' - Caleb P4

'The feeling after the last performance, it felt like you had really achieved something. Just looking up at the audience looking down on us, clapping, it was a great feeling. You just couldn’t stop smiling.' - Jamie P7

Artists' Comments

'When I try to describe An Dealbh Mòr as a piece of work in which I was involved - as a genre - I can find no formulation. It was not an opera, a ballet, a ‘show’, a ‘musical’ or ‘a project’, though it had elements of all those. It was a performance built out of modern dance, improvised music, the visual arts and lighting, and every one of those media was in its adult plumage. The children had taken ownership of the work by the time it was presented,- it was a grown-up work of performance art that became part of its community.'
Piers Hellawell, Composer

'I felt that speaking in Gaidhlig was very appropriate as it is a language that relates directly to the landscape of the Hebrides and many Gaidhlig words lose some of their meaning when translated.'
Sarah MacIntyre, Gaelic Artist

Audience Comments

'I think An Dealbh Mor is a consummate work of art. It was very artistic in every detail, the children’s movement and painting, the music, the choreography, and the overall vision that brought it all together. I defy anyone to say children don’t understand the abstract after that. It was 100% artistic language. I can’t say “Well done” enough!'
Dr. Meg Bateman

'It has the essential qualities for success; commitment, imagination and the enthusiastic involvement of skilled artists.'
Jim Tough Head of Arts, Scottish Arts Council (SAC)

'This was an excellent project operating at many different levels. Education as it should be.'
Tormod MacGilliosa Director of Sabhal Mòr Ostaig