Clyde-built

George Wyllie was born in Glasgow, in Shettleston.
He went to school in Glasgow, was a pupil at Bellahouston Academy.
He worked as a customs officer in Greenock. Lived much of his life in Gourock.

The River Clyde mattered to him, inspired him.
The Straw Locomotive hung over it. The Paper Boat was launched on it.

The schools taking part in the education initiative are from authorities which are wrapped around the Clyde, and the ripples are widening.

Today, we were in contact with the 90+ schools which have expressed an interest in including the artist and his work in their curriculum, whether in Art & Design, English, Music, Drama, Social Studies or Technologies, preparing for the next stage.

Some schools have been working during October and into November, because that was right for them.

In some schools, pupils are just starting to investigate George Wyllie, starting to think how that will affect their own work. Some doing that in English, some in Scots, some in Gaelic.

In some schools, it'll be January when exploring the work of George Wyllie is just right for what they will be doing.

Along the river the ripples are widening out.

Which Great Scot
(pronouncedly Scottish) pronounces
Scul?ture
most Scotchly with a question mark and a
glottal stop?

...asks Liz Lochhead when she described the artist.

But no narrowness of view.

For us too, the internet means that Clyde-built isn't confined to the river. Schools in other authorities can access the materials online and the ripples widen.

Liz Lochhead also described George Wyllie as turning 'his wide gaze to the open sea'. His view was certainly international and it's a joy when people contact us from abroad to comment on his work and what the schools are doing. One e-mail this week said, KA..TA..PLI..KTI..KA! That's Greek for A..MAZ...ING! Very apt, given his love of Greece.

"My art is place specific and people specific," said George Wyllie.

Clyde-built it certainly is and pupils in schools along the Clyde are seeing that, as they turn their gaze to the wide open sea.

What a privilege to be working with them on this.