Home-town exhibition to mark GMB's life and work
(Story dated: Thursday, April 6, 2006)

Inga Voy (left) and Captain Robbie Sutherland (seated), are pictured with sculptor Ian Scott, who made the bronze head of George Mackay Brown. Pictured right are Charlotte Leask, whose Stromness Academy Young Enterprise company has produced a CD of GMB readings, and Bryce Wilson, honorary secretary of Stromness Museum.

Just George, illustrating the life of George Mackay Brown, is the title of the summer exhibition at Stromness Museum.

The exhibition, which had its well attended preview on Friday, runs until the end of September.

The display has been arranged by the museum’s honorary secretary, Bryce Wilson, with pride of place going to a life-size bronze head of the Orkney poet and author, the tenth anniversary of whose death falls this year.

Coinciding with the exhibition will be the issue of a George Mackay Brown CD made by pupils of Stromness Academy who are taking part in the Young Enterprise competition.

Charlotte Leask, managing director of Orkney Aye, the team responsible for the CD, said when they had planned the project, they had not been aware of the significance of the year and added: “It’s worked out really well.”

Called For the Islands I Sing, the disc features a collection of GMB’s poems and short stories and the readers include both well-known Orcadians and members of Charlotte’s company, as well as George reading one of his poems. Two thousand copies have been made, priced at £13.99.

The bronze head was sculpted by North Ronaldsay artist and sculptor Ian Scott.

Capt Robbie Sutherland who, with Inga Voy, commissioned the head for the museum, said they had been on a visit to North Ronaldsay when he discovered that the head which Ian had sculpted had been purchased by Orkney Islands Council and was on display at the library in Kirkwall.

“This information caused us to inquire if it could be reproduced for display in Stromness, where we strongly believed it belonged. Ian then arranged for this fine duplicate to be produced.”

“We felt it was important that both the great work of the sculptor and the fame of our local poet and author should be available in George’s home town for which his love was paramount.”

Mr Scott explained that George had sat for him as he had worked on the head, after he had done preparatory work from photographs taken by Gunnie Moberg.

Director of the Pier Arts Centre, Neil Firth, expressed his pleasure at having the bronze in Stromness.

“We are delighted to see it here and for the bronze to have its first showing in Stromness Museum as part of the exhibition celebrating George’s life,” he said.

“It was a remarkably generous and appropriate act from our benefactors, Capt Robbie Sutherland and Inga Voy, who had realised there was something missing here in terms of remembering George’s influence on the town and Orkney and on the world stage.”

Ian Scott, he said, was a very talented Orkney artist and sculptor, and Stromnessians, Orcadians and visitors from far and near, could be grateful to Robbie and Inga for their generosity.