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Bill Scott (1935–2012)

William Brotherston remembers Professor Bill Scott, former Sculpture Lecturer at Edinburgh College of Art.

Bill Scott

Bill Scott was a gifted and distinguished sculptor and a respected member of the artistic community in Scotland.

He studied at Edinburgh College of Art from 1953 to 1959, and then studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris.

In 1961 he joined the staff at Edinburgh College of Art, where he remained until 1997.

He was Head of Sculpture from 1989.

As Head of Sculpture, he encouraged students to trust their own ideas and directions, giving them the confidence to be ambitious.

He introduced a variety of visiting lecturers, widening the School’s horizons.

In 1994, he was appointed a Professor in the Faculty of Art and Design, Heriot-Watt University.

In 1999, Bill became Chairman of the Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop (ESW).

Through his chairmanship £3.5 million was raised for a new ESW building, which will open in June. An additional £3 million awarded by the Scottish Community Foundation will fund an adjoining “Creative Laboratory”.

During his career he was on the board of the Fruitmarket Gallery, a member of the faculty of the British School at Rome, Chairman of the Awards Committee of the Scottish Arts Council and served on the committee of the Edinburgh Visual Arts and Crafts Award Scheme.

In 2007 he became the first sculptor to be elected president of the Royal Scottish Academy.

Last year he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of Edinburgh College of Art by the University of Edinburgh.

Notes

This is an extract of a full obituary, taken from The Scotsman.

An extended version will appear in the autumn edition of Bulletin.