Pupils learn about historical links through art
16/05/08
Pupils from Hanover Street School will see the artwork they created as part of a visual arts project to celebrate Die Hanse (the Hanseatic League) when they visit Aberdeen Art Gallery, Schoolhill, at 10am on Monday, 19 May, 2008.
The art project is one of a series of events organised by Aberdeen to celebrate its recent membership of the HANSE league and International Hanse Day on Saturday, 17 May, 2008.
Supported by City and Shire Arts Education Teams, well-known artist Kirsty Aitken worked with pupils from Hanover Street School, Aberdeen, and Slains School, Cruden Bay, Aberdeenshire, on the visual art project. The pupils researched Die Hanse; looking at the original Hanseatic League and its merchant city members before they created life size paintings of people from merchant cities from the middle ages.
The pupils’ artwork is on show in the central courtyard of Aberdeen Art Gallery this weekend.
Annette Murray, Arts Education Co-ordinator, Aberdeen City Council said: “This project has enabled children to learn about history through art. For everyone involved it has been an educational and enjoyable experience.”
The Hanseatic League was established in the middle of the 13th century when merchants trading overseas joined together, in order to their economic interests together. In the course of time 70 major cities and 130 smaller towns joined the league, which covered an area from the Netherlands to Estonia, Sweden to Cologne to Erhurt and onto Cracow. The Hanseatic League’s influence stretched far beyond these boundaries and it maintained large depots and smaller trading posts from Portugal to Russia and from Scandinavia to Italy.
A modern league was established in the Dutch town of Zwolle in 1980 and consists of an active network of 163 European towns and cities, making it the largest voluntary association of towns and cities in the world.
If you have any queries regarding this, or any other news story, please contact Aberdeen City Council on: 01224 522000.
