Smith artefacts help inspire young poets

Execution axe and Golden Lion window spark verse

Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum made its first ever Secondary Schools’ Poetry Awards recently.

There were more than 70 entries and judge John Coutts, Poet in Residence at The Smith, spent a day working through some great work, eventually whittling them down to 17 finalists from four schools.

Entries were restricted to S1 and S2 classes and they had to use one of six famous objects from the Smith Museum as inspiration.

Most popular choices for poetry were the axe that cut off the last heads in Britain in public execution outside the Tolbooth in 1820; the Golden Lion Hotel window that Burns wrote a poem in about the poor condition of Stirling Castle; the world’s oldest football which was found in Mary Queen of Scots’ bedroom in Stirling Castle and the World War 2 doll’s house which toured Britain making money for the Red Cross.

Clive Wright, Stirling’s Makar, had previously judged the primary competition and he and John Coutts gave advice and comment on the finalists work at the ceremony.

The overall winner was Tara Mathewson of Beaconhurst and the runner-up was Ailsa Dunlop of Bannockburn High. These girls received book tokens along with goodie bags given to all other finalists.

The 17 finalists’ poems will be displayed in the children’s section of the museum over the summer months.

Rhyme time Some of the winners of the Secondary Schools Poetry competition at Smith Art Gallery and Museum with David Smith (Learning Officer), Clive Wright (Makar) and John Coutts (Smith Poet in Residence)