“A community arts project is an invitation to be creative and tell your story.” - Andrew Crummy
Craigmillar born Andrew Crummy attributes his lifelong passion for art to his culturally rich childhood. A community activist and strongly involved in the Craigmillar Community Arts Festival, his mother was a huge influence and inspiration. Literally falling asleep on the job, helped the young Crummy make the career move from civil servant to student at Jordanstone College where he studied illustration before later studying at Glasgow School of Art.
From Rembrandt to Hockney, Crummy’s interests in art is wide. “I’m somebody who really likes drawing and painting”, he says and his passion for art at grass roots community level is still evident as he mentors his students at their regular Friday morning art class in Cockenzie. They know they are privileged to have his expert eye and wise advice. “You can tell Andrew is teacher trained by the way he communicates”, says Ann Dickson, retired primary teacher and talented artist in her own right.”
Laughing, he is wistful as he recalls with delight the first time his work was published and the thrill of seeing his name in print. “I went up the Royal Mile and bought 6 copies of NME (New Musical Express). It was the first time I’d seen my name in print. It was a great feeling!”
It was the 1980’s musical, duo Everything But The Girl” which gave Andrew Crummy his big break in the world of design.
From those early days he has now become synonymous with tapestry design and in East Lothian, street community art with his involvement in the Prestonpans mural trail.
“The idea was if we painted murals around Prestonpans it would help to regenerate Prestonpans and create a tourist industry and to a point that’s happened,” he explains.
After helping establish Prestonpans as a mural town, he went on to design the Battle of Prestonpans tapestry and from that grew the magnificent project, the Great Tapestry of Scotland. With five thousand visitors a day, at one point in The Scottish Parliament, the tapestry moves next year to its permanent home in Galashiels.
“It transformed my life really”, he says “It was a huge learning curve. That’s the attraction; learning about the history, ordinary working folk: miners, peasants, the inventors and scientists, the church events not just kings and queens.”
With new panels being commissioned for the tapestry, Crummy is a busy man. One time chair of the local Three Harbours Festival, he has numerous projects on the go and all impressive. He recites a list that makes a powerful portfolio: Mount Felix tapestry about Gallipoli, Declaration of Arbroath Tapestry, Tapestry For Europe and the cancer tapestry.
While undergoing treatment for throat cancer 2 years ago, it is typical of Crummy that his recovery inevitably led to a positive and affirming tapestry. His oncologist, Ioanna Nixon who shared her interest in art, became involved, together with Rod Mountain, a friend with a fascination for art depicting science and medicine. Through this project, they aim to show the variety of voices of people who have survived cancer.
The Great Tapestry of Scotland - Designed by Andrew Crummy
The cancer tapestry looks set to be another very important piece of social history catalogued and safe guarded by Crummy for future generations.
“You do feel you are a custodian of history,” he agrees.
Tapestry is a unique craft that can often quite literally see its stitchers’ DNA imprinted and consigned to the art work. Anecdotes of hair entwined in tapestry threads of stitchers today make me reflect on the Bayeux Tapestry. Is it because we have such a pictorial representation that this is our most easily recalled historic date? If Andrew Crummy has anything to do with it, Prestonpans and 1745 will be the same.