Gray’s School of Art announces exhibition as it prepares to mark 140 years

Marking 140 years of Gray’s School of Art, a major exhibition entitled Gray’s School of Art: 140 Years reflects on the evolution of studio practice, teaching, and artistic relationships across generations. Featuring works from past and present staff, students, and alumni, it celebrates Gray’s deep connection with Aberdeen Art Gallery and the wider creative ecology shaped by connections across Scotland and beyond.

Gray’s School of Art: 140 Years is an exhibition and public programme coinciding with two key anniversaries: the founding of the school in 1885 and 60 years since the opening of its iconic modernist building on the River Dee. It explores how studio practices, teaching, and relationships have evolved over time.

Dr Dan Allen, Dean of Gray’s School of Art, said: “Gray’s 140 will leave a legacy in the city and wider region, and we hope as many people as possible will get involved in the celebrations. As part of the anniversary, we hope to put the spotlight on the future of art education and to examine the role of art schools in contemporary society.  

“We want to celebrate Gray’s ongoing influence on the artistic landscape of the North East of Scotland and beyond, and the impact the art school has as a leader in creative education, artistic practices and the cultural and economic life of Aberdeen and the wider North East region. We will not only reflect the past but will look to the future and position the art school as a dynamic centre for creative thinking, identity formation, and societal change.

“We want to engage the public, and to extend the exhibition beyond Aberdeen so that we can connect with remote areas such as Orkney, to ensure that the broader community is involved with the anniversary celebrations.”

Councillor Martin Greig, Aberdeen City Council’s culture spokesperson, said: “The exhibition is a welcome opportunity to celebrate 140 amazing years of creativity and innovation at Gray’s School of Art. Over the years, the inventive energy of the Gray's community has produced a massive art and design legacy with deep and long-lasting significance at regional, European and global levels.

“It's great to look back and marvel at the work and visions of the artists and designers of the past. We can be rightly proud of our local art school with its rich traditions in artistic expression. The imagination and inspiration of staff and students will continue to move and inspire new generations into the future."

The exhibition, which opens on Saturday 22 November 2025, and accompanying public programme will highlight how Gray’s School of Art has been and continues to be, an environment for exchange, discovery, and reflection. It will spotlight the ways artists teach, the learning environment, and how relationships are shaped and maintained over time through ongoing processes of perception and transformation handed down from generation to generation.

Gray’s School of Art: 140 Years will feature works by many artist-educators such as James Cowie, Henderson Blyth, Sylvia Wishart, Frances Walker, Joyce Cairns, Fred Stiven, Ainslie Yule (among many others), alongside contributions that correspond with these works by current staff and alumni including David Blyth, Andrew Cranston, Callum Innes, and Tako Taal. The exhibition makes visible the dynamic relationships that have defined Gray’s legacy. It also offers a moment to explore new possibilities and connections. 

The selected works mark a pivotal moment when Gray’s relocated from its original site beside Aberdeen Art Gallery to its modernist home on the banks of the Dee. Using this transition as a lens, the exhibition reveals how the identity of an art school is shaped by its context, tracing Gray’s evolution from 19th-century roots in the Mechanics’ Institute and academic traditions, through its postwar reinvention as a hub for modern art education, to its potential futures.

Gray’s School of Art: 140 Years has been curated by Dr Judith Winter, Lecturer at Gray’s School of Art, and Sally Reaper, Director of Look Again, and will be on view at Aberdeen Art Gallery from 22 November 2025 to 12 April 2026. It is presented in partnership with Aberdeen Archives, Gallery & Museums and RGU Art and Heritage Collections, with support from RGU KEIF, Gray’s School of Art, Creative Scotland’s National Lottery Open Fund, Aberdeen City Council, Creative Funding, and private donors.

Main image: Architect Michael Shewan's vision for Gray's School of Art