College student is a barn artist

An Orkney art student has brought together a barnstorming display in her own backyard, in an effort to commemorate a poignant episode of West Mainland history.

While the pandemic may have put paid to the usual in-person exhibition, a graduating art and design student has triumphed over adversity to bring together a fully-fledged installation inside a working barn.

Ruth Tait, a retired teacher from Birsay, has been studying at the college for nearly a decade — fulfilling her life-long dream of pursuing art. Her degree show effort, which went public last Friday, has already been shortlisted for a Visual Arts Scotland award.

Full story in The Orcadian, available now online and in shops. You can view Ruth’s work on https://artnorth-magazine.com/degree-show-2021