SMM+S

Adam Brown

In 1968 Glenrothes new town appointed David Harding as their Town Artist. He was the first officially appointed full time town artist in Britain.

Scots born and trained he had recently returned from Nigeria when he took up his post and stayed the Glenrothes Town Artist for ten years before choosing to leave the post.

Apart from creating public artwork he was part of the Planning Department and he worked alongside architects and planners involved in planning decisions about the new buildings being built in the town.

From what I can see he very much took the view that public town art had to be created specifically for its site and reflect the environment around it. You couldn’t just buy a piece of art and plonk it down in an empty spot in a housing estate or high street.

He lived in a council house in the town, had his studio in the corporation workshops and used council workers to help him create his artworks. He wanted to be seen as one of the town’s residents and workers and not someone just dropping in with his ideas of what Glenrothes needed.

On top of that he was responsible for art students and graduates who would also be employed by the town to create their own artworks.

I’m not going to go into too much more detail because he has his own website here:

http://www.davidharding.net/index.php

Mrs Aase Goldsmith is going to send me photographs of Harding’s Glenrothes Town art and I will start posting the items in the Fife section and updating this thread with the links.

Over the years some of his work has been moved which takes them out of the environment they were created for, but probably his greatest work of art in the town is now under threat.

“The Heritage” sits in a square beside the Kingdom Shopping Centre in Glenrothes. The building which inspired it is going to be demolished to make way for a supermarket. It’s not just the building though, the sculpture is in doubt too. It has to be moved to make way for the demolition / building works but may be demolished itself along with the building.

Local MSP Tricia Marwick is hoping to have it and other town art works listed to try and save them.

Thanks

Adam
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Scottish War Memorials Project
Scottish War Graves Project