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Long-time art teacher and Celtic Artist William “Scotty”
MacCrea will speak at the International Day of Celtic Art Conference in Andover
on Friday, June 8 at 3:30 p.m. MacCrea’s presentation, titled Celtic Art and the
Diaspora, a matter of identity, pride and tradition, is one of a dozen lectures
and discussions that will take place at the Andover Village Building (former
Methodist Church) on East Greenwood
Street from Friday June 7 to Sunday June 9.
MacCrea was hired to teach art at Andover Central School in
1958. As a teacher by day, he was also a
working Celtic artist who inspired hundreds of students through his career of
over three decades. His own work in
carved wood and print-making spanned across his years of teaching and continued
well into his retirement. Now, at age
eighty-six, he will share his thoughts on the transition of Celtic art
traditions as they continue in the British Isles and in North America. He will also present his own work from over
the past five decades.
MacCrea’s impact on students is evident in the number of
working Celtic artists in the area.
Stephen Walker of Walker Metalsmiths in Andover explains the connection
between MacCrea and the conference.
“With presenters coming from as far as Scotland, Ireland, and Canada,
one may well ask, ‘Why such an unlikely place as Andover, NY?’ MacCrea influenced many of his students to
try their hand at Celtic art. He was my teacher from 6th grade until I
graduated in 1975. At a time when Celtic art was quite obscure, even those students
who were did not try Celtic art themselves were infected by his enthusiasm
during the thirty one years he taught in Andover.”
Chicago would be the leader in American Celtic art heritage
with a local tradition that goes back to the World Fair of 1893. Two of the
other conference presenters, Michael Carroll and Steven Johnson, are from
Chicago. Largely due to MacCrea’s influence Andover has emerged as another
“hot-spot” for Celtic art in the US.
The Conference is scheduled around the Feast Day of Saint
Columba which is June 9. As Columba is
commonly associated with Celtic art, the day was designated as The
International Day of Celtic Art in 2017.
Events and exhibits have been held worldwide, but this Conference will
be a groundbreaking gathering reflecting the renaissance of Celtic art since
the 1990’s.
Lectures, presentations and discussions on Friday June 7 and
Saturday June 8 will alternate with an exhibition, open to the public, of the
artwork of the visiting artists and Friday evening from 5 to 7 PM at 1 Main
Street in Andover. On Saturday evening there will be a banquet with traditional
Celtic Music provided by The Jameson Sisters of Philadelphia. On Sunday
afternoon Michael Carroll will offer a three-hour class titled Maze and Key
patterns; the Diamond Method. There is a
fee associated the conference mainly to cover the cost of meals and the
banquet, but anyone is welcome to sit in on any of the lectures.
More information on the conference and registration details
can be found at https://www.celticartday.com or phone Walker Metalsmiths at
607-478-8567.
