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Interview: Local Artist Margarita Williams

I’m Margarita Williams, and I was born in Harris, in Cuidinish. Um, I lived there till I was five and left Harris to go and live in Oban, where I spent my schooldays. And, uh, from there I went to Glasgow School of Art, and after being there I became a teacher – an art teacher – and taught in various schools on the mainland.

In 2001 I returned to Harris and taught in schools in Lewis and Harris, and, um, then latterly part-time I became, um – I did more of my own artwork, and some teaching, so – and then, last July, I gave up the teaching, and have been concentrating on the art since then. And I opened this gallery, part-time, about four years ago, and this – since July it’s been full-time, and it has been going well. Um, but I do exhibit from time to time in other places, um, the art centre in Lewis, and Uist – I have exhibited in Uist alongwith the Uist artists, and, um, various other places. Um, and Seallam! in Harris has one room which you can use, and that has been quite – that was very useful before I opened up my own place. It was really the only place in Harris where you could do that sort of thing. And I still exhibit from time to time at Seallam!. And I’m hoping this summer to, um, put on a little exhibition of, um, St Kilda work, having gone to St Kilda this summer. That was quite an exciting trip, and I’m hoping – working on drawings and paintings at the moment, which I hope to show at Seallam!.

Um, St Kilda was part of the parish of Harris, and, um, I think there’s a connection, a strong connection between the, the Pabbay people, who I’m descended from, and the Berneray people and Pabbay and St Kilda. I think, I think, to an artist, where you’ve come from is, is very very important – it’ll be very much a part of, of how you express yourself in your work, knowing what your roots are, and to have very well grounded roots with a place is, I think, is reflected in your work.

The genealogy centre, of course, attracts a lot of people from all over the world, so it is, it is a very important facility for Harris. And it’s a very busy place, and it, uh, provides a facility and an exhibition area and, um, and an opportunity for artists like myself to show cards and prints, and it, it gives publicity to, to me to be able to show some of my work there, and then people come to, to visit me at my gallery as a consequence of work being shown there.

Sometimes, as well, Seallam! show concerts which I go along to. It’s, it’s a nice – it’s a small venue but it’s a very good venue. Acoustically it’s very good. Um, I also run workshops from time to time, um, in Seallam!. I’ve, I have run a needle-felting workshop, and – uh, for small groups of people. It’s not a big facility, but it’s good for small groups.

I would say Seallam! is more than just a genealogy centre. It’s, it’s a community resource which, uh, is open all year, which is very important because a lot of places are not open all year round.

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