Ailsa Magnus (born 1967) is a Scottish sculptor. She has created many sculptures by commission, which stand in locations in Britain.

Life

Magnus was born in

Cupar Cupar ( ; ) is a town, former royal burgh and parish in Fife, Scotland. It lies between Dundee and Glenrothes. According to a 2011 population estimate, Cupar had a population around 9,000, making it the ninth-largest settlement in Fife, and the ...

, Fife; she studied sculpture at the

Edinburgh College of Art Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) is one of eleven schools in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. Tracing its history back to 1760, it provides higher education in art and design, architecture, histor ...

from 1985 to 1989, graduating with honours, and gained a postgraduate diploma from

Gray's School of Art ''Gray's Anatomy'' is a reference book of human anatomy written by Henry Gray, illustrated by Henry Vandyke Carter and first published in London in 1858. It has had multiple revised editions, and the current edition, the 42nd (October 202 ...

in Aberdeen in 1990. She was with the Scottish Sculpture Workshop for four years. She has exhibited at the Scottish Sculpture Open and elsewhere and has held several residencies. She is a member of the

Royal Society of Sculptors The Royal Society of Sculptors (RSS) is a British charity established in 1905, which promotes excellence in the art and practice of sculpture. Its headquarters are a centre for contemporary sculpture on Old Brompton Road in South Kensington, Lo ...

Works

Magnus has written: "The motivation for the work is the opportunity to make and place works of an enduring quality, both aesthetically and literally, in the environment". Her works include the following: "Ibstock Landmark Sculpture", of 1998, is in High Street,

Ibstock Ibstock is a former coal mining village and civil parish in North West Leicestershire, England. The population of the civil parish was 5,760 at the 2001 census increasing to 6,201 at the 2011 census and 7,615 at the 2021 census. The village i ...

, Leicestershire. It was commissioned by the North West Leicestershire District Council and Ibstock Parish Council. A ceramic sculpture, on a brick and cement pedestal, shows the history and landmarks of the town. "Boundary Stone", of 2000, made in collaboration with Keith Seddon for Silkstone Parish Council, is in High Street,

Silkstone Silkstone is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, between the towns of Barnsley and Penistone. The parish includes the village of Sil ...

, South Yorkshire. It is made of sandstone with ceramic details. A metal plaque briefly describes the 19th-century

Silkstone Waggonway The Silkstone Waggonway was a narrow-gauge industrial wagonway serving the Barnsley Canal, in England, at Silkstone in South Yorkshire. History The Barnsley Canal The Barnsley Canal was built in the 1790s to carry coal from the mines near ...

. "Relaunch", in the Waterfront Garden in

Selby Selby is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, south of York on the River Ouse. At the 2021 Census, it had a population of 17,193. The town was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire; from 1974 until 2023, ...

, North Yorkshire, and "Three Swans", nearby on Ousegate, were commissioned by Selby Council and installed in 2009. Made of galvanised cast iron on a plinth of handmade bricks, "Relaunch" depicts four figures, a Monk, a Miller, a Miner, and a Marine Engineer, each important to the history of Selby. "Three Swans", made of galvanised cast iron, relates to the town's coat of arms. "Fauldhouse Mining Tribute", created with the artist Billy Caulfield, was installed in 2022 in

Fauldhouse Fauldhouse (; )
is a village in West Lothian, Scotland. ...

, West Lothian. The sculpture, supported by West Lothian Council, celebrates the history of mining in the area and shows several miners and the inscription "Fauldhouse a Community Built on Coal"."West Lothian village to unveil long-awaited tribute to coal miners"
'' Daily Record'', 6 July 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2024.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Magnus, Ailsa 1967 births Living people People from Cupar Alumni of the Edinburgh College of Art Alumni of Gray's School of Art 20th-century Scottish sculptors 21st-century Scottish sculptors