News - Engage

The week of 3rd June 2024 is Volunteers Week, a time we come together to recognise and celebrate the enormous contribution our army of volunteers make to our museums, galleries and collections. In this blog, Collections Volunteer Alasdair explores some of the Museum Collections Centre's 17th century items.

This year, the Friends of the City Art Centre will celebrate their 50th Anniversary. To commemorate this jubilee occasion our Schools Engagement Officer invited schools to participate in an art competition with the theme of friendship. Generous prizes were kindly donated by the Friends.

The entries received from all schools involved were fantastic. The top three winners were voted for by a panel of City Art Centre staff. It was a great win for Clovenstone Primary School who really impressed the judges!

1st prize was awarded to Callie and Andreea from Clovenstone Primary School P5 class for their wonderful, eye-catching, collaborative artwork. They will each receive a £50 art materials voucher.

2nd prize was awarded to Michelle from Clovenstone Primary School P7 class for her beautiful drawing depicting the companionship between dogs and their owners. Michelle will receive a £60 art materials voucher.

3rd prize was awarded to Thasa from Clovenstone Primary School P6/7 class for this fantastically unique representation of friendship in the form of different shoes standing together. Thasa will receive a £40 art materials voucher.

The school will also receive £100 to spend on art materials for their pupils to use.

Thanks again to the Friends of the City Art Centre for their support. These prizes will no doubt make such a positive impact on these young artists and Clovenstone Primary School.

Our vision is to mainstream the range of services for all autistic visitors, their families and carers, across all ages in the City of Edinburgh. We have launched our first sensory backpack at Lauriston Castle for families to borrow and use during their visit.  The pack contains:

Ear Defenders
A range of Fidget Toys
Notepad and Drawing Pencil
Emotion Cards

We will be developing these backpacks in all our remaining venues in the coming weeks/months.

Please ring Lauriston Castle on 0131 336 2060 in advance of your visit to book out the backpack.  

We are delighted to announce the winners of our landscape art competition for schools to mark Scotland’s Climate Week which took place 26th September – 2nd October. Our talented winners this month were from Granton Primary School, Clovenstone Primary School and Craigroyston Primary School. Using digital images of paintings from the City Art Centre collection to provoke discussion, pupils took the time in class to reflect on the importance of protecting our natural environment. They then created their own beautiful landscape artworks in response - some using paint, others using pen and pencil. The three winning artworks were voted for by Museums & Galleries Edinburgh staff members.

GOLD AWARD WINNER – Fern, P4/5 pupil, Craigroyston Primary School

We were very impressed by Fern’s attention to detail in this beautiful landscape painting from the careful drawing of the roots to the marks on the tree trunks. Her sophisticated application of colour and texture bring this scene to life and really made us feel as if we were walking through a woodland. Well done Fern!

SILVER AWARD WINNER – Rosie, P3C pupil, Granton Primary School

This delightful painting by Rosie really made us smile. Her use of vibrant colours and the smiling faces of the people in the water made us feel happy. We love the way that the waves have been painted to create a sense of movement in the sea. Well done Rosie!

BRONZE AWARD WINNER – Marhan, P7 pupil, Clovenstone Primary School

The expressive painterly marks used in this landscape by Marhan are just fantastic. This is an atmospheric piece of art that brilliantly captures the rugged nature of Scotland's scenery. Well done Marhan!

Our three fantastic winners will receive certificates and an art materials prize.

This week is Scotland's Climate Week, an annual event to raise awareness of the global climate emergency and encourage climate action across the country. At the Museum of Edinburgh, we are trying to start conversations about climate change in our revamped museum courtyard. 

This summer, Edinburgh Museums and Galleries once again worked in partnership with Edinburgh University Collections, Historic Environment Scotland and SCRAN to facilitate an enriching, creative holiday programme for a group of young people. This year, 7-10 year olds supported by Edinburgh Young Carers took part in the varied Capital Culture programme.

For the first session, participants visited University of Edinburgh’s Main Library to learn all about street photography and take some eye-catching images of their own. The next workshop involved a trip to St. Cecilia’s Hall where the young people created their very own musical instruments. A visit to Edinburgh Castle encouraged the group to create their own fantastic collage artworks and for their final session, the Edinburgh Young Carers visited the City Art Centre to look at our exhibition Will Maclean: Points of Departure. Inspired by Maclean’s sculptural work, the group then made their own clay models.

The programme provided the opportunity for participants to visit a range of inspiring cultural venues in their city, learn new skills, develop confidence, express themselves creatively, and most importantly have fun!

The Capital Culture programme culminated in a showcase event at the City Art Centre where the young people were able to show the brilliant variety of work that they had created to invited guests.

It was a joy to welcome children from Craigroyston Primary School and Pirniehall Primary School to Lauriston Castle grounds throughout the month of May. We explored our Japanese garden by taking part in a scavenger hunt. Classes also painted some beautiful landscapes of the view over the Firth of Forth. We investigated mark-making by taking crayon rubbings of tree bark and then using them to collage with and completed some fantastic drawings of the front of Lauriston Castle itself.

We hope that many pupils will re-visit Lauriston grounds with their families, friends and carers in the future.

Happy Volunteers' Week! Each year during 1-7 June we celebrate the amazing contribution that volunteers make to Museums & Galleries Edinburgh. At the start of this year we were delighted to recruit a new group of volunteers to help with our schools programme. We welcomed twelve new volunteers to assist our Schools Engagement Officer, Hannah, with schools workshops at the City Art Centre and Lauriston Castle. In this blog we hear from Megan who is one of our School Workshop Volunteers.

My name is Megan and I have just completed my final year studying history at the University of Edinburgh. I discovered the opportunity to volunteer as a school workshop assistant at the City Art Centre through an Instagram post by my University’s Arts and Heritage society. As someone who enjoys art, going to galleries and museums and working with children - this opportunity sounded perfect for me. I started helping in January of this year, it has fit well into my university routine and given very fun breaks from studying!

My first volunteering session was at the City Art Centre, this was also one of the first school sessions there after Covid. I helped Hannah with a P5 class from Royal Mile Primary School. Together, we explored the exhibitions including viewing the Lorimer paintings. I noticed that for many of the children it was their first time in a gallery and that they were so excited to be here. We then went up to the 5th floor, where I helped the children create a collage of their own room setting inspired by Lorimer. There was a variety of materials available for the children to use and they loved having the freedom to be creative. Both the children and I were in awe of the amazing view of Princes Street from the gallery. It was a beautiful backdrop for the beginning of my volunteering experience.

My experience as a school workshop assistant has been invaluable in discovering the amazing variety of arts and heritage settings Edinburgh has to offer. It has also shown me how art can be uniquely practiced in each place. I helped a group of children from Abbeyhill Primary School paint an outdoor wildlife mural for the courtyard at the Museum of Edinburgh. The murals they created were bright and captured multitudes of wildlife, from urban foxes to toads to ants. I loved being part of making something that will be a feature of the museums’ garden and I can’t wait to visit when the museum opens over the summer. A bonus reward was a selection of delicious cakes for the kids and volunteers from Mimi’s bakehouse! 

Recently, I was invited to assist a school’s session at Lauriston Castle. This is somewhere I didn’t actually know about before volunteering! I was grateful that volunteering allowed me to go visit it. I helped a class from Pirniehall Primary School explore the Japanese gardens of the castle on an art trail. Additionally, we did tree rubbings on the grounds that were then used for a forest picture. My favourite part of the day was helping the children with their watercolour paintings of the beautiful landscape views across the Firth of Forth. Although it rained while the kids were painting, we didn’t let that stop us. It was amazing to see how proud all the children were of their paintings. I have thoroughly enjoyed being a school workshop volunteer, and can’t wait to help out more in the future.

If you are interested in volunteering you can find out more on our volunteer page. We will be looking for more volunteers to help in a variety of roles over the summer.

We are delighted to announce the results of our March City Art Stars competition for schools. Our talented winners this month were from Pirniehall Primary School, Clovenstone Primary School and Craigentinny Primary School.

The City Art Stars programme is a series of interactive art workshops delivered to schools digitally via Microsoft Teams. In March, pupils invented their own fantasy creatures, created colourful abstract artworks, drew interiors and composed their own beautiful landscape paintings. All workshops were inspired by artworks from the City Art Centre collection.

The winning artworks for March were voted for by members of the City of Edinburgh Council Culture and Communities Committee and City Art Centre staff members:

GOLD AWARD – Maria, Clovenstone Primary School, P7

We were very impressed by Maria’s fantastic interior drawing inspired by the paintings of John Henry Lorimer. There is a real sense of perspective in this artwork and it has lots of lovely details. Well done Maria!

SILVER AWARD – Douglas, Craigentinny Primary School, P3/4

The Giraffedragon invented by Douglas is a brilliantly terrifying creature! We love the use of imagination in this artwork and appreciate all the hard work that has gone into this detailed drawing. It is so eye-catching! Well done Douglas!

SILVER AWARD – Nashla, Clovenstone Primary School, P3/4

The brushwork in this landscape painting by Nashla is excellent. This artwork really captures the feeling of being in a rainy Scottish landscape, it is beautiful and atmospheric! Well done Nashla!

BRONZE AWARD – Willow, Craigentinny Primary School, P3

Wow, what a unique creature the Featherpig is! This drawing by Willow is just wonderful and we really enjoyed reading the story behind the creature too. Well done Willow!

BRONZE AWARD – Sandra, Pirniehall Primary School, P5

This bright, abstract artwork by Sandra really made us smile. The variety of shapes, colours and patterns used are just delightful. What a fabulous piece of art! Well done Sandra!

BRONZE AWARD –  Tasmiha, Clovenstone Primary School, P3/4

Our judges thought that this landscape by Tasmiha was brilliant and beautifully painted! Well done Tasmiha!

Our six fantastic winners will receive certificates and an art materials prize.

We were delighted to welcome children from Sighthill Primary School, Craigroyston Primary School and Royal Mile Primary School to the City Art Centre in January and February. We had some fantastic in-depth discussions about the artworks on display in our current exhibitions Tapestry: Changing Concepts and Reflections: The Light and Life of John Henry Lorimer. Children gave their opinions and views on a range of pieces from sculptures and abstract drawings, to textile designs and paintings. Classes made a variety of unique artworks using printmaking, collage and painting and then shared their fantastic creations with one another at the end of each session.

We are excited to invite more schools to visit our venues over the coming months!

In 2021, Museums & Galleries Edinburgh along with Edinburgh Young Carers, was selected as a Key Partner by the British Museum to take part in their new innovative youth programme.

Where We Are… is a new national programme delivered by the British Museum and supported by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.  From 2021-2025 the programme will work with third sector and cultural partners across the country, to develop meaningful arts and cultural projects with young people.

Between August - December 2021, we worked with 10 young people aged 18-24 who are supported by Edinburgh Young Carers and Space. Their brief was to co-create a cultural output that meant something to them and that responded to local needs.

Where to start?! Working with artist and facilitator Elena Mary Harris, the group discussed things that were important and places that were special to them. They made a group collage, mapped out places of importance and spent time out in the city discussing ideas. The group initially chose to look at popular sites in the city centre, but it soon became apparent that being in those spaces made some members of the group feel uncomfortable.

Chatting about this around a map of Edinburgh, one young person stated ‘Edinburgh is not the Royal Mile’ and the idea was born. The group wanted to show their special Edinburgh places in the city centre somehow.

The next step was to select a medium to bring their idea to life, and to hire a creative practitioner to support them to do this. We invited applications from artists and practitioners to work with the group. The young people shortlisted those applications and invited three people to make a pitch to them. They chose to work with photographer Tom Duffin who presented the idea of making a three-dimensional virtual space.

Further sessions saw the group going out to experiment with 360 degree and time lapse photography. Elena and Tom worked with the group to document each of their chosen spaces in Edinburgh, adding images and sound so that the viewer would be taken from a point on the Royal Mile to the young person’s special place.

The project culminated in a showcasing event where the young people were able to show their work at the City Art Centre and guests could view it using virtual reality headsets.

The work is now available to view online at: Where We Are - Edinburgh is NOT the Royal Mile (3dscotland.co.uk)

We are delighted to announce the winners of our December City Art Stars competition for schools. Interactive art workshops were delivered via Microsoft Teams to pupils from Sighthill Primary School, Clovenstone Primary School, Craigroyston Primary School, Leith Walk Primary School, Craigentinny Primary School and Dalry Primary School.

Pupils created drawings of Edinburgh landmarks inspired by the artist Kate Downie whose work is featured in the City Art Centre exhibition ‘Incoming: New Acquisitions at the City Art Centre’. Classes also created colourful stained-glass windows, window view drawings and eye-catching interior collage artworks inspired by our exhibition ‘Reflections: the light and life of John Henry Lorimer’.

The winning artworks for December were voted for by City Art Centre staff:

GOLD AWARD – Zack, Sighthill Primary School, P4

We love this cosy interior scene created by Zack. The patterns and colours used are so eye-catching and the features are very well drawn. Well done Zack!

SILVER AWARD – Rafail, Clovenstone Primary School, P7

The colours used in this artwork by Rafail made us feel happy! The way that the sun’s rays have been depicted is really effective. Well done Rafail!

SILVER AWARD – Prapti, Craigroyston Primary School, P6

Our judges were very impressed by the super use of detail and texture in this artwork by Prapti. We can see that a lot of thought has gone into this. Well done Prapti!

BRONZE AWARD – Lily, Leith Walk Primary School, P6

Lily has captured the Scott Monument brilliantly with this drawing! It is instantly recognisable. Well done Lily!

BRONZE AWARD – Ivan, Sighthill Primary School, P7

We were impressed by the effort that has gone into creating this fantastic drawing of symmetrical reflections on water. Ivan has added lots of details into this artwork and it is great. Well done Ivan!

BRONZE AWARD –  Correyleigh, Clovenstone Primary School, P7

Correyleigh has done an excellent job depicting perspective in this window view artwork. We can see that a lot of thought has been put into this. Well done Correyleigh!

BRONZE AWARD – Leia, Sighthill Primary School, P4

Our judges loved the attention to detail in this bold drawing of the Museum of Edinburgh by Leia. It is brilliant! Well done Leia!

Our seven fantastic winners will receive certificates and an art materials prize.

We are delighted to announce the winners of our November City Art Stars competition for schools. Weekly, interactive art workshops were delivered via Microsoft Teams to pupils from Craigroyston Primary School, Forthview Primary School and Dalry Primary School.

Pupils created paintings of Edinburgh landmarks inspired by the artist Kate Downie whose work is featured in the City Art Centre exhibition ‘Incoming: New Acquisitions at the City Art Centre’. Classes also created colourful stained-glass windows and eye-catching interior collage artworks inspired by our exhibition ‘Reflections: the light and life of John Henry Lorimer’.

The winning artworks for November were voted for by City Art Centre staff and members of the Culture & Communities Committee at the City of Edinburgh Council:

GOLD AWARD – Maya, Dalry Primary School, P7

Our judges were really impressed by this sophisticated design by Maya. It is clear that a lot of thought and care has been put into creating this beautiful artwork. We love the bright colours used and we think that this would make a fantastic stained-glass window in real life! Well done Maya!

SILVER AWARD – Caitlin, Dalry Primary School, P7

This artwork by Caitlin really made us smile. A lot of thoughtful detail has been added to this eye-catching collage. It is just joyful to look at, well done Caitlin!

BRONZE AWARD – Tamara, Craigroyston Primary School, P7

We were impressed by the attention to detail in this confident drawing of the Museum of Edinburgh by Tamara, it is fantastic!! Well done Tamara! 

BRONZE AWARD – Chance, Craigroyston Primary School, P7

Our judges commented on the brilliant use of perspective in this artwork by Chance. This composition is visually striking and filled with great detail. We love the clouds in the sky! Well done Chance!

Our four fantastic winners will receive certificates and an art materials prize.

We are delighted to announce the winners of our October City Art Stars competition for schools. Weekly, interactive art sessions were delivered via Microsoft Teams to pupils from Niddrie Mill Primary School, Pirniehall Primary School and Forthview Primary School. These City Art Stars sessions were inspired by our current exhibition ‘Incoming: New Acquisitions at the City Art Centre’.

Pupils created ink drawings of Edinburgh landmarks inspired by the artist Kate Downie, cut out symmetrical leaf designs taking influence from Nicola Murray’s cyanotype prints and created prints of animals that are endangered or at risk in Scotland due to loss of habitat, over-fishing and climate change, inspired by the woodcut prints of artist Ade Adesina. We combined these prints with pen drawings and chalk rubbings to create imaginary landscapes.

The winning artworks for October were voted for by City Art Centre staff and members of the Culture & Communities Committee at the City of Edinburgh Council:

GOLD AWARD – Keira, Pirniehall Primary School

We were so impressed by the excellent use of printmaking in this artwork by Keira. Our judges loved the colourful buildings in the background too. Overall, this is a very eye-catching piece. Well done Keira!

SILVER AWARD – Jacob, Pirniehall Primary School

We loved the creativity and imagination in this artwork by Jacob. Not only is the puffin print brilliant, but the background is vibrant and dramatic. It really made us think about climate change and its effect on the environment. Well done Jacob!

SILVER AWARD – Max, Forthview Primary School

Our judges were really impressed by this intricate drawing of the Scott Monument by Max. He has added lovely details in this artwork such as the tonal shading in the building structure and the colourful flower beds below. Well done Max!

BRONZE AWARD – Tamara, Niddrie Mill Primary School

This is an excellent symmetrical design by Tamara. The cutting has been done beautifully and we love the colours and patterns used to decorate this leaf. Well done Tamara!

Our four fantastic winners will receive certificates and an art materials prize.

Visit our schools blog to see more artwork by pupils across Edinburgh: City Art Stars – City Art Stars – Schools programme for the City Art Centre (wordpress.com)

Written by Claire Robertson, Digital Outreach Assistant (Kickstart Scheme)

During my Kickstart placement, I am helping to plan and lead online Art in the City meetings. Art in the City is a monthly programme aimed at people whose lives are affected by dementia. The group has been meeting since 2006, and sessions usually comprise trips to art galleries and museums. The programme provides participants with the opportunity to discuss art in a relaxed and friendly environment. 

Throughout the pandemic, the group has met online using Microsoft Teams. I shadowed July and August’s fascinating sessions. Volunteer Joe and Outreach and Access Manager Diana Morton led a great session on Contrasts for July’s meeting. In August, Fine Art Curator Helen Scott led an engaging discussion on works from the City Art Centre’s exhibition, Charles H. Mackie: Colour and Light. It was interesting to learn more about Museums and Galleries Edinburgh’s art collections through these talks, and lovely to meet the Art in the City participants online. 

We are delighted to announce the winners of our September City Art Stars competition for schools. Weekly, interactive art sessions were delivered via Microsoft Teams to pupils from Niddrie Mill Primary School, Pirniehall Primary School and Forthview Primary School. City Art Stars sessions are inspired by paintings from the City Art Centre, as well as our Edinburgh museum collections such as the Museum of Childhood. They encourage children to discuss artworks and objects and to get creative.

Pupils made fantastic fish artworks inspired by our exhibition ‘Islander: the Paintings of Donald Smith’, created ink drawings of Edinburgh landmarks inspired by the artist Kate Downie and cut out symmetrical leaf designs taking influence from Nicola Murray’s cyanotype prints that are currently on display as part of our exhibition ‘Incoming: New Acquisitions at the City Art Centre’.

The winning artworks for September were voted for by City Art Centre staff and members of the Culture & Communities Committee at the City of Edinburgh Council:

GOLD AWARD – David, Forthview Primary School, P5. Our judges thought that David’s use of perspective and attention to detail in his drawing of Lauriston Castle was fantastic!

GOLD AWARD – Maja, Forthview Primary School, P5. We were impressed by the intricate use of collage and variety of colours in this fantastic fish artwork by Maja!

SILVER AWARD – Megan, Niddrie Mill Primary School, P7. Well done Megan for this fabulous drawing of Greyfriars Bobby – we love his inquisitive stare.

SILVER AWARD – Sonny, Pirniehall Primary School, P4. Our judges were impressed by Sonny’s detailed use of pattern on his Scott Monument ink drawing.

SILVER AWARD – Nikodem, Clovenstone Primary School, P2. Nikodem’s Scott Monument drawing is excellent. He has paid great attention to the symmetry and detail of this monument.

BRONZE AWARD – Leonardo, Niddrie Mill Primary School, P5. Our judges love the way that Leonardo has applied colour, texture and pattern to his artwork whilst paying careful attention to the shape of the shark.

BRONZE AWARD – Susi, Pirniehall Primary School, P7. Susi’s observational drawing of the Scott Monument really impressed us. It is technically brilliant!

All of our winners will receive certificates and an art materials prize.

This summer, Museums & Galleries Edinburgh worked in partnership with Historic Environment Scotland & SCRAN, The University of Edinburgh’s Museums, St. Cecilia’s Hall and local charity People Know How to support young people in their transition to high school through a programme of arts, culture and heritage activities designed to increase their confidence and resilience as well as strengthen their relationship with their local area. As part of the six-week programme, children took part in digital art workshops, producing watercolour paintings and text artworks inspired by our current Donald Smith and Ian Hamilton Finlay exhibitions at the City Art Centre.

Museums & Galleries Edinburgh is pleased to be hosting four Kickstart placements over the next few months.

The Kickstart Scheme is a UK Government-funded scheme that provides funding to create new job placements for 16-24 year olds who are on Universal Credit and at risk of long term unemployment. Our placements are supported by Museums Galleries Scotland, who is acting as the Kickstart Gateway and will provide employability support and top up each opportunity to the Real Living Wage.

In this blog we’d like to introduce Claire Robertson who has recently joined us as our new Digital Outreach Assistant. Claire’s will be the first in a series of Kickstart blogs over the next few months.

We are delighted to announce the winners of our June City Art Stars schools
competition.

In June there were four primary schools that took part in the City Art Stars
programme. Weekly, interactive art sessions were delivered via Microsoft Teams to
pupils from Dalry Primary School, Clovenstone Primary School, Craigentinny
Primary School and Royal Mile Primary School.

City Art Stars sessions are inspired by paintings from the City Art Centre, as well as
our Edinburgh museum collections such as the Museum of Childhood. They
encourage children to discuss artworks and objects and to get creative. We made
our own string printing plates and then used them to create summer grass landscape
artworks influenced by Joan Eardley’s paintings from the City Art Centre collection.
Using images of toys from the Museum of Childhood as stimuli, pupils invented their
own unique toy designs and for our final session we discussed the artwork ‘Coda’ by
Doug Cocker from the City Art Centre collection. Children then used cut paper
shapes to create their own balanced sculpture designs.

The winning artworks for June were voted for by City Art Centre staff:

GOLD AWARD – Anwen, Royal Mile Primary School P7

Our judges thought that Anwen’s landscape artwork was beautiful with excellent use
of the string print technique. Well done Anwen!

SILVER AWARD – Ayush, Dalry Primary School P5

We loved this eye-catching sculpture design created by Ayush. Our judges thought
that the colours and shapes used in this artwork were fantastic! Well done.

SILVER AWARD – Muhammed, Royal Mile Primary School P7

We were very impressed by Muhammed’s imaginative ‘Infinity Ball’ toy design. It was
clear that there had been a lot of thought put into this fantastic idea. Well done
Muhammed

BRONZE AWARD – Jamie, Craigentinny Primary School LC2

Our judges loved Jamie’s experimental use of mixed media in this vibrant landscape
artwork! Well done Jamie.

BRONZE AWARD – Mairi, Royal Mile Primary School P7

We thought that Mairi’s doll designs were inspirational, thoughtful and beautifully
drawn. Well done Mairi!

BRONZE AWARD – Nate, Dalry Primary School P5

This is a delightful sculpture design by Nate. Our judges loved the bold composition
and use of bright colours. We can really imagine this as a real life sculpture!

All of our winners will receive certificates and an art materials prize.

If you would like your primary school to have the opportunity to take part in our exciting, interactive art programme, contact our schools engagement officer, Hannah at hannah.nugent@edinburgh.gov.uk to discuss eligibility.

We are delighted to announce the winners of our May City Art Stars schools competition.

This month there were four primary schools that took part in the City Art Stars programme. Weekly, interactive art sessions have been delivered via Microsoft Teams to three classes from Dalry Primary School, two classes from Clovenstone Primary School, two classes from Craigentinny Primary School and one class from Royal Mile Primary School; 167 pupils in total. The art sessions were inspired by paintings from the City Art Centre, as well as our Edinburgh museum collections such as the Museum of Childhood. They encourage children to discuss artworks and objects and to get creative.

The themes this month were fantasy creatures, abstraction, landscapes, toy designers and sculpture designs. For session one, pupils were asked to invent and draw their own fantasy creature inspired by the mythological paintings of John Duncan from City Art Centre. Our abstraction session used paintings from the City Art Centre to inspire children to create their own abstract compositions. We made our own string printing plates and then used them to create summer grass landscape artworks influenced by Joan Eardley’s paintings from the City Art Centre collection. Using images of toys from the Museum of Childhood as stimuli, pupils invented their own unique toy designs for session four and for our final session we discussed the artwork ‘Coda’ by Doug Cocker from the City Art Centre collection. Children then used cut paper shapes to create their own balanced sculpture designs. 

This month’s winning artworks were voted for by City Art Centre staff and the Culture & Communities Committee at the City of Edinburgh Council:

Volunteers Week takes place from 1 - 7 June and to celebrate we’d like to highlight some of the amazing work that our volunteers do.

The pandemic has put a stop to our in-person volunteering for over a year but we hope to be able to welcome back our wonderful volunteers again soon. Two of those are Colin and Hetty who look after the courtyard at the Museum of Edinburgh. They maintain the plants, pull out those pesky weeds and engage visitors with the fascinating architectural fragments in the space. Hetty created a fantastic guide to the stone carvings and has written extensively about the courtyard and more information can be found at Hetty's History Walks.

Further up the Royal Mile we have a dedicated group of volunteers at the Writers Museum who engage with visitors in the Robert Louis Stevenson rooms. Most of them are members of the Robert Louis Stevenson Club and have shared their expert knowledge with visitors from all over the world for many years. You can read about the favourite Robert Louis Stevenson book of one of our volunteers on the Stories page of this site.

Some other volunteers have continued to volunteer in some capacity during the lockdowns. At Lauriston Castle we have a group of tour guides who in normal times take small groups of visitors around to hear about the fascinating history of the castle. For Digital Doors Open Day last year, some of our volunteer tour guides produced short films about aspects of the castle and its collections. You can view these on Lauriston Castle's page on this website.

Three volunteers have supported our monthly programme for people living with dementia and their carers, Art in the City, for several years. The sessions were moved online a year ago, and the volunteers have gone out of their comfort zones, getting to grips with digital technology so that they can continue to support the sessions online. Volunteers research arts subjects, present themes and chat with participants.

Another group of volunteers determined not to let the pandemic stop them is Edinburgh Living History. They devise site-specific performances at museum and heritage venues, and particularly at Lauriston Castle. Often taking on the roles of the last Edwardian residents of the castle, they create performances that bring the history of the house alive. Each performance is carefully devised by the group to be as historically accurate as possible whilst also being humorous and entertaining. Events include murder mysteries, tours, and school workshops. 

When museum venues were forced to close in March 2020, Edinburgh Living History members learned how to take part in online meetings so that they could continue to plan performances together. They also learned to use recording equipment so they could film themselves giving performances individually in their own homes. These were then put together with the help of an editor and streamed online. They have received fantastic feedback and allowed us to continue to engage with audiences whilst venues have been closed. View some of their films on the Lauriston Castle Facebook page. 

Remote volunteers have also been hard at work contributing to our collections inventory project, Auld Reekie Retold. 28 volunteers are working from home to transcribe the vast and varied Collections Registers. Initially they’ve been working on the collections from the Museum of Childhood. We are really grateful for the huge contribution they are making to improving our records. This volunteering project is an example of how the digital world has enabled us to enlist the help of more volunteers than would be possible in person at our Collections Centre.

Finally, a massive shout out to all the volunteers who have helped with events, tours, outreach sessions, the Lauriston Castle spring clean, documentation projects, marketing and administration.

At Museums & Galleries Edinburgh we value the significant contribution that volunteers make to helping us preserve, display and interpret our collections. We also believe volunteering is a two-way street and we aim to provide an enjoyable and enriching experience that contributes to physical and mental well-being, strengthens community bonds and promotes a sense of place.

With these values in mind we are preparing to launch a new Volunteering Policy with an inclusive approach to volunteering that aims to make the experience one that is accessible to as many people in Edinburgh as possible. Watch this space!

We are delighted to announce the March winners from our Art Club with Hannah sessions. Whilst our museums and galleries are closed to the public, we have developed an art programme that can be delivered to primary schools digitally until we can welcome everyone back to our venues again. Our Schools Engagement Officer Hannah has been running live, weekly art sessions with primary schools via Teams to support at home learning. These art sessions are inspired by paintings from the City Art Centre as well as our Edinburgh museum collections such as the Museum of Childhood. They encourage children to discuss artworks and objects and to get creative and the sessions require minimal materials such as pens, pencils and paper.   

The themes this month were fantasy creatures, indoors/outdoors and toy designers.  Inspired by the mythological paintings of John Duncan from our City Art Centre collection, in particular The Taking of Excalibur, the pupils used their imagination to create their own fantasy creatures. The children gave their creatures names and some pupils wrote stories and descriptions for them. For our indoors/outdoors session, pupils produced observational drawings of a view from inside their home or looking out of their window using paintings from the City Art Centre as inspiration such as Causewayside, Edinburgh by Anne Redpath and Interior, Temple Cottage by William George Gillies. We discussed images of toys from our Museum of Childhood collection which included Star Wars and Toy Story action figures. The children then produced their own toy designs complete with labels! The winners for March were voted for by members of our museum and galleries staff. We had so many brilliant entries that it was a difficult choice, but the top artworks this month were:

GOLD AWARD – Hamza, Pirniehall Primary School
We love this drawing by Hamza. He has thoughtfully considered the small details in his composition such as the floorboards and the pictures on his bedroom wall and he has used perspective brilliantly. The use of bold colours in this drawing make it very eye-catching. Excellent work!

SILVER AWARD – Anthony, Niddrie Mill Primary School
A fantastically imaginative drawing by Anthony! We love his use of colour and appreciate the way that he has paid excellent attention to detail and taken time to carefully draw the fish scales on his fantasy creature. Brilliant work!

BRONZE AWARD – Irfan, Forthview Primary School
This is an excellent observational drawing by Irfan. The amount of detail that he has included is fantastic and we love the planes! This room looks very exciting. Well done!
 
If you would like your primary school to have the opportunity to take part in our exciting, interactive art programme, contact our Schools Engagement Officer, Hannah on Hannah.Nugent@Edinburgh.gov.uk to discuss eligibility.  

We are delighted to announce our February winners from our Art Club with Hannah sessions. Whilst our museums and galleries are closed to the public, we have developed an art programme that can be delivered to primary schools digitally until we can welcome everyone back to our venues again. Our Schools Engagement Officer Hannah has been running live, weekly art sessions with primary schools via Teams to support at home learning. These art sessions are inspired by paintings from the City Art Centre as well as our Edinburgh museum collections such as the Museum of Childhood. They encourage children to discuss artworks and objects and to get creative and the sessions require minimal materials such as pens, pencils and paper.  

For session one the theme was portraits. Inspired by portrait paintings from the City Art Centre collection such as Lex Braes ‘Nelson Mandela (1918–2013) at Nineteen’ and Alfred Edward Borthwick’s  ‘Marjorie’ the pupils created line drawings of themselves or someone else and they had the option to include next to their portrait, something that the person in their picture loves, such as their pet or favourite item. For session two the theme was fantasy creatures. Inspired by the mythological paintings of John Duncan from our City Art Centre collection, in particular ‘The Taking of Excalibur’, the pupils used their imagination to create their own fantasy creatures. The children gave their creatures names and some pupils wrote stories and descriptions for them. The results were fantastic!
 
The winners for February were voted for by members of our museum and galleries staff. We had so many brilliant entries that it was a difficult choice, but the top artworks were:

Gold award - Anthony from Niddrie Mill Primary -  ‘Me and my scooter’
We love Anthony’s attention to detail in this portrait. This is an excellent full-length drawing and we can see that he has carefully considered pose and facial expression. It is clear to see that his scooter brings him such joy.  Well done Anthony!

Silver award – Mohid from Forthview Primary – ‘Spider Monster’
Our judges thought that Mohid’s use of imagination was fantastic. His thoughtful, detailed list of descriptions for his Spider Monster really brings his drawing to life. Great work Mohid!  

Bronze award – three joint winners:
Kayla from Forthview Primary – ‘The Pocacfopeely!’
We thought that Kayla’s fantasy creature was fabulous. It is clear to see that she has taken the time to think about the way that the different body parts of her creature come together. Kayla has used a fantastic variety of colours and patterns to create a bold and eye-catching artwork. Well done!
Rosie from Pirniehall Primary – ‘Rosie and Daisy’
It is clear how much Rosie loves her cat Daisy. This is such a lovely portrait with excellent attention to detail, Rosie has even included the logo on her jumper and the different markings on her cat. Really well done.
Maci from Pirniehall Primary – ‘Moose Legs’  
This artwork by Maci shows great drawing skills of different animal body parts. A lot of thought has gone in to creating this fantastical creature and it shows. Well done Maci!

#CLASSICAL EDINBURGH

Museums & Galleries Edinburgh and Jessops​

This is an opportunity for local Edinburgh photographers and students studying photography in Edinburgh to be part of our forthcoming exhibition Classical Edinburgh, to be held at the City Art Centre in Edinburgh during the winter of 2019/20.

Edinburgh City Art Centre is pleased to announce that November 2019 will see the opening of a new exhibition titled Classical Edinburgh. The exhibition will be a celebration of Edinburgh’s neo-classical architecture, as seen through the eyes of two architectural photographers, working half a cen­tury apart.

Edwin Smith (1912-71) was described by John Betjeman as “a genius at photography” and his work had illustrated many books on rural life and lat­terly, concentrating on architecture. Edinburgh Univer­sity Press commissioned Smith to provide the photo­graphs for “The Making of Classical Edinburgh” by A J Youngson. The book, first published in 1966 and still in print today, quickly established its position as the authoritative work on the New Town, and helped stim­ulate a new interest in its Georgian architecture and the need for its conservation.

Colin McLean is an ar­chitectural photographer who has spent the last two years re-interpreting Smith’s evocative black and white images of the city in the 1950s and ‘60s. This will be a homage to Smith’s photography, a celebration of the City’s neo-classical architecture, and a reflection on the changes over the last 50 years. In September, Edinburgh University Press is launching a new version of “The Making of Classical Edinburgh”, with a new preface by Colin McLean and a selection of his new photographs.

We are inviting photographers to be part of this exhibition by entering photographs capturing your vision of Classical Edinburgh. The winning entries will have their photographs on display in the City Art Centre from 9 November 2019 to 8 March 2020. To assist entrants, we are listing some city areas/buildings that are included in this competition.

Locations

The First New Town

Princes Street, George Street, Queen Street, Charlotte Square, St Andrew Square, Rose Street, etc

The Northern, or Second New Town

Dundas street, Great King Street, Northumberland street, Shandwick Place, Picardy Place, etc

Eastern, or Third New Town

Calton Hill, Regent Terrace, Carlton Terrace, etc

All places that were photographed by Smith for the original book.

George Square, Stockbridge, Old College

PLEASE NOTE WE WILL NOT ACCEPT PHOTOS OUTWITH THESE LOCATIONS.

Categories

We have 4 Categories that you can enter your work into.

After Dark

Views of the city once the daylight has gone.

Seasons

The heart of Edinburgh throughout the year.

Working Life

The daily hustle and bustle of city life. 

Architectural Gems

Unusual glimpses or facets of buildings, interiors, streets, panoramas.

PLEASE NOTE WE WILL NOT ACCEPT PHOTOS WITHOUT A CATEGORY.

Winners

Your work will be displayed in the City Art Centre alongside the exhibition Classical Edinburgh.

You will be credited on the Acknowledgements Panel within the exhibition

You and 4 guests will be invited to the Private View of the exhibition on Thursday 14th November.

Your work will be promoted across all City of Edinburgh Council media channels and on our website.

A separate press call will be organised profiling the work of all the winning entries.

We are delighted to be collaborating with Jessops. Jessops will produce the winning works.

Competition Guidelines

1.  To enter you must like and follow our City Art Centre Facebook page. Post your entry on our City Art Centre Facebook page.  Only one entry per category will be accepted. On your Facebook post state the title of your photograph, location taken and the category you are entering, also using the following hashtag. 

#ClassicalEdinburgh​

If you have your own photography page we will share that. Please include link in post.

2. The judging panel will consist of a panel of curators and experts in the photography field.

3. The winners will submit their photograph as a high resolution digital file and we will cover the enlargement production costs. Preference will be given to portrait formats but we will also accept landscape photographs. We reserve the right to crop images to fit the exhibition display. Any crops will be agreed with the photographer.

4. No photographs taken on a mobile phone can be accepted. This is because we will be enlarging the images substantially in the exhibition. We will need winning files submitted as tiff files at 300 dpi.

5. By submitting a photograph to Capture Classical Edinburgh photo competition, you give permission to City of Edinburgh Council to re-use the image free of charge in promotional material relating to this exhibition, on our social media and alongside this exhibition. Images will be appropriately credited.

6.  To facilitate the highest quality printing of winning photographs the City Art Centre will contact winning photographers to obtain original image files. The size of printed photographs may depend on the resolution of the original photograph. This will have no impact a photographs chances of winning.

7. The Competition will run from 17 July 2019 to 15 September 2019. Judging will take place in early October.

EXPLORE THE 'PAST LIVES OF LEITH' IN THE MUSEUM OF EDINBURGH

Visitors to the Museum of Edinburgh can now explore the results of the largest excavation of a medieval graveyard undertaken in Edinburgh.   

“Past Lives of Leith”, which delves into the fascinating work carried out by experts from Headland Archaeology and the City of Edinburgh Council, opens to the public today (Friday 29 March). 

Following the discovery in 2008 of medieval burials outside Leith Parish Church, a six-month archaeological excavation was carried out in 2009 in advance of the then expected construction of the Edinburgh Tram line to Leith and Newhaven. In total, these excavations recovered the remains of 378 people and provided a window into life in Leith from the 14th to the mid-17th centuries, rewriting part of the local history of the area. 

Key findings that can be explored in the exhibition include: 

The excavations -  how the discovery happened
Historic background - how the excavation site fits into the history of Leith
Who was buried in Constitution street? How the analysis reveals key facts about their age, sex, build and pathology
How were they buried? How the different forms of burials discovered led to clues about social status and how they may have died
Isotope analysis: how scientific analysis was used to discover more about where the people buried were from and even details about what they ate
New dating for the graveyard: how the uncovered remains, which precedes the South Leith Parish Church graveyard, changes what we know about the history of the area.

The exhibition also showcases the work undertaken by the Council and colleagues from the Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification at the University of Dundee to bring this historic find to life, through the process of forensic facial reconstruction to depict the faces of the 14th to 17th century remains. Visitors can now see what the Medieval residents of the former burgh might have looked like 600 years ago. 

Councillor Donald Wilson, Culture and Communities Convener, said: “Spanning 10 years of painstaking archaeological fieldwork and scientific analysis, cutting through seven centuries of Scottish life and times, this exhibition and book explain how the Edinburgh Trams project altered our understanding of the area’s history and its inhabitants. 

“The work here is a fascinating look at our ancestors, with nearly 400 human remains found. The work carried out by our archaeologist, Headland Archaeology and Dundee University has meant we can now get not only an idea of how these medieval residents might have looked, we are also able to determine how old they were, if they were local and even how they died. I would encourage anyone with an interest in the history of our capital to pay the exhibition a visit. This is a fascinating insight into a little-known piece of our people’s history.” 

Julie Franklin from Headland Archaeology said: “Leith has persevered through sieges, famines, economic hardships and endless plagues. Weaving the sometimes harrowing, sometimes surprising story of the town and those who lived and died in it from the many strands of evidence has been a fascinating process.” 

John Lawson, City of Edinburgh Council Archaeologist, added: “Leith and the surrounding area has a rich archaeological history. These excavations have unearthed a cemetery thought to date from the 14th to the 17th centuries. The discoveries of these burials in this location, although always a possibility, was nevertheless a surprise. 

“This exhibition and publication of the book is a conclusion to a fascinating project which has truly changed what we thought we knew about the history of Constitution Street and the inhabitants of Leith. It has allowed us to highlight the lives of the ordinary person, by putting a face to these individuals and showing how they lived and died. Allowing us to compare and contrast with findings across Scotland and the UK.  

“The forensic reconstructions have really helped to identify these remains as those of members of the public, rather than merely deeming them as archaeological findings, and how alike they are to modern day inhabitants of Leith and Edinburgh. 

“Additionally, the project allowed us to develop important partnerships with the Universities of Dundee and Aberdeen, which led to further areas of collaborative work and research into the former inhabitants of Edinburgh – such as the 3D reconstructions on display in our exhibition.”  

Dr Christopher Rynn from the University of Dundee said: “This project has provided an abundance of MSc projects and graduate internship placements for the MSc Forensic Art over the last few years and it is fantastic to see the work of so many individuals come together. Using forensic techniques of facial approximation and reconstruction, in combination with archaeological evidence and artefacts, individuals can be depicted in a way that provides a human, interpersonal element and some context on their lives.”

The accompanying book “Past Lives of Leith” written by Julie Franklin, Carmelita Troy, Kate Britton, Donald Wilson and John A Lawson is available to buy for £35.00 through Museums & Galleries and expands on the fascinating history discovered and findings from the decade-long archaeological investigation.

Karen Lloyd
0131 469 3573
karen.lloyd@edinburgh.gov.uk

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Young Carers in Charge will run from February 2nd til March 31st 2019 at People's Story Museum, Edinburgh.

Young Carers in Charge featured objects selected by a group of young people supported by Edinburgh Young Carers. The group of twelve 9-16 year olds worked with Museums & Galleries Edinburgh and Children in Scotland to explore what heritage means to them and how the city’s museum collections compare with the experiences of young people today. 

This work was part of a nation-wide project run by Children in Scotland for the Year of Young People in 2018. Linking youth groups with heritage partners, the project aimed to broaden the participation of children and young people in heritage settings across Scotland.

During Autumn 2018 Museums & Galleries Edinburgh ran workshops with a group of young carers aged 9 – 16. We explored the young people’s understandings of heritage and discussed different options for the project. The group decided that they would like to hold their own exhibition and so they heard from curators about how to plan and organise an exhibition. They then spent three sessions at the Museum Collections Centre where Collections Care Officer, Gwen gave the young people an insight into the collections and showed them how to care for museum objects.

The young people then selected items from the museum collections to display in their exhibition, and they were invited to include significant items from their own lives. The objects represent subjects that are important to the young people, including family, sports, hobbies and sweets! The young people contributed to designing the layout of the exhibition and came up with its title.

The exhibition also gave an insight into some of the issues that young carers face, with the inclusion of a film about being a young carer.

To read more about the project follow our outreach blog

Children in Scotland press release

Ever wanted to work in the #museums sector? We are excited to announce that applications are open for one year entry level and management level opportunities for non-graduates in some amazing museums across Scotland including Museums & Galleries Edinburgh! https://t.co/ofj4GxB3fK

​Deadline for Submissions: 30 May 2018 at 9.00 a.m.