Past exhibitions and events
Over the years, the University of Stirling Art Collection has hosted a wide range of exhibitions and events. Explore our archive and find out more about our past events.
2022 - 2023
Each year, the Art Collection's exhibitions, events and workshops are directly inspired by the research of the University. This year, the Art Collection pulled together a selection of exhibitions under the theme 'Space & Place'.
Space & Place: a selection from the permanent collection
The Art Collection aims to make art and culture a part of everyday life for staff, students, and visitors throughout the campus. We support academics to enable exchanges between art, research, and teaching and inspire everyone to engage with art.
Each academic year, all of the Art Collection’s exhibitions, events and workshops are directly inspired by one of the University research themes.
In 2022-23 our chosen focus was Space & Place, and during this time we celebrated the inspiration and sustenance that buildings and outdoor spaces provide for us, especially here on campus.
In the Crush Hall we chose a selection of works from the permanent collection along the theme of Space & Place. Read about some of the artworks in more detail on our blog.
Jennifer Wicks residency: Technical Notes
A basic quality of us human beings and in fact all living creatures, is that we are always moving... we are creatures of movement. The basic substance of the cinema is movement. At its lowest level the movement of light waves (the visuals) and the movement of sound waves (the soundtrack).
Norman McLaren, 1956 incomplete notes of proposed theory of cinema.
Jennifer Wicks was Artist in Residence at the University of Stirling’s Art Collection throughout 2022. Specifically looking at the work of Norman McLaren, held in the University Archive and the Art Collection, Jennifer researched McLaren’s pioneering innovations with sound and image to produce a new body of work which includes film, sound, and print work.
Initial research explored themes surrounding sound and image, the materiality of film and visualising music. McLaren’s interests lay in the visual translation of music, phenomenology of sound, and image, and the philosophy around perception; one of his underlying concerns was movement, “movement that is drawn, not drawings that move”. He also drew directly onto the soundtrack of the film to create an innovative sort of electronic, optical-graphical music, he essentially produced sound out of drawings. Alongside his hand-drawn films, he experimented with stereoscopic films and drawings and went on to work with dancers and choreographers.
The residency was generously supported by Creative Scotland.
David James Grinly: 'ALVA' and 'Altar per la Salvatrice'
In Gallery 4 of the Pathfoot Building, as part of our Space & Place theme, we presented two exhibitions by David James Grinly: ‘ALVA’ and ‘Altar per la Salvatrice’.
On one wall, five prints from his 2013 ‘ALVA’ series of photographs, gifted to the Art Collection by the artist.
This series of photographs was made in the winters of 2011-13 when the artist returned to his family home.
He says:
'home is where the heart is/the camera never lies'. I think about Alva quite differently now than I did a few years ago when I finished making these photographs. I remember thinking a lot about how photography has been usurped by photography and about how the idea of home as a place and a genesis is now, at best, a degraded fiction. The photographs are at once a portrait of a specific Scottish town, but also a portrait of a 'home town'. This is the place we grew up, the place we wanted to escape, and the place we sometimes return to - here seen by the photographer precisely, straight and free from sentimentality, aware that things are always at once familiar and unfamiliar, important and everyday.
On the opposite wall, his new work ‘Altar per la Salvatrice’ (2022) responds, in the form of an altarpiece, to trips recently made by the artist to Italy.
If A is Alva where I took the colour photos, and B is the place(s) I took the black and white photos in Italy – and even if A is organisationally no longer in Europe, and B is no longer in Europe because Europe ≠ Europe – the act of arranging them in this way begs the possibility that A is still equal to B. It prays that, despite the odds, love is still possible. These works are probably about Europe, home, and love, and various economies and theologies of attention. Among other things.
Space & Place: The Pathfoot Building
The Pathfoot Building is probably the most beautiful, the most civilized, the most sensitive and intelligent piece of large scale modern architecture and planning that has been achieved in Scotland.
David Baxandall, former Director of the National Galleries of Scotland, speaking in January 1970.
The Pathfoot Building is an outstanding example of post-war modernist architecture and is widely recognised to be of international significance. During the year’s exhibition theme 'Space & Place', we took the opportunity to celebrate the design of this building, home to the Art Collection and an integral part of the history of the campus.
Stirling is one of the so-called ‘plate glass’ universities which were founded during the 1960s. The name reflects the large amounts of glass used in many of the designs. The functional minimalist style used had first emerged during the 1930s and became dominant after the Second World War. In Pathfoot, the design responds elegantly to its sloped hillside setting, with a series of low-rise stepped levels and multiple glazed internal courtyards, merging inside with out.
The building has evolved over the decades: the width of the J corridor was reduced to accommodate additional office space and the new A corridor at the front was added in 1993. Even though the Pathfoot Building has been altered and extended over the years, the spirit of the original design remains, and is appreciated by those who visit, study and work here.
You can read more about the building on our Culture on Campus blog.
A Sense of Place
A small ongoing exhibition of artworks organised by the Art Collection and chosen from the University’s permanent collection, located in the Iris Murdoch Building.
The theme of this display is A Sense of Place and we hope to provide the viewer with a chance to pause and perhaps reminisce. The exhibition links with this year's Art Collection theme, 'Space and Place’. During this time we are celebrating the inspiration and sustenance that buildings and outdoor spaces provide for us. There are more exhibitions in the Pathfoot Building, and sculptures placed across campus
Never Apologise: an exhibition from the Lindsay Anderson Archive
The University of Stirling’s 2023 Culture on Campus exhibition celebrated the life and work of one of the most distinctive British filmmakers of the twentieth century. Born in Bangalore, India, in 1923, Lindsay Anderson reflected British life and society through the lens of a series of remarkable films including This Sporting Life (1963), O Lucky Man! (1972) and If…. (1969), a poetic and surreal vision of revolt and rebellion at a public school, and one of the key British films of the 1960s.
Anderson’s contribution to British cultural life extended to his work as a film critic, author and theatre director. He was part of the generation that transformed the post-war cultural and artistic world in the 1950s and 1960s.
Never Apologise marked the centenary of Anderson’s birth by opening up the extensive collection of his personal and working papers held in the University of Stirling Archives. It presented an archival journey through Anderson’s filmmaking career tracing the documentary grit, Hollywood glamour and critical struggles of a life lived behind the camera. The exhibition featured fresh new insights into Anderson’s life and work through contributions from actors, artists, academics and curators.
These personal responses to Anderson and his archive included memories of working with the director, favourite scenes from his films, overlooked aspects of his career and archival discoveries, all illustrated with previously unseen documents and photographs from a unique cinematic collection.
The exhibition was on display in the Macrobert Art House from 23 January to 30 April 2023 and was accompanied by events and screenings which providing further opportunities to find out more about Anderson’s career and celebrate his work.
Culture on Campus is a collaboration between the Art Collection, University Archives and the Macrobert Arts Centre which aims to develop a creative environment where creative thinking and creative acts are at the heart of our identity as a place of learning.
The Lindsay Anderson Archive
The Lindsay Anderson Archive was deposited with the University of Stirling Archives in 2003 and forms part of its extensive holdings relating to filmmaking. The collection provides a comprehensive record of Anderson’s personal and working lives.
It includes detailed correspondence, production notes, scripts, photographs, promotional material and press cuttings relating to all of his films and forty theatre productions he directed. Personal material includes diaries, memorabilia, photographs and awards, along with his personal library of books and VHS collection.
The University of Stirling Archives
Located in the University Library, the University Archives collects, preserves and makes accessible material across a wide range of research areas.
2022 - 2023 Outreach events
Intentional camera movement
26 August 2023
As part of the Stirling Photography Festival, join Rona Fraser to learn the skills and techniques of intentional camera movement (ICM) and make abstract and creative interpretations of the beautiful campus at the University of Stirling.
A fabulous opportunity to learn and develop new skills with your camera. Led by recent graduate Rona Fraser, this workshop will give you an introduction to the basics of ICM including:
- technique explanation
- introductory camera settings
- types of movement
You will have the opportunity to photograph inside and around the Pathfoot Building and the University's Art Collection.
Airthrey, a poetic journey
26 August 2023
Join the University of Stirling’s Artist in Residence Audrey Grant on a guided walk exploring the rich and complex history of
Audrey has been looking at the campus as a subject for art and creative inspiration, through building a library of analogue
Participants will have the opportunity to learn about Audrey’s creative process and invited to respond themselves by
Part of the Stirling Photography Festival.
Spaces and Places: a reading with Nikita Parik and Shreyasi Sharma
2 May 2023
Join us for a reading with writers, Nikita Parik and Shreyasi Sharma, amongst the Pathfoot artworks. As part of the Art Collection's theme of Space and Place, Nikita and Shreyasi will read work related to urban localities, habitats and non-human life. They will also be talking to Gemma Robinson about how their previous and new work is engaged in mapping and transforming spaces and bodies in poetry and prose.
Nikita Parik
Nikita Parik holds an M.A. in Linguistics and another M.A. in English. She is the author of Diacritics of Desire (2019), her debut book of poems, and the translator of Amour and Apocalypse (2020), a Hindi novel based on the reinterpretation of the flood myth. Her third and latest book, My City is a Murder of Crows (2022), was shortlisted for the Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize. Her books have been reviewed/featured in The Sunday Statesman, Business Standard, The Journal of Commonwealth Literature, Outlook India, The Wire, and Kavya Bharati.
She is also one of the founder editors of EKL Review. You can read her interview with Kitaab (Singapore), and listen to her poetry podcast with Rattle magazine (USA).
Shreyasi Sharma
Shreyasi Sharma has an MA in Literary Art from Dr B.R. Ambedkar University, Delhi, and since her graduation has worked in publishing houses, think tanks and schools. Her words have appeared in The Hindu, The Citizen, Feminism in India, Indian Cultural Forum, and Current Conservation, and in 2022 Red River Press published her poems and narrative non-fiction about the city in an anthology titled Of Dry Tongues and Brave Hearts.
Charles Wallace Fellowships
Nikita Parik is the 2023 Charles Wallace Fellow in Creative Writing at Stirling and Shreyasi Sharma is the 2023 Charles Wallace Fellow in Creative Writing at the University of Kent.
Each year, Stirling and Kent host an Indian creative writer to work alongside students and staff. Charles Wallace Fellowships are funded by Charles Wallace India Trust (CWIT). The organisation funds fellowships across the UK for Indian academics, translators and creative practitioners.
For more information about this event and Stirling’s fellowship please contact Gemma Robinson, at gemma.robinson@stir.ac.uk.
Art Collection Open Day
20 May 2023
All are welcome to enjoy a lively day, filled with workshops, performances and tours in a relaxed environment. Throughout the day, there will be free tours of the exhibitions, drop-in activities and refreshments, alongside our programme of events.
Each academic year, all of the Art Collection’s exhibitions, events and workshops are directly inspired by one of the University research themes. In 2022-23 our chosen focus is Space & Place, and during this time we are celebrating the inspiration and sustenance that buildings and outdoor spaces provide for us, especially here on campus.
Vivek Narayanan: Poetry reading and Q&A
11 November 2022
Vivek Narayanan, one of the most distinguished contemporary Indian poets, joins us for a lunchtime reading and discussion. Vivek will perform sections from After (NYRB, 2022), his collection of poems inspired by Vālmīki's Rāmāyaṇa, which he describes as a “reinvention or rewiring” of Vālmīki's epic text. Following the performance, we will have a Q&A on issues ranging from translation, epic time to contemporary poetics.
This event if free and open to all.
Speaker: Vivek Narayanan
Vivek Narayanan teaches poetry in the MFA program at George Mason University. His books of poems include After (New York Review Books, July 2022), Universal Beach, Life and Times of Mr S. He has been a Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University (2013–14) and a Cullman Fellow at the New York Public Library (2015–16). His poems, stories, translations and critical essays have appeared in Poetry, The Paris Review, Chimurenga Chronic, Granta.com, Poetry Review (UK), Modern Poetry in Translation,
Harvard Review, Agni, The Caribbean Review of Books, Aroop and elsewhere, as well as in The Penguin Book of the Prose Poem and The Bloodaxe Book of Contemporary Indian Poetry. He is on the editorial board of Poetry Daily.
Praise for 'After'
I was drawn in by rhythms and images that allowed this work to take flight.
Layla Benitez-James, Harriet, Poetry Foundation blog
After is as multitudinous as the Sanskrit Ramayana, the text it is after (in both senses of the word), the text it follows (in both senses of the word). It is a conception in English of Valmiki’s great poem, a reflection of it, a concretion of it, a refraction of it, both an acceptance and a passionate refusal of it, a sometimes tender, sometimes violent embrace, a resurrection, an imprisonment, a liberation of it, and, always, an act of profoundly learned, current, and imaginative reverence. The only thing more amazing than Narayanan’s ambition is his realization of that ambition.
Vijay Seshadri
Vivek Narayanan, one of the most distinguished Indian poets of today, has with this remarkable book drawn upon an Indian heroic song of the late Bronze Age, Rāmāyana, and transferred the ancient virtues and poetic being of that epic to the twenty-first century. . . . this poem of Narayanan has great political force for a modern and activist readership, both Asian and Western. . . . [a] tour de force, radicalizing our apprehension of beauty.
Kevin McGrath, Harvard Review
A fantastic adventure story and a threnody on the sadness of power, the Ramayana has been multiplying across languages and formal boundaries for more than two millennia. And now it has taken a new shape in Vivek Narayanan’s formidable English: Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, Ravana flash across these floodlit pages. Ancient and contemporary India fracture and recompose in this timeless epic of sorrow, violence, betrayal, and longing, as if the poet Valmiki foresaw, centuries ago, that he would chant again in Narayanan’s voice.
Rosanna Warren
The poems in Vivek Narayanan’s After are masterfully aware in terms of tone and the ‘time-spirit’ (‘Some Omens’) – leaning into the wonderful slipperiness of epic time, while being fully cognisant of these current fractious times. In a preface, Narayanan writes that his goal was to ‘reanimate’ Valmiki, not by carrying over or translating in a traditional sense, but to engage in a more open way. The result is a collection of leaping, fierce poems that move in several directions, leaving the reader besieged and dazzled in equal measure.
Tishani Doshi
OMOS: Film screening and Q&A
14 October 2022
Join us for an exciting lunchtime screening of new work, OMOS, followed by a Q&A with lead artist Rhys
OMOS is a 20-min moving image artwork that pays homage to Scotland’s untold Black history at
The artwork is filmed in Puck’s Glen and Stirling Castle and created collaboratively by a group of
OMOS is inspired by connections between Puck’s Glen, Stirling Castle and Shakespeare’s A
The name OMOS originally was an acronym for the phrase ‘O monstrous! O strange!’, a quote from
In OMOS the artists occupy space as they both draw on the past and look to the future. The screening will then be followed by a Q&A with lead artist Rhys Hollis, chaired by Briana Pegado.
PATHFOOTPATH
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Artists Peter and Heidi Gardener will be creating an exciting new site-specific work PATHFOOTPATH during the week beginning 3rd October and are
In response to the physical footprint of the Pathfoot Building, artists Gardner & Gardner are creating their temporary installation PATHFOOTPATH.
Artists’ Bio
Heidi Gardner and Peter Gardner are a husband-and-wife visual artist duo, working under the name Gardner & Gardner. Coming from different
Find out more on their website.
2021 - 2022
This year, the Art Collection pulled together a selection of exhibitions under the theme 'Art of Wellbeing'.
1970 Edinburgh Commonwealth Games: Game of Firsts
6 April - 31 Aug 2022
This exhibition was created by students undertaking the Interpretation and Exhibition Design module, as part of their assessment. It also utilises the University’s Commonwealth Games archive.
The 1970 Edinburgh Commonwealth Games was a trailblazing event for sports history. It created a sense of excitement throughout Scotland as many people were thrilled the Games were being hosted in their country for the first time. People queued for hours for tickets and massive crowds gathered trying to catch a glimpse of the athletes. The exhibition told us the interesting stories behind the record-breaking athletes, the changing role of women in the Games, as well as insights into the opening and closing ceremony. The exhibition included a variety of objects from the Games: the Edinburgh 1970 Team HQ tie pin, memorabilia coins, medals, mascot, athletes’ t-shirts, entry tickets, tartan, brochures, and other fascinating objects.
A Passion for Art: Matilda Hall, Collector and Curator
10 February - 28 May 2022
The Art Collection was delighted to collaborate with Art in
In celebration of 50 years of the Macrobert Arts Centre, and 30
Matilda lives in the Borders surrounded by works of art. She has
Fifty: The University of Stirling in 50 objects
1 September 2021 - 31 Jan 2022
To mark the start of the new academic year at Stirling, we revisited an exhibition which celebrates the history of the University. In 2017 the University published the book Fifty: the University of Stirling in 50 objects as part of its 50th anniversary celebrations. A photographic exhibition was created to accompany the publication featuring images of the items selected by staff, students and alumni which tell the story of the University.
“So why objects? Why this random selection of things – bits of metal, cloth, scraps of paper, images? Animal, vegetable, mineral, they are all here. Well, objects are important. Sometimes the most insignificant things can be imbued with meaning. Most of us have objects we treasure because of what they mean or who they represent: love and loss; a moment of time in our individual or shared histories; a memory.”
Tom Collins, from the introduction to Fifty: The University of Stirling in 50 objects
This exhibition presented a photographic selection of these objects on the library walls. We are also delighted to display some of the university’s memorabilia for the first time in our display cases. These objects include the original submission to the University Grants Committee supporting the establishment of a new university in Stirling and the Ceremonial Mace, presented to the University by Logie Kirk in 1968.
Take a look at our blog for more information about this exhibition.
Hope: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in surrealist form
3 December 2021 - 12 August 2022
‘I am doing this because the world needs hope. With hope we can overcome the onslaught of constant negative messages from traditional and new media which can cause us despair. With hope, we can overcome the paralysis of worry, a habit we can get into which serves no useful purpose and can even make us ill. Hope can help us overcome the challenges of mental illness, something which has become an increasing problem since the global pandemic which started in 2020. Most importantly, hope creates a feeling of expectation and that can create the desire to achieve the very thing we hope for. And it is desire, not ability, that determines our success.’
George Berrie
This exhibition, which formed part of our 'Art of Wellbeing' series of exhibitions in 2021, explored ‘Hope’, and each image conveys an element of Maslow's theory, beginning with our need for fresh air, clean water, nutritious food, shelter, sex, etc., and eventually through to what Maslow called ‘self-actualisation’. Hope comes from the fact that we can reach higher levels of being and that this hope creates an expectation. In turn, that expectation can lead to a desire to reach that higher level. Desire to reach a goal, rather than raw ability, is what the artist believes is the key element of personal success.
George Berrie was born in Fallin, near Stirling, where he grew up in relative poverty in the 1960s. After leaving school he went to Heriot Watt University to read actuarial mathematics but became disillusioned and joined an insurance company to earn money. At 39 he became the CEO of the largest insurance company in New Zealand, and a few years later he was appointed to the board of Norwich Union, then became a director with Aviva.
The ‘golden spur’ to escape his childhood poverty, having done its job, caused him to reflect on future goals. It was at this point that he was inspired to do an arts degree at Stirling University, relinquishing his business roles and becoming a full-time student. After graduating in 2015, he went on a sabbatical to Beirut, Lebanon, to discover what he wanted to achieve over the next five years. The desire to become a digital artist, and this resultant collection of images, were two products of that exercise.
The project reflects his observation of Maslow’s theory in real life during his career, coupled with the knowledge of theory from his studies. His aim is that the images will create an initial curiosity, followed by a sense of familiarity, and then an interaction that involves some emotion. His next portfolio is being planned and is based on dreams. He lives in Perth with his wife Julie.
Tending the Light
16 February to 29 April 2022
The Art Collection participated in Stirling’s Tending the Light Festival of Care 2022 by joining with the Stirling Window Wanderland, displaying window artwork created by Stirling’s Champions Board young people and partner agencies. It was installed by
The Art of Wellbeing: Blue
1 September 2021 to 12 August 2022
In this exhibition, we curated a selection of pieces from the permanent collection, all of which feature the colour blue.
This primary colour has long held a special significance. For some, it might denote sadness or cold. And it is the name for melancholy music in a minor key.
But the calming nature of blue in meditation has been appreciated for centuries. It can be a healing presence, restorative, and harmonious.
Pigments that produce blue have throughout the ages been highly prized – in jewellery, in porcelain, in body paint, dye for clothes, and for medicinal purpose, in medieval stained glass and -
Now that blue can be created from a number of synthetic sources, artists have a wide breadth of tones available, (.…ultramarine…cerulean…cobalt...Prussian…manganese…phthalo…delft ..indigo…)
In this exhibition, we invited you to enjoy a variety of works from the University’s permanent collection and to reflect upon your own perception of this colour.
What does blue mean to you?
Two blog posts were written about this exhibition. Please find them at these links:
The Art of Wellbeing: Second Chancers
1 September 2021 to 12 August 2022
Everyone deserves a second chance.
Times are changing in Scotland. A new way of thinking is emerging and a movement for a smarter justice system is beginning.
Through 18 individual stories, the exhibition explored individual experience of the Community Justice system in Scotland. Sentences served in the community are more effective than sentences
Second Chancers explored positivity, hope, aspiration and chaos through the lens of people with experience of the justice system. It gave a voice to people who have been let down and rejected,
This exhibition was delivered in conjunction with Community Justice Scotland, Stirling Community Justice Partnership, Stirling Community Planning Partnership and the Faculty of Social Sciences at the
More information about Second Chancers can be found on the project website.
Wire Wool: an intervention on a Bertoia Diamond Chair
29 November 2021 to 31 August 2022
In February 2020, artists Gardner and Gardner brought their peacemakers’ loom to the University. Staff, students and visitors to the Pathfoot Building joined the artists in the repetitive, simple action of knitting and to build peace through actions and kind words. This shared action created a single textile piece, symbolic of the conversations and the temporary community of peacemakers created around the loom. This piece was then transformed into a textile artwork utilising a Bertoia chair from the University’s furniture collection.
At the time of creation we were all unaware of what 2020 would bring and it was planned that the Wire Wool: an intervention on a Bertoia Diamond Chair would be on display in the Pathfoot Building in summer 2020. So we were delighted to finally be able to display this beautiful artwork in the space where the wool was created.
Making it was the most wonderful experience. As we were weaving the yarn, using a stitch based on an embroidery chain stitch, we remembered some of the people and conversations that took place around the peacemakers loom, which was quite moving.
Gardner and Gardner on creating Wire Wool
Heidi Gardner and Peter Gardner make temporary, site-specific installations and interventions, often set within the context of worshipping communities and their buildings, introducing a conceptual element into the sacred architecture. Their work responds to these environments, interacting with light, structure, scale and surface.
2021 - 2022 Outreach events
The poetry of vision - a mindful approach to photography
30 September 2021
The poetry of vision - a mindful approach to photography
Paul Sanders is a fine art photographer, Fuji ambassador, speaker and photography mentor, who is passionate about the benefits of photography to mental health and wellness. In this talk, Paul explored the beauty of imperfection and not seeking external validation for your images, but finding the joy in the experience of being present while you observe and truly see your subject.
Paul drew references from poetry and art, whilst sharing a wide variety of images as he discussed the importance of vulnerability and an open mind while creating your work.
I believe that photography has the power to influence our perception of the world around us, building a sense of appreciation and contentment simply by taking the time to notice what’s around us and how that makes us feel. Through photography, we can discover a better way to understand ourselves, our thoughts and our feelings, and to reconnect with a world we normally rush through.
Paul Sanders
https://www.discoverstill.com/about
https://www.facebook.com/discoverstill
This talk was held via Zoom.
We were delighted to partner with the Art Collection at the University of Stirling to bring Paul to this year's Flow 2021 Stirling Photography Festival and in support of the University's health and wellbeing activities and Be Connected programme. Stirling Photography Festival Flow 2021was supported by Event Scotland through Scotland's Event Recovery Fund and with funding through Scene Stirling - funded by Creative Scotland, Stirling Council and with support from cultural organisations across Stirling.
Airthrey Dance Trail workshop
16 October 2021
In October, dancer Grace Turner conducted a movement workshop inspired by the Airthrey Dance Trail.
The Airthrey Dance Trail is a dance film series created around the University of Stirling Campus inspired by the beautiful areas of nature and accompanied with original poetry by Frances Ainslie.
Finding your Visual Flow with Paul Sanders
6 November 2021
Following his talk "The Poetry of Vision", Paul joined us for this exclusive event where he shared his approach to mindful photography.
This short workshop with Paul Sanders focused on attention and awareness. Paying attention fully to the subject and your surroundings is one of the most important aspects of the creative process and translates across all genres of photography.
Paul explained his mindful approach to photography, the reasons why he applies this technique and gave participants a number of assignments to do during the session.
Disrupters - The New Generation
11 November 2021
Karyn McCluskey, Chief Executive of Community Justice Scotland with a passion for prevention, and Graeme Armstrong, author of The Times bestseller: The Young Team, were in discussion as they explored current social justice issues, their ambitions for the future and how you can help realise this vision.
Graeme Armstrong is a Times bestselling author from Airdrie. His teenage years were spent within Scotland’s ‘young team’ gang culture. After reading English as an undergraduate at the University of Stirling, he undertook a Master’s in Creative Writing. His debut novel, The Young Team, is based on his experiences. It is currently being adapted for the screen by Synchronicity Films. Winner of the Somerset Maugham Award 2021. Winner of the Betty Trask Award 2021
Karyn McCluskey worked in the police for 22 years in Sussex, Lancashire, West Mercia, Strathclyde and Police Scotland. She is now Chief Executive for Community Justice Scotland. She was Director of the Violence Reduction Unit alongside John Carnochan set up in 2003, which proposed a different way of addressing violence in Scotland. They developed injury surveillance, gang intervention and gang exit, and focused on preventing knife carrying and injury.
This event was one of the outreach events run in conjunction with the Second Chancers exhibition which is currently on display in the Art Collection at the University of Stirling. Through 18 individual stories, the exhibition explores individuals experiences of the Community Justice system in Scotland. Second Chancers explores positivity, hope, aspiration and chaos through the lens of people with experience of the justice system.
This event was hosted jointly by the Art Collection at the University of Stirling, Community Justice Scotland and the University of Stirling Faculty of Social Sciences.
Airthrey Dance Trail online workshop
23 November 2021
In November 2021, Grace Turner hosted an online movement and mindfulness workshop inspired by her dance for film series the Airthrey Dance Trail.
The Airthrey Dance Trail is inspired by the beauty of the landscape around Airthrey Loch at the University of Stirling, in the workshop we considered how we draw movement inspiration from our natural surroundings.
Sculpture Walk
10 March 2022
In March 2022 the Art Collection hosted a mindful walk around some of the University Sculpture Collection, where visitors explored some of the iconic sculptures on our
Full Moon Yoga
14 May 2022
Yoga instructor and PT Mary Ann held a special yoga class to complement our exhibition ‘Blue’ and coincided with the full moon. The class was open to
Many Anne: “My classes focus on moving in ways which feel good. I have dedicated many years of my life to helping others in achieving their goals, in gaining clarity and in living a fuller, happier
Mindful Weaving
14 May 2022
In this workshop, participants learned the basics of weaving and created something inspired by the Art Collection’s exhibition ‘The Art of Wellbeing:
Isi Williams is a sculptor who works with weaving and is interested in the history and technique of yarn production and textiles. Based in Edinburgh, she
Art Collection Open Day
14 May 2022
At this open day, the University of Stirling Art Collection celebrated our themed year of health and wellbeing. Our open day celebrated the exhibitions with an exciting programme of free events, music, poetry, and the launch of the exhibition ‘The Liminal Zone’.
16mm camera-less film workshop with Artist-in-Residence Jennifer Wicks
14 and 15 June 2022
in June 2022, the Art Collection hosted a two-day 16mm film workshop to create experimental, animated films and soundtracks without a camera.
Using Norman McLaren as a starting point, participants drew, sewed and scratched directly onto 16mm film to create a collaborative film.
The workshop was led by artist Jennifer Wicks, who works across expanded cinema, drawing, film, and sculpture. Jennifer was Artist-in-residence at the Art Collection, researching pioneering artist
A film will be made collectively, digitised, and shared to all the workshop participants.
Pathfoot Sessions: Trauma Informed Practice
14 June 2022
This workshop was aimed at creative practitioners and museum professionals who work in or are interested in working in a community justice or criminal justice setting.
This session provided an introduction to the National Trauma Training Programme, signposted attendees to further training opportunities and invited reflections on working with trauma in the arts.
The session was led by Shumela Ahmed and Edel McGlanaghy. Shumela is Co-Founder and Managing Director of Resilience Learning Partnership. As a co-author of the National Trauma Training Plan, Shumela continues to target Resilience Learning Partnership’s core activities towards enhancing the learning and development of staff across local authority, 3rd and private sector organisations. Edel is a Clinical Psychologist and TPTIC (Transforming Psychological Trauma Implementation Coordinator) for Forth Valley with a remit to support the workforce to become more trauma informed. There will also be a discussion with members of a Recovery Cafe book club and author Lin Anderson about their collaborative relationship, which has been mutually inspiring.
This workshop was jointly hosted by the Art Collection at the University of Stirling, Scene Stirling and the Resilience Learning Partnership.
Attendees had the opportunity to view the Community Justice Scotland Second Chancers exhibition exploring experiences of Community Justice in Scotland
Art Collection Tours
13 to 17 June 2022
As part of the Forth Valley Art Beat Festival, the University of Stirling Art Collection will be offered free, informal tours of the collection. Visitors found out about history of the magnificent collection,
Pathfoot Art Sessions
24 June to 5 August 2022
Every weekly lunchtime during summer 2022, the Art Collection hosted a series of art workshops for students, staff and the public.
Themes included:
- Mindful Art Session
- Cyanotype Printing
- Painting with Natural Materials
- Mindful Art Session
- Basic Weaving
- Making Natural Sculptures
- Mindful Art Session
2020 - 2021
Under Threat: Change of Plan
26 October 2020 - 31 August 2021
Each year, the Art Collection’s exhibitions, events and workshops are directly inspired by the research of the University. This year the focus was on environment, and with the umbrella title ‘Under
We were pleased to present a series of outdoor sculptural installations by Stirling’s GOSSIP Collective inspired by our environmental theme.
The seven artists involved all responded to the project in distinctive ways. The title of the exhibition Change of Plan is a comment on, not only the current situation we find ourselves in but also
Artists: David Barbara, Ken Elliott, Alice Martin, Valerie Martin, Lesley McDermott, Dawn McLaren and Audrey McMenemy.
gossipcollective.weebly.com
Facebook and Instagram: @GossipArtCollective
2020 - 2021 Outreach events
Do Better: A Conversation with Wezi Mhura and Suzanne Williams about the Black Lives Matter Mural Trail
15 October 2020
As part of Black History Month, we organised an online conversation with Wezi Mhura (producer of the Scottish Black Lives Matter Mural Trail) and Suzanne Williams (artist - Stirling campus Do Better artwork) about
Since June 2020, 40 art installations have been commissioned across the country, from Shetland to the Borders, including, 'Do Better', a new outdoor sculpture by Suzanne Williams on the Stirling
Hosted by Damian Etone (Co-Director of Msc in Human Rights) and Gemma Robinson (Postcolonial Research Group) from the University of Stirling. Organised by the Art Collection and Scene Stirling.
Forest Bathing introductory virtual workshops
3 and 20 March 2021
Introductory workshops into the world of Forest Bathing.
"Nature heals...sitting, sharing space with nature, admiring beauty, or simply playing amongst it...nature is awesome"
Forest Bathing, or Shinrin-yoku is the practise of immersing yourself in nature; ‘bathing’ in the awesome goodness that trees release into the atmosphere; reaping the benefits from magic little things called ‘phytoncides’ and receiving mental calmness from the fractal patterns, vibrant shades of green and calming blues around us.
This session was led by Cath Wright of Highland Quietlife. Cath said:
'During the session I shall be walking amongst the woods in my local area and you may also choose to go for a walk near trees, grass, gardens etc, or you may sit inside near an open window or you could consider sitting with a few houseplants or even vegetables! As your guide I will lead you through a series of what we call ‘invitations’, each one lasting for around 10 minutes and aimed to engage you with one of the senses, to help ground you and calm the mind. If you are not able to go outside to join the walk, you will still be able to benefit and will hopefully find just as much joy investigating your Spider Plant from your armchair, as you would a swaying tall Silver Birch! Traditionally we end a session with tea and snacks and I would ask you to bring something along to complete your walk with'.
Forest Bathing was part of our theme 'The Art of Wellbeing': a series of exhibitions and events exploring
Creating Wellbeing. University Museums in Scotland (UMIS) conference
3 June 2021
This event was recorded and you can listen to it here: Creating Wellbeing (wordpress.com)
The Health and Wellbeing of our communities is of the utmost importance, and perhaps now more than ever
The conference ‘Creating Wellbeing’ explored this area in more detail, calling on experts in the field and
The event was aimed at those working within culture, the arts, and more generally towards the health and
Stirling Photography Festival - Flow Festival 2021
In partnership with Stirling Photography Festival, we put together a wonderful day of events to fire your
We were delighted to have contributions from dancer Grace Turner, TurnAround Dance Theatre and poet Laura
2019 - 2020
For 2019 - 2020 the
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some of these exhibitions were on display for an extended period.
Alan Dimmick: Photographs at Stirling University, 2017
17 February 2020 - 31 August 2021
Alan Dimmick was the Art Collection’s Photographer in Residence over the course of the University’s 50th anniversary year in 2017. His remit was to capture a ‘Portrait of the Campus’,
Whilst the University archives and Art Collection hold a collection of fine photographs from the early days of the University in the 1960s and ‘70s, relatively little had been done to document and
This exhibition showcased a selection of the photographs taken during Alan’s residency. The full collection has been deposited in the University archive; thus creating a rich artistic, contemporary
Alan Dimmick was born in Glasgow in 1961. He bought his first camera (a Russian Zenith) in 1977, the same year that he converted the toilets in his secondary school annex into a darkroom. He
The Museum without a home: an exhibition of hospitality
27 January - 31 January 2020
Museum Without a Home was an award-winning free exhibition promoting solidarity with migrants. Originally shown in Athens, it has since
Peace be with you: an intervention @ the Blue Boy
13 November 2019 - 20 September 2020
Heidi Gardner and Peter Gardner, a husband-and-wife artist duo, recently visited the Pathfoot Building with their
The loom consists of a 181cm in diameter, 104cm high, circular, wooden French knitting loom. Bringing together
Over the course of a week, visitors were invited to join the artists in a repetitive, simple action of knitting and building
Heidi and Peter, working under the name Gardner & Gardner, have built up their contemporary art practice in
Stirling University Art Club Exhibition
1 February - 12 April 2020
Stirling University Art Club is a student formed and student led club, welcoming a range of abilities and art forms. In this exhibition, our hobbyist club created artwork with a focus
Under Threat: Community resilience to extreme events
15 November 2019 - 31 January 2020
There are gaps in understanding about what community resilience actually is and what it means to those working in
This project was funded by the National Centre for Resilience to Sandra Engstrom, Fiona Millar and Tony Robertson and
The Photographs
As part of the project, we asked for workshop participants and the wider public to submit photographs we could display
About
The research team are part of the Extreme Events research programme at the University of Stirling. The
Contact Us
Twitter: @StirExtreme
Website: www.extremeevents.stir.ac.uk
- Sandra Engstrom is a Lecturer in Social Work with research interests in eco/green social work, including social work
and natural disaster recovery/preparedness, social work and climate change/sustainability and eco therapy. - Fiona Millar is a Research Development Officer with research interests in the sociology of work and management of
precarious careers. - Tony Robertson is a Lecturer in Social Epidemiology and Public Health with research interests in socioeconomic
inequalities and the impact on physiology and health, and grassroots approaches to tackling health inequalities.
Under Threat: In Search of Life by Christian Ziegler
8 November 2019 - 31 December 2020
This exhibition celebrated the tropical splendour of the world’s most diverse ecosystems, but was also a call to action
“We are losing our tropical rainforests and the species that live there. Over the last 50 years logging, cattle ranching,
mining and large-scale agriculture have irreversibly transformed the world’s tropical landscapes. In today’s era of accelerating change- where booming human populations demand more land to feed spiralling consumerism- the deforestation frontier marches onward. All over the world, humans are squeezing our wild places and pushing animals to the very edge of extinction”
Christian Ziegler
Christian Ziegler is an internationally known photojournalist specializing in natural history and science-related topics.
Under Threat: Liberating Landscapes
18 October 2019 - 31 December 2020
In recent years there has been increased discussion regarding access to art collections. Much of the art in public ownership in the UK is hidden away in storerooms. Lack of wall space, and past
The University Art Collection has also recently launched its online catalogue which provides much greater public access.
Above work: James Morrison, Rhum and Eigg (Oil on board, 1983), detail
Under Threat: Major Threats to Forests in a Warmer World: a story of drought and fire
1 November - 4 December 2020
The Art Collection worked with Professor Alistair Jump, Head of Biological and Environmental Sciences at the University of Stirling, to curate this exhibition highlighting impacts of environmental change. Professor Jump is a Global Change Ecologist whose research focusses on understanding and predicting the way that rapid changes to our environment through processes such as climate change, habitat destruction and land-use change will impact the natural systems on which we all ultimately depend.
Images were contributed by environmental professionals working in Argentina, the Catalonian and Guadalajara regions in Spain, New Mexico, California and, closer to home, in the Highlands of Scotland.
Under Threat: Mind Hive by Alec Finlay
29 January - 31 December 2020
Here we showcased the work of artist, poet and University of Stirling alumnus Alec Finlay who returned to his alma mater in 2013 as the University’s first Artist in Residence, to research the
Alec Finlay was funded by the Leverhulme Trust and worked collaboratively between Stirling’s Faculties of Natural Sciences and Arts & Humanities. He collaborated in particular with Professor
His research at Stirling was wide-reaching and explored the symbolism of bees in ancient myth and philosophy, and the recurring motif of the bee in accounts of politics, economics and society. He
He produced a ‘creative survey’ of the UK’s bee population and translated his research into poetry and sculpture. Together with the Art Collection’s curators he installed these permanent
Under Threat: On the Edge by Danni Thompson
15 October 2019 - 4 December 2020
These photographs by Danni Thompson, photographer and seabird ecologist, showed the plight of the UK’s seabird colonies, many
Danni says ‘Since the 1960s our seabird colonies have undergone a national census every 15 years or so, whereby every single breeding seabird in the UK is counted. This allows us to see the
Wildlife is my passion. But seabirds are better. I’ve enjoyed capturing the natural world through a lens since I was knee high. I now work as a Seabird Ecologist for JNCC (Joint Nature Conservation
Under Threat: Seabird Cities by Kieran Dodds
29 November 2019 - 14 May 2021
Kieran Dodds (b. 1980) is a non-fiction photographer known for his research-driven photo stories and portraiture. His personal work considers the interplay of environment and culture, tracing
2019 - 2020 Outreach events
Alan Dimmick Open Archive
9 October 2019
Photographer Alan Dimmick was University Artist in Residence in 2017-2018 during which time he
Peacemakers: an interactive installation
14 October 2019
Staff, students and visitors to the Pathfoot Building were invited to join artists Heidi and Peter Gardner to create a new art
Heidi and Peter worked with a Peacemakers Loom in the Crush Hall of the Pathfoot Building between the 14th and
Peacemakers Loom was a joint project with Janet Foggie, Pioneer Minister at the University, the Art Collection and
The Artists
Heidi Gardner and Peter Gardner, are a husband-and-wife artist duo, working under the name Gardner & Gardner.
Travelling Gallery visit (November 2019)
Travelling Gallery was delighted to work with Alec Finlay to support Day of Access, a powerful campaign which
Travelling Gallery acted as the campaign bus touring Day of Access across Scotland; presenting information
Alec Finlay believes that everyone should have the opportunity to experience wild nature. Himself a disabled artist and
Alongside his own work, Alec has invited other artists and poets to exhibit including Hannah Devereaux, Alison Lloyd, Ken
For more information visit the Travelling Gallery website
Be gardening
26 September 2019 to 5 December 2019
As part of the Art Collection’s environmental-themed exhibitions for the coming year, we hosted a free drop-in gardening club to renovate one of the Pathfoot Courtyards.
Pathfoot Courtyard Garden Open Morning
5 December 2019
Student and staff volunteer gardeners have been renovating the H corridor courtyard in Pathfoot,
Photography Competition: Best Route Shot
10 February - 19 March 2020
As part of the one-year birthday celebration on 2nd April 2020, Landscape Legacies of Coal held a Photography Competition ‘Best Route Shot’.
Yvonne Weighand Lyle selected the winning entry.
2018 - 2019
For 2018 - 2019, the Art Collection's
50 Objects Exhibition
11 June - 1 November 2018
This exhibition showcased some of the fascinating objects and photography featured in the commemorative publication, Fifty:
If you would like to purchase your copy of the book, then you can go to http://bit.do/FIFTY. Only £9.99 for staff, students and alumni.
Experiences of Exile: Belgian Refugees in Scotland during the First World War
26 April - 1 Sep 2019
November 1918 marked the centenary of the end of the First World War. Throughout this time ceremonies were
This exhibition was organised by Kieran Taylor, a second year PhD student at the University of Stirling. His research
Experiences of Exile: French settlers of Algeria
28 September 2018 - 31 August 2019
This exhibition was part of a two-year Leadership Fellows project entitled ‘From colonisers to refugees: narratives and representations of the French settlers of Algeria’, led by Dr Fiona Barclay of the University of Stirling, and funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
Images and period objects were provided with the kind assistance of the Ecomusée du Val de Bièvre, Fresnes.
Experiences of Exile: Refugees in the Art Collection
12 December 2018 - 31 August 2019
The exhibitions on display in the Crush Hall of the Pathfoot Building this year focused on the topical theme of refugees and migration. Alongside these temporary exhibitions, we gathered together some works from the permanent collection by artists who at some point in their lives were forced to leave their homes due to hardship or war.
Experiences of Exile: The European Dream
28 September 2018 - 31 August 2019
A humanitarian emergency is unfolding across Europe. Over a million people have crossed the Mediterranean, fleeing war and persecution in Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Eritrea, Sudan and other countries. For all these people, embarking on such dangerous journeys seems the only way to ensure a better future for them and their children.
The current refugee crisis has exposed deep divisions within the 28-member European Union over what some fear could be a never-ending flow of asylum-seekers fleeing conflict in the Middle East and Africa. This has raised questions about the EU’s free movement laws. Germany and other European countries have already reintroduced selected border controls in order to cope with the incessant refugee streams. For the refugees, every border they pass brings them closer to their dream. The concept of border is very unclear for most of the refugees. Borders could be anything from a razor-wire, to a door of a lorry and the Aegean Sea.
Justice is all about equal opportunities and equal treatment. During the refugee crisis, justice has not been applied to people who are treated unequally because of their country of origin. People who have already experienced wars and terrorism in their own countries have now to face abuses of their human rights and even deportations from the EU. Justice is giving people the chance to a better life regardless of their religion, their country of origin or their colour, because no one chose to be a refugee.
Anna Pantelia
Anna Pantelia is a Greek photojournalist. She holds an MA Degree in International Communication and
Experiences of Exile: The List
18 January - 31 August 2019
The List traces information relating to the deaths of 34,361 refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented migrants who have lost their lives within, or on the borders of Europe since 1993.
The List
These deaths are not isolated incidents but are the direct consequence of tightening EU immigration policy. In the face of civil war, conflict, global political and social unrest, and the deepening effect of
climate change, Europe responds by adopting exclusionary practice and policies, turning a blind eye to the root causes of migration. The List draws unwelcome attention to the role of our societies in protecting those who flee from war, persecution and poverty and highlights the serious flaws in our asylum and immigration systems that routinely threaten individual human dignity.
UNITED for Intercultural Action
The List was updated in May 2018 by UNITED for Intercultural Action - find out more about the 'fatal policies of Fortress Europe'.
Experiences of Exile: The Personal Alongside a World of Personals
1 June to 31 August 2019
This exhibition by Iman Tajik included work called ‘Calais’ which explored how life is, living day to day in The Jungle camp.
The work was inspired by the artist’s own story. Also included in this exhibition is ‘A to B’ which is was two-channel video performance installation. This work is the starting point of a series of works that question and challenge the notion of borders and spotlight restriction to individual’s freedom to movement.
Iman Tajik is an Iranian artist and award-winning photographer based in Glasgow, as a refugee, since 2012. His practice is anchored in a strong social interest and demonstrates an effort to make work that is a critical tool connected to international movements for social change.
Experiences of Exile: Unpacked - Home from Home
12 December 2018 - 31 August 2019
'Unpacked: Home from Home' was a collaboration between the University Art Collection, artist Brigid Collins, women who fled Syria who are now settled in Falkirk
Together, the group created a series of “Postcard Books” contained within one suitcase and which themselves each contain collages and text - pieces of
The Syrian participants used the opportunities for conversation and the writing aspects of the project to strengthen their English. Writing prompts and multimedia
Experiences of Exile: Who Is?
11 March - 31 August 2019
The Who is? Project was made to ask the public to question the way we think about each other: our neighbours, our co-workers, our families, those we see living on the street, those we see struggling, those who are complete strangers to our particular community, those of a different nationality and background. We all have stories, and each person’s story is completely different from our own, but equally important.
The project was an ongoing art initiative founded by artists Iman Tajik and Jonas Jessen Hansen that aims to tackle issues around immigration systems and globalisation.
Land of My Father (Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau): An Exhibition by Ellie Hopkins
28 January -30 April 2019
"This project documents the ex-mining town in Treharris in the South Welsh Valleys. Treharris is the town my Dad grew up in, it was the home of my Grandfather - a miner at the local colliery who died before I was born, and my Grandmother who died in 2009.
"The work was made over the course of two years and is an exploration of my own relationship with Treharris, as well as survey of the wider condition of culture within ex-industrial sites in Wales. It also informed the initial stages of my current PhD research (undertaken within the Communications, Media, and Culture division) which examines the concept and cultural implications of a Welsh 'visual accent' within documentary photography."
Find out more on elliehopkinsphoto.com or @ellmhopkins.
Photojournalism exhibition
16 to 24 Apr 2019
In April 2019 we showcased photographic work from undergraduate second year students. The images were produced
Pop and Protest
7 December 2018 to 31 March 2019
This exhibition was curated by third year students at the University of Stirling using the archives of the Musicians’ Union.
It is a journey through the campaigns and memorabilia of the decade which saw membership of the union reach 40,000. The exhibition illustrated the ways in which the Musicians’ Union sought to improve the lives and employment rights of performers. During this politically charged decade, members tackled anti-union legislation and spending cuts to music education thrown at them by the Conservative Government. They protested the mistreatment of performers during a series of orchestra strikes and raised awareness of racial discrimination in the UK and apartheid in South Africa. Images and archive material about the flagship campaign ‘Keep Music Live’ have been used to highlight the importance of live music when new technology threatened the job security of live bands and singers. Musicians’ Union members also used their talents to raise funds for famine relief by contributing to 1985’s Live Aid concert.
The Exhibition and Interpretation Design students who curated the exhibition said “Working on this exhibition has been both challenging and fun. As a design team we worked with several different members of the class to incorporate everyone’s aesthetic ideas. Designing this exhibition has been a wonderful opportunity to express our creativity and learn how to work as a team. Our design is inspired by the vibrant ‘80s and it is shown by the colours we have picked. We are excited to present this exhibition to the public and hopefully our hard work will show.”
The University Archivist, Karl Magee, noted "we were delighted to open up the fantastic research resource which is the Musicians’ Union Archive to this student project. The exhibition they created brilliantly captures a particularly eventful decade for the Union and shows the huge potential of this collection for research, exhibition and promotion."
2018 - 2019 Outreach events
Hands on skills: printing, editing and understanding variants
3 September 2018
This free workshop was a unique opportunity for PhD students to gain practical experience using a mid-19th Century printing press, and a Hinman Collator, a device for comparing two copies of a text for differences, to better understand the practice of textual editing.
The hands-on training throughout the workshop enabled attendees to understand how variants (small differences in the text) come about, and how modern editors deal with them.
Pathfoot Press Open Afternoon
7 September 2018
The Pathfoot Press has moved into its own dedicated room in the Pathfoot Building and we opened the doors to visitors on 7th September.
The Press was founded in 2016 as a centre for letterpress printing, teaching, and research. Visitors were able to meet the team, see our working press room with its own Columbian Press and try their hand at printing their own keepsake bookmark.
Visit our website for more information about the Pathfoot Press.
Travelling Gallery visit (November 2018)
8 November 2018
In November 2018, the Gallery visited with an exhibition Black Box Take
Film screening - A View of Love/Un Balcon sur la mer
8 November 2018
A View of Love/Un Balcon sur la mer (2010) is a romantic mystery film about three French children who left Algeria very suddenly during the last violent months of the War of Independence in 1962.
The film was preceded by an introductory lecture by Dr Fiona Barclay, Lecturer in French at the University of Stirling. The lecture unpacked the emotional and historical attachments
Photographer talk: The European Dream
13 November 2018
Anna Pantelia is an award-winning photojournalist and the Field Communications Manager for Medicins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders). She was the official photographer for CERN
Her talk will discussed her exhibition The European Dream which was on display in the Pathfoot Building.
Autumn Art Lecture: Drift. Float. Drown. Dance.
15 November 2018
The University of Stirling welcomed Professor Alison Phipps, UNESCO Chair: Refugee integration through languages and the arts (University of Glasgow), for the Autumn Art Lecture.
Entitled ‘Drift. Float. Drown. Dance: Reflections on refuge from a calabash’, the lecture will reflect on a translational study in Ghana. It saw researchers work alongside a dance company, who
ARTiculation Scotland Final
13 March 2019
The Art Collection hosted the Scotland final of ARTiculation. The ARTiculation Prize is an annual public speaking competition for students aged between 16 and 19 years.
Students delivered 10 minute
Travelling Gallery visit (March 2019)
14 March 2019
Travelling Gallery’s Spring 2019 exhibition explored how artists and creative industries are responding to global migration now. With ongoing international conflicts and the continued
The group show included a wide range of creatives from different disciplines working in collaboration with International aid organisations and charities. These included American photojournalist
Human Cargo: A Journey among Refugees
18 March 2019
As part of the Experiences of Exile series of exhibitions and events, the Art Collection displayed an artwork Lampedusa created by
Caroline Moorehead is a bestselling author and acclaimed biographer who has also written for the Telegraph, the Times, and the Independent. She travelled for nearly two years and across four continents to research her book Human Cargo, which takes readers on a journey to understand
Olivia Lomenech Gill lives and works in Northumberland. Initially studying Drama at Hull University, she went on to complete an MA Printmaking at
Film Screening: Human Flow
20 March 2019
Over 65 million people around the world have been forced from their homes to escape famine, climate change and war in the greatest human
Captured over the course of an eventful year in 23 countries, the film follows a chain of urgent human stories that stretches across the globe in
Human Flow comes at a crucial time when tolerance, compassion and trust are needed more than ever. This visceral work
Experiences of Exile: Art Collection Open Day
22 June 2019
As part of Refugee Festival Scotland, the Art Collection opened its doors for an afternoon of art and music inspired by
Experiences of Exile features works from the permanent collection by
This event included guided tours of the exhibitions, an opportunity to print a keepsake on the University’s
Day of Access, by Stirling Photography Festival
28 August 2019
Day of Access is a collaborative project led by poet and artist Alec Finlay that uses the creative philosophy of place-awareness to offer disabled people access to beautiful landscapes across Scotland. The project creates new partnerships with public and private estates, parks, and heritage bodies (Historic Scotland, John Muir Trust, Paths for All) Promoting the healing effect of access, Alec's events bring together disabled participants, experienced local guides, and writers experienced in place-awareness, to offer innovative outdoor events and workshops for the disabled. In this talk Alec, will outlne the aims of Day of Access to promote the healing benefits of such activities.
Working with Alec on his pilot Day of Access in June 2019 was local student photographer Sam McDiarmid. Sam accompanied Alec and his group to Shiehallion, where he documented the event and he shared his images and his thoughts on the day during the talk.
Following their talk, there was an optional walk in the University campus to explore and photograph Alec's Bee Books installation.
Alec Finlay (Scotland, 1966-) is a poet & artist whose work crosses over a range of media and forms – poetry, visual poems, poem-objects, sculpture, collage, audio-visual, artist blog, and new technology. Much of Finlay's work considers how we as a culture, or cultures, relate to landscape and ecology, with a specific interest in place-awareness, hutopianism, rewilding, and the common right to care for the land. He is also known for his political and social activism. Since 2005 he has also produced a number of books and artworks that engage with renewable energy.
Finlay established morning star publications in 1990. A retrospective of his publishing was held at The Poetry Centre, University of Tucson in 2018 He has published over forty books and won six Scottish Design Awards, including two Grand Prix Awards (2001, 2015). Recent publications include a far-off land (2018), gathering (2018), th' fleety wud (2017) minnmouth (2017), A Variety of Cultures (2016), ebban an’ flowan (2015), and Global Oracle (2014).
Opening up collections: free training workshop on crowdsourcing, chatbots and 3D
29 and 30 August 2019
This two day workshop introduced participants to three core approaches for 'opening up' their collections. Archivists, museum and art gallery curators and librarians had the opportunity to dive into digitally-enabled methods to co-produce, interpret and enhance the accessibility of heritage resources.
The workshop covered an introduction to crowdsourcing, and two hands-on sessions focussing respectively on chatbots and 3D modelling. Chatbots are increasingly popular and used for tasks ranging from customer service to online commerce. But what do these bots have to offer for Storytelling? On the first day of the workshop we looked at examples from the worlds of news and cultural heritage and explore the potential of chatbots for storytelling. Participants used Twine - an open-source tool for writing interactive hypertext stories - to create branching narratives, driven by scripted chatbots. The second day focused on 3D modelling. Participants were introduced to principles of photogrammetry, learned photo-taking techniques and how to develop a 3D reproduction with Agisoft Metashape. Finally, participants experimented with uploading the models you created on Sketchfab and with annotating them to provide more personalised and detailed information about the objects.
The workshop was organised by Sarah Bromage (University of Stirling Art Collection), Chiara Bonacchi (University of Stirling) and Philo van Kemenade (Slovak National Gallery, Bratislava, and Sensorium).
This workshop was funded through the generous support of Art UK'sSculpture Around You project.
2017 - 2018
1967
4 September 2017 - 1 August 2018
The Art Collection focused on the cultural impact of 1967, the year the University opened its doors to students for the first time.
A series of audio-visual events and exhibitions, indoor and outdoor, took place in the Pathfoot Building - itself an iconic building of the era - in conjunction with the Macrobert Arts Centre and Gardens & Grounds.
Events were full of energy and fun and included music, dance, art, film/photography, fashion, furnishing and artefacts and architecture (specifically Pathfoot).
The exhibition was throughout the available spaces in the Pathfoot building and will include various themed activities and other outreach activities.
Freedom Road
1 December 2017 - 30 March 2018
This exhibition took its name from the long, sandy road linking Bechuanaland (now Botswana) to Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia), crossing South West Africa (now Namibia) and Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) along the way. It was the road along which refugees travelled to escape from the South African oppression in the 1960s, often helped on their desperate journey by humanitarian organisations or mysterious foreign drivers.
Exclusively showing material from the Peter Mackay Archive for the first time, this exhibition told the story of Freedom Road – in the larger context of the African struggle for independence – through the words and photographs of one of those unnamed European “heroes”.
Peter Mackay (1926-2013) was a key figure in the independence movements of Southern Africa. Born into a Scottish family with strong links to Stirling, Mackay served in the Scots Guards before emigrating to Rhodesia in 1948 where he devoted himself to the cause of African liberation. He then began to be involved in the African Independence movement in 1952 and was a great chronicler of this period of history until his death in 2013.
The Archive was donated to the University of Stirling in 2013 and the records within are a fascinating record of Mackay’s involvement in the independence movements of a number of Southern African countries, including Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and Nyasaland (Malawi). The exhibition showcased photographs and papers from the archive illustrating these with Peter’s own words from his autobiography We Have Tomorrow: Stirrings in Africa 1959 – 1967.
Freedom Road was curated by 3rd year students of the Interpretation and Exhibition Design Module run by the Faculty of Arts and Humanities and taught by the University’s curators and archivists.
Developed in two sections, the exhibition continued in the Freedom Press space in the Archive glass cabinet, where a closer look at the man and his activism is explored.
Inside Outside
A multi-media exhibition of art, photography, video and audio installations, This powerful and hard hitting exhibition was the result of an initiative undertaken by the Encompass Network involving women working inside the sex industry and provided a rare insight into their hidden world. The exhibition was organised in collaboration with the Art Collection and the Centre for Gender Studies. This project included outreach work with women at Cornton Vale.
Low-Rise, High-Function
4 September - 15 December 2017
Ally Wallace worked as Artist in Residence at the University of Stirling’s Pathfoot Building 2016-2017 on a self-initiated project funded by Creative Scotland. He made work focused on Pathfoot’s modernist architecture in relation to the art collection housed in it, the surrounding landscape and the people who use the building.
A note from the artist
Architecture is a common theme in my work and it was through my ongoing interest in modernist buildings that I came to University of Stirling to make artwork that focuses on the Category A listed Pathfoot Building - to take a close look at its design and function in relation to the surrounding landscape and the Art Collection housed here.
With support from Creative Scotland's Open Project Fund and the University's Art Collection Department, I undertook a 6-month artist's residency at Pathfoot in 2016/17, during which time I spent two days a week here - making artwork that is inspired by the modernist design of the building and its picturesque location. Much of my time was spent sketching and videoing in and around the building, as well as talking to people who work here, to gain an overall understanding of the place - how it functions and how people feel about it as a place to work, study or visit. The artwork that I produced during the residency is exhibited here in the gallery and deals with various elements of Pathfoot - its architecture, people, furniture, landscaping and art.
Designed by architects RMJM (Robert Matthew Johnson-Marshall) and completed in 1967, Pathfoot was the first building to be constructed on the campus of the newly established University of Stirling - one of the new 'Plate Glass' universities built throughout the UK in the modernist style during the 1960's. The building comprises a series of corridors and courtyards, arranged in stepped formation on a hillside location. Light, airy open spaces offer views of the courtyards and surrounding parkland. Temporary exhibitions and artworks from the permanent collection are shown throughout the building, creating a very stimulating teaching and learning environment.
I hope that my work will convey something about how Pathfoot's architecture relates to the surrounding landscape and the Art Collection housed throughout the building and how those elements combine to create a pleasant environment to spend time in.
Find more about the residency at the artist's blog: allywallacedotorg.wordpress.com
and for more on Ally's work see his website: www.allywallace.co.uk
Seashells Build Bone
10 April - 6 May 2018
An exhibition of etchings, screenprints and digital works by Rachel Duckhouse, who recently worked with biominerals expert Professor Maggie Cusack, a specialist
Their research began with the story of an ancient Mayan skull, which contained false teeth carved from an oyster shell. The shell teeth had been accepted by the
The Leverhulme Trust funded artist residency enabled artist and scientist to explore the structural patterns within oyster shells using electron microscopy. Their
2017 - 2018 Outreach events
Festival of Museums: 1967
19 May 2018 to 20 May 2018
As part of the Festival of Museums weekend, the Art Collection celebrated 50 years of the University of Stirling and all things 1960s. Visitors enjoyed guided tours of our 1967 exhibition, listened to songs from the '60s, played 1960s board games and saw a free screening of the 1969 film The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.
2016 - 2017
Bodies of Water, Islands of Light
A collection of work by Justine Bainbridge and David Barbara, two local artists and students/graduates from Forth Valley College, who explored their island identities from two culturally different perspectives. Justine blended her background in science, photography, and the antiques and collectables trade, with her Orkney and Shetland roots, and David Barbara studied art in his native Malta, before working as a photographer, and then an HND student in Contemporary Art in Stirling.
Exhibition ran until 1st September 2017
Future artists Scotland
Future Artists Scotland was a ground-breaking Scotland-wide art exhibition for talented new artists from the further education sector. The exhibition featured students’ work hand selected by lecturers from 10 colleges and represented the diverse and vibrant work currently being created across Scotland.
'It is felt that the artwork emerging from Scotland’s FE colleges is increasing in cultural significance and has earned a place in which to express itself and in return should be rewarded with the media attention and critical acclaim it deserves.'
Artwork on display from students from Forth Valley College, Edinburgh College, Dundee and Angus, Dumfries and Galloway College, New College Lanarkshire, West College Scotland, Glasgow Clyde College, Fife College, City of Glasgow College and Ayrshire College. It is envisaged that this will become a major event on the art calendar, growing in stature as the quality of the artwork FE students produce is promoted, reviewed and discussed.
Pathfoot Crush Hall
Until Tuesday 20th December 2016
Humans of Stirling
This exhibition showcased some of the photos of the Humans of Stirling project started by University of Stirling student Iris.
'I started Humans of Stirling in the winter of 2014, when I was a second year student at the University of Stirling. I had wanted to make a similar project since 2011, when I first discovered Brandon Stanton's original project for the New York area, but as a result of always moving about and not really living in one place for too long, I was never able to start my own project.'
'The Stirling community has offered me the means through which I can make my dream a reality and through this platform I have showcased the stories of many beautiful and amazingly talented people. Each portrait tells a story, one which encapsulates a moment in time and place, one in which two strangers can open up to one another, fearless of judgement and eager to share a little bit about their lives.'
James Hogg in the World
James Hogg (1770-1835), also known as 'The Ettrick Shepherd,' lived and worked for most of his life in Ettrick Forest in the Scottish Borders. Best remembered for his innovative novel The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner (1824), over his literary career he produced songs, poems, stories, novels, plays, essays, and even a much-lauded treatise on diseases in sheep. By the opening of the nineteenth century, print culture had developed into a burgeoning industry, and Hogg was a frequent contributor to periodicals, including Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine and Fraser's Magazine, as well as a wide range of publications beyond Britain.
This exhibition depicts James Hogg as a Scottish writer of international stature and importance. It reflects new research undertaken at the University of Stirling into the worldwide circulation of Hogg’s work in newspapers and magazines, from Canada and the USA, to India, the Caribbean, Ireland, New Zealand and Australia.
The exhibition was curated by the Centre for James Hogg Studies and was generously funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
2017
Natural Magic, Jacobites by Name and Camera Lucida: Recent works by Calum Colvin
Born in Glasgow in 1961, Calum Colvin has exhibited his work nationally and internationally for the last thirty years since graduating from the Royal College of Art in London with an MA in Photography in 1985. His work is represented in numerous collections.
In this exhibition, the works on display explored very different themes: visual psychology and the history of stereoscopic photography in Natural Magic; the legacy of the Jacobite Risings of 1715 and ’45 in Jacobites by Name, and themes of ageing and loss in Camera Lucida.
The Autumn Art Lecture was given by the artist on 6th October 2016.
Venue: Pathfoot Gallery 2
Exhibition ran until 29th March 2017
Realising the Vision
An exhibition celebrating 50 years of the University through its art and archive collections.
Macrobert Gallery
Exhibition ended 5th July 2017
Read more on our blog: Realising the Vision.
Speaking Out: Recalling Women’s Aid in Scotland
2016 marked 40 years since Scottish Women’s Aid was founded, bringing together a network of local Women’s Aid groups across Scotland. This pioneering movement brought about a sea-change in Scottish society by working to challenge and prevent domestic abuse. The history of Women’s Aid in Scotland was told through the voices of women involved in the movement across the country, from its earliest years onwards.
Funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund as part of a wider project to record and celebrate the history of Women’s Aid in Scotland, project partners include Scottish Women’s Aid, Glasgow Women’s Library, Glasgow University’s Centre for Gender History and Women’s History Scotland.
Pathfoot
7th April-16th June 2017
As part of this exhibition there was a public lecture by Rebecca Emerson Dobash and Russell P. Dobash Ending Violence Against Women in Scotland.
Stills at Stirling
The exhibition included new work by Scottish photographers Mhairi Law and David Grinly as well as images by some of the best-known photographers of the 19th and 20th centuries, including: Ansel Adams, Robert Mapplethorpe, Julia Margaret Cameron and Edward Weston.
Mhairi Law exhibited newly produced work made on a research trip to the Faroe Islands in 2016 alongside images from her series Eilean I Island made on the Isle of Lewis in 2014. Law is an award-winning photographer who works predominantly with a medium format camera to make documentary and landscape photographs that explore environmental and social themes.
David Grinly exhibited a new body of work from a series called Murmur. Completed in 2017, each of the works consists of a painting on a photograph of a wall. Grinly started making this series in Paris and the title is a play on the sounds of the French words for wall (‘mur’), death ('mort') and love ('amour').
Alongside work by these contemporary photographers, we presented The Photographic Art: Pictorial Traditions in Britain and America, an exhibition of 25 framed works (photolithographs and rotogravures) featuring images produced between 1843 and 1983.
Venue: Pathfoot Building, University of Stirling
2017
Unstill Life: Works by Alan McGowan
'The elusiveness of experience and the difficulty of trying to express it in language are themes which have long interested me, and which in my work are explored through a focus on the human figure'.
Works in this exhibition included the Faust series from the 1990s, and also the artist's more recent observational drawings and paintings of the human figure.
Exhibition ended March 2017
Pathfoot Building
Crush Hall and Gallery 3
2016 - 2017 Outreach events
Community Open Doors Day: Tour of the Art Collection
18 March 2017
As part of Doors Open Day, the curators offered tours of the Art Collection to members of the public.
2015 - 2016
Argentina: Places and Faces (Student exhibition)
Presenting the work of Claire Griffith, a 4th year student from Northern Ireland currently studying Primary Education and Spanish at the University. She says ‘I’ve been interested in photography for about 6 years now, and particularly enjoy capturing the essence and culture of countries I visit. As part of my Spanish degree we are encouraged to spend time abroad practising the language. My family have a long missionary connection with Argentina dating back to 1904, and I consider myself very privileged to have spent a total of 18 weeks living and volunteering in Argentina over the past two summers'.
Exhibition ran January-May 2016
Pathfoot Building: behind the reception area
Border Crossings (Student exhibition)
An art exhibition inspired by the themes of this year's Arts and Humanities Postgraduate Conference, on the topic 'Border Crossings: Exploring the Visible and the Invisible in the Arts and Humanities.' The works included are by postgraduate students from Edinburgh and Stirling: some of whom are studying art or design, and some of whom create art in addition to their studies.
Student Exhibition Space, Pathfoot Building (behind Reception).
Exhibition ran June-August 2016
Bus Party: Listening Lugs Tour
On 18th September 2014 the people of Scotland voted in a referendum to decide whether or not Scotland would remain part of the United Kingdom. This exhibition focuses on the 2014 Bus Party group and their efforts through music, poetry and readings to discuss peoples' hopes for Scotland's future regardless of the referendum outcome. The Bus Party travelled around Scotland during the last week of May 2014 asking communities ‘What kind of Scotland do you want?’ Their answers were recorded on the Scroll of Thoughts. For further information about the work of the archive, visit scottishpoliticalarchive.org.uk.
Exhibition ended September 2016 in the University Library.
Echoes in Stone: Creative Archaeological Visualisation on Scotland’s National Forest Estate
Scotland has a long tradition of archaeological measured survey and remains in the vanguard of its visualisation and methodological development. By combining new archaeological survey techniques with an aesthetic illustrative methodology, we can produce detailed site records alongside innovative and spectacular illustrations, encouraging greater engagement and understanding.
Venue: Gallery 4, Pathfoot Building
Dates: 22nd January - 11th March 2016
For the Students by the Students
50 Years of the University of Stirling
This exhibition featured Brig, a University of Stirling student made and read newspaper. The purpose of this exhibition is to celebrate student involvement over the last 50 years and convey the theme: for the students by the students. This is a side of the university’s story that has never been told before.
Venue: University Library
Dates: 24th November 2015 - 24th February 2016
International Women's Day
In celebration of International Women's Day on 8th March, works of art by women were selected from the permanent collection to display in Crush Hall.
Winter 2015-16
John Grierson: The GPO Years
This exhibition, celebrating the career of John Grierson with the General Post Office (GPO), was curated by University of Stirling students as part of the new Exhibition and Interpretation Design module within History and Politics. The exhibition concentrated on one decade (in the 1930s) of Grierson's working life when he was employed by the GPO film unit, which was established to produce sponsored documentary films mainly related to the activities of the GPO. During this time he produced works such as 'Night Train' which were considered ground-breaking.
Venue: University Archives, University of Stirling Library
Dates: 4 December 2015 to 29 February 2016
Kirkpatrick Fleming: A changing village
Kirkpatrick Fleming is a small community of village and farmlands just north of Gretna Green in Dumfries and Galloway. This exhibition was based on interviews carried out in 2012 and 2013 with local pensioners, thirty-year-olds, incomers and school children. The exhibition documented what has changed and what people feel about the changes in housing and shops, school and work, farming and women’s lives, church-going and leisure. The exhibition recalled how in World War II German bombers passed overhead while fields were turned into landing strips and POW camps. The display spanned the period from the 1930s to the independence referendum in 2014 dealing with questions of local and national identity and asking the different generations how they felt about belonging to Kirkpatrick, to Scotland or to the United Kingdom?
Pathfoot Gallery 4
Summer 2016
Norman McLaren: Drawing Sound
This exhibition was curated by University of Stirling students as part of the new Exhibition and Interpretation Design module within History and Politics . The students say 'this exhibit focuses on the period of time that McLaren spent trying to decipher the art of drawing sound. On display are a beautiful selection of pictures which demonstrate different genres of music. Also shown are images from a well-known documentary that features Norman demonstrating the fascinating process involved in drawing sound and converting it directly onto film. The exhibit concludes with a showing of one of McLarens films named Dot, which is truly stunning and a thrill to watch.'
The University of Stirling holds the Norman McLaren archive
This exhibition was in the University of Stirling Library December 2015 to April 2016
Reflections of the East
Reflections of the East was the umbrella title for exhibitions, a related lecture and other events, focussed around work by artists Kate Downie, Emma Scott-Smith and Fanny Lam Christie, all three of whom live in Scotland and have a creative link with China.
Also on display was work drawn from the Norman McLaren archive, focussing on his visit to China in 1949, and a picture which has been specially loaned by the Chinese artist Ding Fang.
Kate Downie's work has now transferred to Aberdeen (Robert Gordon's). You can still see work by Emma Scott-Smith, Fanny Lam Christie and Ding Fang on display in the Pathfoot Building.
Shared Vision: A solo show of ink paintings, prints and drawings by Kate Downie
It is exactly 5 years since the artist set foot in China for the first time, as recipient of a William Gillies Scholarship award from the Royal Scottish Academy. She has since returned there three times and to mark her continuing relationship with that country she presents her solo exhibition ‘Shared Vision’ which brings together a body of work relating to cultural absolutes in China and examines the role of ink painting in defining or mythologizing that culture in the 21st Century and its influences in the West.
Aquacultural Encounters: New work by Fanny Lam Christie
Originally from Hong Kong, Fanny Lam Christie has lived in Scotland since 1998. This exhibition of new work is the culmination of a year-long artist residency undertaken at the University of Stirling’s Institute of Aquaculture in 2014/2015. She says 'my project aims to offer viewers a new perspective on scientific innovation through a personal creative language. Inspired by scientific experiments, I have ventured into new experimental work, learning and developing unconventional process with materials for sculpture, combining different materials which I do not normally use together. The project has paved a new way of looking and working for me.'
Emma Scott Smith: Everything that is and has been
This exhibition was developed from three points in time. Firstly, some work for group and solo exhibitions in China, secondly Eastern artist’s reflections of the exhibited work and thirdly, my position and exploration of colour, passion and identity within Eastern and Western Culture as a result of the visits to China. An abundance of colour, passion and representation of the visual image is important to all of us, as a society. The very limited graffiti and the non-disclosing of tattoos highlights different representations of self and expression in China.
Norman McLaren:Travels in China 1949
Born in Stirling in 1914, Norman McLaren studied set design at the Glasgow School of Art and, after working in London and New York, he moved to Canada in 1941. Here he began working for the National Film Board and also set up an animation studio. McLaren developed a variety of groundbreaking experimental animation techniques including developing a form of ‘camera-less animation’ by directly drawing onto film. His genius was recognised worldwide with a string of awards for his work including an Oscar for his short film Neighbours in 1953. While film was McLaren’s favourite medium he also produced paintings, pastels and screenprints in parallel with his film work. The University of Stirling holds the Norman McLaren archive (and several of his works are on permanent display in Pathfoot J corridor).
In 1949 McLaren went to China for UNESCO to teach audiovisual methods to Chinese artists and witnessed the revolutionary change to a communist regime. Materials in the form of letters and sketches from his time in China form part of the University archive and some of these will be on display in Gallery 2 of the Pathfoot Building as part of this exhibition which ran until 23rd December 2015.
Ding Fang
Born in 1956, in Wugong, Shanxi Province, Ding Fang is a well-known Chinese painter and curator. He graduated from the Nanjing Fine Arts Academy in 1986 with a Masters in oil painting, where he later taught for several years. He is lending one of his works through his contact Dr. Andrew Hass (Reader in Religious Studies at the University of Stirling) who will present a seminar about the art of Ding Fang on Tuesday 3rd November more.
Reflections of the East exhibition ended on 23rd December 2015.
Scenes of Stirling (Student Exhibition)
This exhibition was the work of Caroline Malcolm.
Caroline is a keen photographer who comes from the Shetland Isles. She is in her fourth year at Stirling studying for a joint degree in History and Film and Media.
Speaking of the Sky: Jon Schueler in Stirling
Jon Schueler, American abstract expressionist who loved Scotland, would have been 100 in 2016. We celebrated his centenary with this exhibition (April-July 2016)
Read more on the 2016 Schueler centenary exhibitions taking place around Scotland.
Staring at the ceiling, looking at the stars
This was an exhibition created by artist Sharon Quigley working in collaboration with a group of in-patients and staff at Bellsdyke Hospital in Stenhousemuir. The group delved into the case notes, patients’ letters and admission ledgers of the Stirling District Asylum Archive; to explore the identities of asylum patients from 1906-14 and to create a new ‘archive’ in which the patient’s voice is properly heard and their own experience is valued in the way we would hope and expect today.
www.staringattheceilinglookingatthestars.wordpress.com
Exhibition ran: 23rd January - end July 2016
Students of Stirling
This is a student-run project celebrating both the diversity and connections that exist within the University community.
Currently 122 nationalities are represented among students and staff at the University of Stirling.
The exhibition, comprising photographs and stories of 66 of the student cohort, will also capture the similarities between them, regardless of their nationality.
University Library
Until November 2015
Television framing of the 2014 Scottish independence referendum
This exhibition, based on findings from the Television framing of the 2014 Scottish independence referendum research project, explored the different frames through which television coverage of the Scottish referendum addressed this question in the run-up to the vote. The research and exhibition were supported by the ESRC Future Research Leaders scheme.
Pathfoot Building, Gallery 1
September to November 2015
The Great Stadiums of the North
Award winning photographer Brian Sweeney has been shooting professionally for the last 15 years.
This exhibition, a social history of football stadiums, was held in conjunction with the University of Stirling Annual Photography Competition.
March-October 2016.
'The Pebbles Were Each One Alive'
This exhibition was a collaboration between Elizabeth Anderson, an academic whose research considers the spiritual life of things in the work of women writers from the early twentieth century, and Charmian Pollok, an artist. When the two first met, they found many points of connection.
As Elizabeth explains: 'I met Charmian through the Art Collection. We began to discuss my research and her work and found many points of connection. Charmian read Mary Butts' memoir The Crystal Cabinet and was immediately drawn to Mary Butts' early life of solitary observation, collection and display, noting a similarity with her own childhood experiences. Many of the pieces in this collection were crafted with this connection in mind. The exhibition as a whole reflects the affinity between our ways of thinking and working.'
Exhibition ran Dec 2015 - end July 2016
Time
A mixed media arts exhibition exploring time in relation to health and wellbeing as part of the Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival. It was curated by ArtLink Central In collaboration with Reachout with Arts in Mind, Iona Leishman, Lesley Anne Derks and the Relief Café. It showcased the work of Reachout and Artspace participants.
Exhibition ended December 2016
2014 - 2015
Art off the Rock
Organised by local charity Artlink Central, this was an exhibition and auction of artworks. There was also an anonymous postcard sale featuring work by hundreds of artists. Special Guest at the event was Artlink Central’s Patron and Children’s Laureate, Julia Donaldson.
Anne Frank: A History for Today
In early 2015 the University of Stirling Art Collection hosted the Anne Frank Trust's 'Anne Frank: A History for Today' exhibition along with sessions for visiting school groups and tours for members of the University and the wider community.
The Anne Frank Trust UK is a charity and partner organisation of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. The Trust draws on Anne's life and diary to challenge prejudice and reduce hatred, encouraging people to embrace positive attitudes, responsibility and respect for others. For more information about the Trust please visit their website at www.annefrank.org.uk
Ben Broad (Student exhibition)
This exhibition showcased the photography of Ben Broad who is currently in his final year studying a BA Hons in French and Philosophy. Ben photographs landscape and nature around the UK, but he predominantly focuses on Scotland. The collection spans the seasons and in choosing these particular images Ben hopes to try and show the diversity of our surroundings, saying that 'for me, these images serve as a reminder to just what a wonderful place we live in, and even if it is a place you know like the back of your hand, it can still surprise you after many years'.
Britain from Above 1919-1953
The Aerofilms Collection is a unique archive of aerial photographs dating from 1919-2006. Set up in the early years of aviation, Aerofilms' founders were pioneers of the air establishing the world's first commercial air photographic business.The Collection contains over 1 million images and presents an unparalleled picture of the changing face of Britain in the 20th Century.
Exhibition ended August 2015.
For more www.britainfromabove.org.uk
Coca is not Cocaine
This exhibition sought to challenge preconceptions and misconceptions of an ancient custom and to shed light on the incredible richness of a voiceless practice.
March - September 2015
Create and curate
Working with women in HM Prison Cornton Vale, poet and mentor Evlynn Sharp and visual artist Brigid Collins inspired writings which were then developed into mixed-media works and sculptural 'poem-houses'.
Facilitated by the University of Stirling’s Learning and Audience Development Curator, Sarah Bromage, the project’s participants enjoyed the rare opportunity to critically engage with visual art from some of Scotland’s finest female artists. The finished pieces were displayed alongside works from the Art Collection which were selected by each participant for their inspirational qualities. Free catalogue available online at the Art Collection Shop (£1 p and p) or in the Pathfoot Building Crush Hall. Exhibition ended mid August 2015.
Gallipoli
This exhibition commemorated the centenary of the Gallipoli Campaign, and the involvement of the Scottish regiments.
June-August 2015
Haves and Have-nots
This exhibition featured a selection of prints by The Guardian newspaper photographer Graeme Robertson. They were gathered for an exhibition in London to support the Sightsavers’ campaign. Graeme travelled to Eastern Uganda and Rajasthan, India.
Innovations in Magazines
PPA Scotland presents the Innovation in Magazines exhibition
In conjunction with the Professional Publishers Association’s annual magazine festival and conference, Magfest, PPA Scotland is proud to present a fantastic exhibition of Innovation in Magazines.
Scotland’s magazine publishers offer increasingly diverse and enriched ways to connect with their readership. From subscriber-only offers and events to engage and build loyalty, to fantastic use of design and digital media – magazines are a treat, with a title for every readers’ passion.
The Innovation in Magazines exhibition offers a snapshot of the creativity and innovation across Scotland’s thriving magazine industry. Whether you work in the industry already, aspire to be a magazine publisher or simply love magazines, the exhibition showcases just some of the inspiring ideas to come out of Scotland.
The exhibition will be accompanied by Unlimited, a magazine written by PPA Scotland members and designed by CMYK design to celebrate the exciting and diverse industry that is magazine publishing.
The exhibition will be on display at the University of Stirling from 20 March until 17 April and will continue to tour Scotland over the coming year. For more information about Scottish magazine publishing contact PPA Scotland business manager Nikki Simpson at nikki.simpson@ppascotland.co.uk
Scottish Newspaper Society Archives Display
An exhibition of a Scottish Newspaper Society Archive material belonging to the University Archive Collection (based in the Library).
Read all about it! Archives of the Scottish Newspaper Society come to Stirling.
Scotland Decides
A collaborative project between the Scottish Political Archive, the Art Collection and Creative Stirling to showcase our collections relating to the 2014 Independence Referendum. The exhibition included the Creative Stirling ‘Solar Fields’ project, artwork on loan from Aberdeen based artist Nicole Porter and SPA campaign materials from the 1979, 1997 and 2014 referendums.
The exhibition was on display at the University library.
Student Photography
The Art Collection showcased the winning entries of the 2014 annual photography competition in an exhibition in the Pathfoot Building.This year’s themes were The Commonwealth, Bannockburn, Identity, Referendum and Campus.
Until end December 2014.
Student Portfolio Exhibition
This exhibition showcases some of the work created by final year pupils from schools all over the Forth Valley over a weekend in September 2014. The workshop is the result of collaborative work between the University Art Collection, Stirling Decorative Fine Arts Society, Forth Valley College, Forth Valley Art Teachers Network and Stirling Council.
Venue: Pathfoot Building, Crush Hall Gallery
25th November – 24th December 2015
When the Muse Looks Back
Photographic Exhibition based on a research project by Dr. Sarah Parker.
16th January- 2nd April 2015
Venue: Gallery 3, Pathfoot Building
2013 - 2014
100 Years of Scottish Magazine Publishing
Curated by The Professional Publishers Association Scotland, this was a snapshot of the industry’s work dating as far back as the 1700s. The exhibition was launched at the National Museum in June and then went on tour around Scotland. Also on show was a small exhibition of work of former students from the M.Litt. in Publishing at the University of Stirling.
(1st-31st October 2013)
Alastair R Ross
Dr. Alastair R. Ross is one of the leading figurative sculptors in the UK.
His commissioned and exhibition works embrace a wide variety of artistic concepts, scales, media and contexts. Nonetheless, the human figure remains firmly at the core of his thinking and underpins all his sculptural output.
A former lecturer in Fine Art at the University of Dundee, he is represented in both public and private collections worldwide.
(May-August 2013)
Artspace
Showcasing the work that Artspace created whilst working in residence at the University, Summer 2013. Artlink Central’s Artspace group is a group for adults who are recovering from mental ill health.
This exhibition ran Oct 2013- January 2014 as part of the Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival.
Arrow of God at 50: A celebration of the life and work of Chinua Achebe
A Nigerian novelist, poet, professor and critic, Chinua Achebe's first novel Things Fall Apart remains the most widely read book in modern African literature. His literary talent was acknowledged globally, and he was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of the University in 1974 by the University of Stirling. He died in 2013, and 2014 sees the 50th anniversary of his highly acclaimed novel Arrow of God.
To mark this, on Wednesday 21st May 2014 the University celebrated the life and work of Achebe more and in conjunction with this event, a display was organised by the University Art Collection.
May-June 2014
Blueprints
A new series of cyanotype prints by Alastair Peebles
(June-September 2013)
Funeralscapes
Re-experiencing sound and rites in a Viking and Christian landscape
Exhibition ran until Christmas 2014
Hosts and Champions
Celebrating 80 years of Scottish participation in the Commonwealth Games, this exhibition, drawn from the Commonwealth Games Scotland Archive held by the University of Stirling, displayed a selection of artefacts which evoke a rich story of Scotland’s involvement in the Games. Glasgow 2014 was the third time Scotland has hosted the Games, following the 1970 and 1986 Games in Edinburgh. Only Canada and Australia have hosted the Games more often than Scotland.
This exhibition, supported by the Celebrate Fund and the Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme, was curated by Professor Richard Haynes, Karl Magee and Ian Mackintosh.
Exhibition ended mid October 2014.
Illuminations 1874
An Exhibition of work by Karen Strang inspired by the life of Arthur Rimbaud.
Exhibition ran until March 14th- May 16th 2014.
Industrial Devon
An exhibition of the work of six Hillfoot’s primary schools exploring the industrial history of the Devon corridor.
This was a public engagement initiative by the Centre for Environmental History and Policy at the University of Stirling in collaboration with the Ochils Landscape Partnership (OLP), the Stirling University Art Collection, primary schools within the OLP’s catchment area and post-graduate and undergraduate student volunteers from across a variety of academic disciplines. The project was funded by the Strathmartine Trust.
Ended 15th October 2014
Parkour
An exhibition of the photography of Andy Day and Diego Ferrari
6 June 2013 to February 2014
Schools portfolio exhibition
The Art Collection in conjunction with Stirling Decorative and Fine Art Society and Forth Valley College hosts portfolio days for pupils in their final school year from across the Forth Valley.
Jan-March 2014
Skin over Bone: James Hardie, Amy Hardie, Gwen Hardie
An exhibition featuring the work of three artists from one family. Exhibition catalogue for sale in the Pathfoot Crush Hall or online at the Art Collection shop.
(March - May 2013)
St Ives Artists
An exhibition of work in the collection created by artists associated with the Cornish coastal town of St Ives. Read about this exhibition on the Art Collection blog.
See more on the St Ives artists in the Collection.
Tread Lightly (Student exhibition)
This exhibition showcased the work of Anthony McCluskey, an artist inspired by nature and our interaction with it. The paintings and drawings are of the places Anthony visited and flowers he has found.
Anthony is a member of the Stirling University art club, and profits from the sale of the pieces went to the club to help stage new exhibitions and buy materials.
Showcasing the work of the University Student Art Club, this exhibition ran Oct 2013- January 2014.
2012
A Stirling 100
November 2012 - February 2013
Human Race: Inside the Science of Sports Medicine
March 2012
The Scottish Political Archive Exhibition
Democracy for Scotland: the referendum experience, July - September 2012
Sightlines
An exhibition featuring the words of Kathleen Jamie and the art of Brigid Collins, Kate Hughes, James Morrison and Philip Reeves (Sept 2012 - March 2013)
Tracks: walking the ancient landscapes of Britain
by Philip Hughes at the University Library, September - December 2012
2011
Journeys from Home: a celebration of the work of Elizabeth Blackadder
A joint venture with The Park Gallery, Falkirk (Nov 2011 - Feb 2012).
(Publication available in Pathfoot Crush Hall, £1 or online at our online shop)
Journeys Together: Elizabeth Blackadder and John Houston
A joint venture with The Park Gallery, Falkirk (Nov 2011 - Feb 2012).
(Publication available in Pathfoot Crush Hall, £1 or online at our online shop)
University Treasures
An exhibition of treasures from the University Collections.
March 2011
(Publication available in Pathfoot Crush Hall, £1)
2010
Dancing as an Art
Margaret Morris, her life and collection
February - May 2010
Holodomor 1932-1933
Ukraine remembers: The world acknowledges
May - July 2010
2009
Lys Hansen: Relatively Closer
March - July 2009
(Publication available in Pathfoot Crush Hall, £1 or online at our online shop)
2007
Willie Rodger and Family
October - December 2007
(Publication available in Pathfoot Crush Hall, £1 or online at our online shop).