Participation and Learning
Participation, collaboration and learning form a large part of my artistic practice. I am a member of the Socially Engaged Photography Network and love to share my passion for art, participation and photography with others. For over fifteen years, I have regularly led socially engaged education projects and collaborated in galleries, schools, colleges, universities and communities including Street Level Photoworks and National Galleries of Scotland. Most artist residencies I undertake involve community engagement and workshops.
I have a PGCap in Higher Education from the University of Edinburgh and have undertaken extensive training and CPD in education, participatory practice working with vulnerable groups.
I have been nominated for several University of Edinburgh teaching awards, including multiple nominations for Edinburgh University ‘Teacher of the Year’ and ‘Outstanding Course’.
Current teaching roles.
Teaching Fellow in Fine Art at Edinburgh College of Art.
Teaching Fellow in Photography (Advanced and Beginners Darkroom) at the University of Edinburgh.
Founder of Portobello Photography School. offering tuition for beginners and established practitioners.
Recent Socially Engaged Commissions.
‘Our Freedom: Then and Now’ with Future Arts Centres, Open Eye (Liverpool), Western Isles Libraries, An Tobar (Mull), Eden Court (Inverness) and Cromarty Cinema.
‘New Faces, New Focus’ Aberdeenshire Museums, Peterhead
COP26 ‘Leaf Us Alone’ Participatory Project with Teens, The Dick Institute, Kilmarnock
Mental Health OPD, East Lothian Community Hospital and Round Table Projects to make photographic work for the new hospitals Mental Health OPD working in partnership with staff and patients transitioning from Herdmanflat Hospital, Haddington to their new surroundings in the new hospital.
Crisis at 50's Collaborative Photographer, working with homeless clients
Photographer in Residence at Broomhouse Primary, Edinburgh.
Please get in touch if you'd like to book a course, run a community photography project or commission me.
Bailey Inspired Portraits – Photography Course at National Galleries of Scotland
nspired by Bailey’s Stardust, an exhibition of work by David Bailey. After exploring his approach to portraiture, participants will make photographic portraits in a studio with professional guidance. f Day 1: Exhibition tour and afternoon session in a professional photographic studio in Leith. Day 2: Dark room printing at Scottish National Gallery.
Presenting at Creative Edinburgh, Talking Heads S.T.E.A.M.ers event, Whitespace, Edinburgh 2016
Photo by Ross Fraser Mclean
NEPAN 13 Participation, Photography & the Politics of Space Symposium at Aberdeen University.
Symposium co-ordinator and Speaker
Photo by Barby Asante
Everyone @ T103
The Everyone@Trongate 103 programme was an action research project funded by Engage Scotland which explored issues around access and diversity and promoted looking at art and making art and resulted in new creative partnerships between artists and organisations.
Four artists including myself, welcomed participants and their carers to Project Ability, Street Level Photoworks, GMAC and Glasgow Print studio to fully test out the facilities and gallery spaces whilst making work for our exhibition. Thank you to PAMIS (http://www.pamis.org.uk) for providing training and ongoing support and to Sense Scotland (http://www.sensescotland.org.uk) for providing exhibition space.
This project was truly collaborative across all artforms allowing me to further develop accessability in both photographic studio and traditional darkroom as well as collaborating in cross-artform approaches with everyone.
Gallery talk for 'Industries' / 'Menie:TRUMPED' exhibition at Street Level Photoworks
Exhibition opening talk at VU Photo, Quebec for 'Industires' / 'Menie: TRUMPED'
Diane Arbus Workshops with Art & Design students at Lochgelly High School, Fife.
Using iPads, apps and traditional TLR cameras too.
The students exhibited this work at Kirkcaldy Art Gallery and Museum as part of ARTIST ROOMS
More info and images on Tate blog.
Lead artist, curator and project co-ordinator for 'Surfing the Don' working with Aberdeen City Council and community groups to bring together and tour a photography exhibition celebrating Aberdeen's River Don. Extensive community participation, supporting contibuting photographer, arranging TV and press interviews, producing a publication, budget management, liaising with funders, securing exhibition venues and fundraising.