Feelgood Friday webpage and Newsletter was a response to COVID 19. GHAT created a one-stop-shop of online content aimed at NHSG staff, that is easy to access with minimum fuss and helps with downtime during the busy shifts. The project was a curated webpage on the GHAT website and weekly newsletter with information about GHAT activity, things to do online and content from other organisations.
The name Feelgood Friday came directly from the NHSG COVID 19 Brief from the 27th March. NHSG Corporate Comms had collected goodwill messages to staff from the public and issued a Feelgood Friday document as part of their daily brief.
“Feelgood Friday. There are so many heartfelt messages of support for our staff pouring in from the public. “during these exceptional circumstances, we all appreciate the hard work and dedication shown by NHS staff” “Thinking of you all and sending you strength and courage for the days ahead” “I don’t know where this country would be without the unrivalled service of the NHS”. Thank you for all you are doing and how hard you are working at this very challenging time. Click here to read more messages.” NHS Grampian, 27 March 2020
You can still access all the content that went out over the lockdown period on this page.
Amplify is a focused project of arts activity based in NHS Grampian hospital site which started last year. The project so far delivered part for the exhibition programme and creative sessions through the Creative Mobile Unit. During the lockdown, GHAT worked with NHS Grampian Archives to produce essays and short films about the history of hospitals in Aberdeen and the introduction of the Joint Hospital Scheme.
You read the essay by Diane May here
You can view the short films here
You can also read some of the project books from 2019 here
Keep an eye out for upcoming activity on the Amplify page on the GHAT website.
Artroom is a patient-centred project run by professional artists and writers. In an Artroom session, every patient is encouraged to be an artist or writer in their own right. During the lockdown, the Artroom artists have been putting together packs of materials which have been distributed to patients in the departments and wards sessions were run.
To find out more about Artroom and what patients have been creating over the years in the sessions you can read the Artroom book here, and read about Artroom in the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital here.
GHAT has been commissioning and purchasing artwork for Art Collection over the past 30 years. The artwork can be seen in 34 NHS Grampian sites. In 2019 GHAT was awarded funding from the Heritage Lottery fund for ‘Shared Collective Heritage‘, a project to bring the GHAT collection to a wider audience and show how the art and the artists help us understand the history and heritage of the North East of Scotland.
GHAT has been working closely with local writer Shane Strachan, who has hosted creative writing ‘Live Literature’ workshops in ARI and online, using the Art collection as inspiration. You can see the result of the workshops in a series of short films here.
Keep an eye out for upcoming activity on the Shared Collective Heritage page on the GHAT website.
GHAT has been delivering a programme of exhibitions since is started in 1985. GHAT now runs 2 gallery spaces in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, The Small Gallery and The Suttie Arts Space, which show a wide range of work by local, national and international artists.
We currently have an exhibition, ‘Turn and Run, the Monkeys Ride‘, by local artist Jean Firth on show in The Small Gallery which is open to anyone on site. The Suttie Arts Space will be re-opening soon with a new exhibition, ‘Shared Collective Heritage Exhibition’, showing work from the GHAT Art Collection.
Look Again Digital Residency – Laura McGlinchey
Look Again’s annual Seed Fund awards take a new form this year in response to COVID 19. Three artists have been invited to undertake a Digital Residency, working over July, August and September to take over the Look Again Instagram feed.
This months artist is Laura McGlinchey who has taken over their Instagram feed with her new project Paper Cave Anti-Rave.
Glasgow School of Art Postgraduate Showcase
The postgraduate virtual showcase has been designed to enable graduating students the opportunity to show work to a public audience at the end of their study. This is an opportunity to see the work that the students have produced during their time at The Glasgow School of Art.
Shetland based Vivian Ross-Smith graduates this year, Vivian originally completed her Batchelor’s in Painting at Grays School of Art in 2013.
During the lockdown, Luminate invited artists, poets, dancers and musicians for design and film creative activities for older people to enjoy at home. In total there are 30 Luminate@Home films for you to enjoy. You will find them all on Luminate’s website, and their YouTube or Vimeo channels.
Timespan up in Helmsdale launched their own TV channel during lockdown. You can watch their Recipes For A Disaster Quarantine Cooking Show, get gardening tips from the Helmsdale Kitchen Garden in their own version of Gardener’s Question Time and learn bit about the history area.
Talk Art – Kenny Schachter (QuarArtine special episode)
Actor Russell Tovey and gallerist Robert Diament host Talk Art, a podcast dedicated to the world of art featuring exclusive interviews with leading artists, curators & gallerists. In the final episode of their QuarARTtine specials, they meet Kenny Schachter who talks about the impact the arts have on health and wellbeing among other things.
You can hear all there podcast on the Talk Art website.
With over 30 courses, lectures and live sessions to choose from, The University of Edinburgh has created the Short Courses Arts Hub to explore from the comfort of your own home. The courses are completely free and can be accessed at any time of the day, and designed with every level of ability in mind from beginners through to artists looking for some inspiration.
In The Open – Luke Fowler ‘The Pitches’
‘In the Open’ is a new project by The Common Guild. Prompted by the restrictions necessitated by Covid-19, and the way these continue to affect our public and social lives, a series of audio works have been commissioned during the lockdown for listening to during our daily walks and time outdoors.
In ‘The Pitches’, Luke Fowler explores the two contrasting environments in Glasgow’s North Kelvin Meadow/The Children’s Wood and private space of his mother’s garden next to the meadows. You can find the ‘In the Open’ series in The Common Guild website.
Douglas Gordon’s Top 101 Films
Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA) were due to open a new exhibition by artist Douglas Gordon at the beginning of April. When asked for suggestions for his Artist’s Choice Screening which was due to be shown in the DCA cinema, Douglas Gordon provided an excellent list of his 101 favourite films! With his exhibition postponed until next year, they have shared his list to make sure you have plenty to watch.
Creative Scotland July 20 Playlist
Creative Scotland has launched its July 2020 Playlist. You can listen to the new releases from artists across Scotland. You can also all the previous playlists by going to their Spotify account.
Edinburgh International Book Festival Online
This year Edinburgh International Book Festival will go online from 15-31 August. They have created a special online edition with free events for adults and children to take part in and enjoy. You will have the opportunity to meet other festival-goers through chatrooms, take part in Q&A sessions and even have to opportunity to meet the authors and get your books signed. Go to their website to find out more and book your place!
During the lockdown, Aberdeen Performing Arts Creative Learning Team worked with members of their Youth Theatre to create amazing work through digital platforms!
The Coronavirus Time Capsule is their young participants’ response to the world they have been living in, recording their experiences during the global Coronavirus pandemic. You can all the short films created by the Youth Theatre in their homes on the Aberdeen Performing Arts YouTube channel.
The Stove Network: Source To Sea
Source to Sea is a virtual journey following the River Nith from the Carsphiarn Hills through to the Solway Firth. Created by The Stove Network in Dumfries, it has a mix of local heritage and folklore, local landmarks, art and literature, and the people and wildlife you will meet along the journey. Source to Sea is a great opportunity to explore another part of Scotland from the safety of your home.
Liminal Lives: A Postal Project
Circus ArtsSpace in Inverness current Graduate intern, Isabel McLeish, is running the project Liminal Lives, where you have the opportunity to be a part of a Scotland-wide postcard project. To create and submit a postcard to this exciting project you will find details on the Circus ArtSpace website.
Deadline for submissions is 31st August 2020, your postcard will then be included in an exhibition in Inverness in Spring 2021.
Explore Edinburgh Art Festival 2020 online. They have invited 10 artists from previous festivals to work with them throughout this years festival period. Their work combines work from their archives plus new commissions which include online screenings and live performances.
If you are lucky enough to get to Edinburgh you will see a small number of projects appearing in public sites around the city. The Festival runs up to 30 August 2020.
Cample Line in Dumfries and Galloway are currently running their book group, film screenings and children’s activities online. This months book is Weather by Jenny Offill, and the group is meeting on 26 August. Go to their website for details of how to get involved.
You can also book tickets for their Screenings at Home programme, with tickets prices ranging from free up to £5. This weeks film is Sleep Furiously by directed by Gideon Koppel.
Hands-On is Cove Park’s community engagement project. Based in Argyle and Bute, they provide free workshops for children and young people and talks and events for the local community. Hands-On was launched in April as their regular series of events could no longer take place.
You can access their archive of Hands-On workshops on their website. This includes a wide variety of activities, including how to makes a weavers loom and how to create a pop-up sculpture,
Aberdeen based artist Frances Walker celebrates her 90th birthday next week. Peacock Visual Arts are creating a programme of events to celebrate their 46 years association with her. You can read about the work they have done with one of Scotlands most highly regarded living artist on the Peacock’s website.
As part of the GHAT Art Collection, there are 194 of Frances’s artworks, including painting and prints, on display in various NHS Grampian hospitals site across the North East of Scotland.
While on lockdown the Belmont Filmhouse have also been producing their weekly newsletter. #BelmontRecommends has tips and suggestions from their staff for films, books articles, music and more. You can read issue 18 here!
Collective: Loose Parts Play Friday
During the period of closure Collective in Edinburgh have created a 14 week series of play activities for children to encourage their creativity, innovation and problem-solving. ‘The term ‘loose parts play’ was coined by architect Simon Nicholson in 1971, and describes materials which can be moved, carried, manipulated, combined, lined up, stacked, knocked over, taken apart and put back together in multiple different ways.’
You can still find Loose Parts Play Friday on their website, which may come in handy for the rest of the school holidays!
As part of last years Nuart Festival. Portuguese curator and architect, Lara Seixo Rodrigues, held a 2-day graffiti workshop for over 65’s. This year Lara and her team have created the ‘Quarantine Workbook‘ as a response to isolation and loneliness created by the lockdown, and especially to help combat the isolation of the elderly.
The workbook is a collection of illustrations to colour, stories, puzzles, embroidery patterns and many more activities to ‘occupy time and feed the soul‘.
Slow Marathon 2020: Under One Sky
Deveron Projects, in Huntly, are working on a collaborative project with artist Iman Tajik, ‘Slow Marathon 2020: Under One Sky‘ Together through participants daily walks they hope to reach a cumulative distance of approx.42,000km/26,000miles around the world, taking them across many borders but all under one sky. Every mile and km count, from circumnavigating your room, right up to walking a full marathon in a day.
There are currently 281 walkers taking part from around the globe who have walked over 14,000 miles so far. As well as counting their miles the walkers are also being asked to take a photo of the sky from their walks which will be included in a final large scale artwork.
You can still take part by registering here to start adding your walks.
ATLAS Arts in Portree on the Isle of Skye, has started to put together an online recipe book as part fo their CLIMAVORE apprenticeship programme. The programme is an island-wide partnership with local restaurants, food producers and Portree High School. All recipes are from ingredients sourced on the island but are also available in your local shops.
CLIMAVORE is a long term project led by artists Cooking Sections. It looks at ways of eating, environmental regeneration, the environmental effects of aquaculture and the changing shores of Portree.
a-n magazine has published a guide to all this year’s degree shows, highlighting work and featuring interviews from graduating artist from across the UK. Lecturers also share their thoughts on the ideas and themes in the student’s work. You can download the guide here.
You can find more interviews and news on the a-n website as the degree shows continue to roll out across the country.
The National Galleries of Scotland have put together a treasure trove of activities for kids of all ages. Taking inspiration from 14 artworks in their collection, they have created over 50 activities to enable you to make your own discoveries about art while at home. This ‘pick ‘n’ mix Creative Curriculum’ has been designed to explore at your own pace and develop your creative skills!
Grays School of Art Virtual Degree Show 2020
Launch 6.30 pm, Friday 10th July
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gray’s School of Art, Look Again and Aberdeen based design agency Design and Code, have partnered to create a fully immersive Virtual Degree Show in collaboration with the 2020 graduating students.
The degree show will be launched this evening, 10 July, at 6.30 pm online with and opening club night. You can join in here.
‘Grampian Hospitals Art Trust on COVID’
by Sally Thomson, GHAT Director
Sally Thomson, Director of Grampian Hospitals Art Trust, has written this article for Creative Scotland giving us her thoughts, memories and learning from lockdown and what we are planning for the future.
Creative Scotland in one of GHAT’s funders and over the years has supported us to deliver a diverse range of arts projects across NHS Grampian sites.
The Gaiety Theatre’s Lockdown Season
The GaietyTheatre in Ayr has launched a new online programme of theatre, workshops and events. You can watch shows and lives streams as well as sign up for workshops ranging from drama and filmmaking though to music and visual art.
The Devil’s Chord or a Tap on the Shoulder
by Sally O’Reilly (for Cabinet Magazine)
Cabinet Magazine has published this interesting article from writer and artist Sally O’Reilly. It explores the use of sound created in Intensive Care Units.
Photo-Recipes: Spinach Anthotype
Streetlevel Photoworks in Glasgow has created photo-recipe cards for a fun photographic process to try at home using materials you can easily find in cupboards. This Spinach Anthotype recipe is the second in their series, you can try out the Turmeric Anthoype here. You can download the cards from their website, where they have also a few photographic challenges for you to take part in and Introduction to Photography Workbook.
Patterns of Flora Colouring Book
ATLAS Arts in Portree on the Isle of Skye, is giving you this limited edition colouring book, created by Frances Priest in collaboration with botanist Stephen Bungard, to download for free for a limited time. The book was produced as part of the 2015 commission Patterns of Flora | Mapping Seven Raasay Habitats. You can download it free until the end of July 2020.
Free Drawing School Online Challenge
Hospitalfield in Arbroath has been hosting a free drawing school live online every Monday at 10 am. A different drawing challenge is announced each week for you to get involved in, led by an artist. This month’s classes are led by Isabel Cordeiro, Jade Montserrat and Mandy McIntosh.
The Friutmarket Gallery in Edinburgh has made their activity sheets for young people available online. Inspired by past exhibitions they range from drawing and collage through to creating your own storyboard. You can download all their activity sheets from their website.
‘Andrew Lewis’ by Diane May
NHS Grampian and GHAT are celebrating the centenary of the formal announcement of the creation of the “Joint Hospitals Scheme”. As part of the larger Amplify Project, funded by Creative Scotland, GHAT is collaborating with NHSG Archives and Aberdeen Performing Arts to explore the creation of the Joint Hospitals Scheme, an essential step into establishing the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary as a pioneering centre when it comes to public health and education. The project focuses on building a historical and emotional bridge between the two centuries, a process that heavily involves the current hospital community and pays homage to the ARI’s legacy
This article about Andrew Lewis, Lord Provost and master fund-raiser for the Joint Hospitals Scheme fundraising campaign, was written Diane May, Amplify project intern and volunteer for NHSG Archives.
Sculpture Club at Home | Week 3: Dock Leaf Dyeing
(10.29 minutes)
Glasgow Sculpture Studios have launched their Sculpture Club at Home series. This week try some fabric dyeing with plants you can find out and about on your daily walks.
Linocut in Lockdown (1 0f 4)
(5.50 minutes)
Find out what the Studio Manager at Highland Print Studio, John McNaught, has been up to while on lockdown. This is the first episode of his lino cutting and printing at home demonstration. You can see all 4 episodes and the final print here.
Live Online Classes
(times vary)
During the lockdown Dance North Scotland has decided to run live online classes their young dancers using zoom. DMG, Junior and Senior Youth Dance Classes are not running on a regular weekly schedule. The weekly timetable and contact details are available on their website.
The Walk
(4.18 minutes)
This short film was made in 2019 by 3rd-year Animation students from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design and Architecture (DJCAD) in Dundee. As the alternative to the traditional degree shows which would be starting around this time of year, art schools around Scotland have launched online showcases. DJCAD launched their Graduate Showcase 2020 this week, which includes the graduating students who made this film.
Island
(2.30 minutes)
Island by Max Mörtl & Robert Löbel, was shown as part of the Glasgow Short Film Festival (GSFF) in 2019. It is one of over 20 animations they put online as part of their Family Shorts Series in April 2020. This year’s festival will be on from 17-23 August, and it will now take place entirely online. Their full programme will be announced soon!
Tales of Silver City
(23.44 minutes)
‘Tales of Silver City’ was commissioned as part of the 2019 NUART Festival. It was written and directed by Kristina Borhes and Nazar Tymoshchuk, and consists of five short stories exploring the city of Aberdeen. ‘Each short story incorporates the art on the streets of Aberdeen as the main character. Most of the street works are interconnected with the history of the city, its architecture and citizens, their artworks simultaneously inspire and visualize the storytelling.’
