Conversing Building x Access Art: A Tree, A Forest

April 24 @ 9:00 am May 6 @ 3:00 pm

AccessArt – Learning Disability Week Exhibition – A Tree, A Forest. 

This month’s cafe exhibition has been created by AccessArt as part of our Conversing Building programme. AccessArt has been part of the creative community of Dumfries and Galloway for the past 20 years, facilitating creative opportunities for individuals and communities who have experienced barriers to inclusion.

Our commitment to this continues through our program of sessions & workshops we deliver out of the Gracefield Arts Centre in Dumfries.

This year the theme for Learning Disability Weeks is “lead to change.” Having thought about this and what leadership means to us as a group and individually, we found the term “Nothing for us without us.” It brought together the groups feelings about being included in the decisions made that affects their lives.

We wanted to create an artwork that dealt with a representation of “us,” while retaining the idea that we are all individuals. From nature we found our inspiration; the motif of a tree. A single tree becomes a forest when repeated. This idea spoke to us about being connected through our shared experiences and the power of a collective voice.

Our collaborative artwork has taken the form of a collage, in which each participant has added their interpretation of a tree/s. 
As participants added more trees, relationships formed between these differing elements, creating new and unexpected narratives within the collage. Alongside it are supporting artworks to show the development of our ideas.

“At AccessArt we are inclusive, adaptable, creative left-field thinkers, who see through potential barriers to participation, who provide a safe non-judgemental space with the appropriate levels of support with a good amount of encouragement.”

The artworks will be on display from the 24th of April to the 6th of May, open during The Stove cafe hours.

100 High Street
Dumfries, DG1 2BJ United Kingdom
01387 252435
View Venue Website

Level Access in rear of building through adjacent close to left-hand side of the Cafe (facing the front of the building). To ensure your experience with us is as best as it can be, please do let us know if you have any specific access requirements and we’d be happy to help. Please email Kevin or Sal on: [email protected] or phone 01387 252435 and speak with one of our team. We are able to provide walk-throughs of the building before attending our events as well as assign seating before your arrival.

Dumfries Fountain Project: Research and Studio Work, Exhibition

November 11, 2021 @ 12:00 pm 4:00 pm

The Smithy, 113-115 High Street, Dumfries
An exhibition by artist Alex Allan

A pop-up exhibition at The Smithy, 113-115 High Street, hosted by artist Alex Allan. Allan has been working with the Dumfries Fountain Project coordinated by the Stove Network, exploring, and designing a proposal for a permanent piece of public art to be situated by the Dumfries Fountain to complement the historic landmark.

You are invited to consider the research gathered during their time in Dumfries, experiment and play with ideas and materials from the studio and contribute your own thoughts to the work. What would you like from a new piece of public art in the centre of the town?

This is a unique chance to hear from the artist themselves and learn more about this timely and fascinating project. Come on in!

113 – 115 High Street
Dumfries, Scotland United Kingdom

Dumfries Fountain Project: Research and Studio Work, Exhibition

November 12, 2021 @ 12:00 pm 4:00 pm

The Smithy, 113-115 High Street, Dumfries
An exhibition by artist Alex Allan

A pop-up exhibition at The Smithy, 113-115 High Street, hosted by artist Alex Allan. Allan has been working with the Dumfries Fountain Project coordinated by the Stove Network, exploring, and designing a proposal for a permanent piece of public art to be situated by the Dumfries Fountain to complement the historic landmark.

You are invited to consider the research gathered during their time in Dumfries, experiment and play with ideas and materials from the studio and contribute your own thoughts to the work. What would you like from a new piece of public art in the centre of the town?

This is a unique chance to hear from the artist themselves and learn more about this timely and fascinating project. Come on in!

113 – 115 High Street
Dumfries, Scotland United Kingdom

Dumfries Fountain Project: Research and Studio Work, Exhibition

November 13, 2021 @ 12:00 pm 4:00 pm

The Smithy, 113-115 High Street, Dumfries
An exhibition by artist Alex Allan

A pop-up exhibition at The Smithy, 113-115 High Street, hosted by artist Alex Allan. Allan has been working with the Dumfries Fountain Project coordinated by the Stove Network, exploring, and designing a proposal for a permanent piece of public art to be situated by the Dumfries Fountain to complement the historic landmark.

You are invited to consider the research gathered during their time in Dumfries, experiment and play with ideas and materials from the studio and contribute your own thoughts to the work. What would you like from a new piece of public art in the centre of the town?

This is a unique chance to hear from the artist themselves and learn more about this timely and fascinating project. Come on in!

113 – 115 High Street
Dumfries, Scotland United Kingdom

Dumfries Fountain Project: Research and Studio Work, Exhibition

November 10, 2021 @ 12:00 pm 4:00 pm

The Smithy, 113-115 High Street, Dumfries
An exhibition by artist Alex Allan

A pop-up exhibition at The Smithy, 113-115 High Street, hosted by artist Alex Allan. Allan has been working with the Dumfries Fountain Project coordinated by the Stove Network, exploring, and designing a proposal for a permanent piece of public art to be situated by the Dumfries Fountain to complement the historic landmark.

You are invited to consider the research gathered during their time in Dumfries, experiment and play with ideas and materials from the studio and contribute your own thoughts to the work. What would you like from a new piece of public art in the centre of the town?

This is a unique chance to hear from the artist themselves and learn more about this timely and fascinating project. Come on in!

113 – 115 High Street
Dumfries, Scotland United Kingdom
Categories
Musings

Curating Captive Art #3

From Morgan Hardie, emerging artist and curator of the recent exhibition Captive Art #3 in the Stove cafe:

I am a portrait artist based in Dumfries, I graduated with a HND in Art and Design three years ago at Dumfries and Galloway College and have continued since then as self-taught. I have a huge interest and wish to pursue a career in the therapeutic arts, which is why I was really excited when I was offered the opportunity to curate Captive Art #3! I believe it is so important that the prisoners have the chance to show their work outside of prison walls and to offer the local community a better understanding of prison rehabilitation, and how art practice and creative writing play a fundamental part in this.

Captive Art 3 - The Stove Network


The experience of curating the exhibition was so busy and enjoyable, I loved all of the different aspects from selecting the work in Dumfries Prison to hanging the exhibition the day before the opening. I had written out a plan covering everything that needed to be done and how I was going to do it, and with some help from blueprint100 and the prison education department, I think I managed to stay fairly organised! Selecting the artwork was probably the most challenging, as there was a huge variety to choose from and such limited wall space in The Stove Café, but I managed to really narrow it down and include work which demonstrated a range of different styles and techniques.

Captive Art 3 - The Stove Network

The reason I chose the painting called ‘The Nearest Faraway Place’ to be used on the posters and invites, apart from it being my personal favourite, was because of the story behind it and the immense detail portrayed. The artist had explained to me that the painting was a representation of a dream he’d had, and he had felt the need to paint it on to canvas.

Captive Art 3 - The Stove Network

My main goal was to involve the prisoners as much as possible, as it is their exhibition after all. I took information about The Stove up to the prison, along with photographs of the space so that they were clued up on where their work was going. I had decided to keep all of the work anonymous, but instead had asked each artist for a small statement on what art does for them on a personal level and included this on their labels. I received really good feedback at the opening event about this personal touch, as well as the prisoners’ poems which were read out at the beginning and the other written work which was also on display. I found that the visitors really liked that interesting connection between art and writing as it helps them to gain a more informative insight, which is exactly what I had hoped for.

Captive Art 3 - The Stove Network

The opening event was more successful than I imagined it would be, and I hope the exhibition continues to deliver and inform for the remaining time that it is on display. Hopefully everyone enjoys the exhibition as much as I loved curating it!

All Images: Kirstin McEwan

Skip to content