10th January 2011

The Open Eye Gallery has a new exhibition including some of  John Bellany’s work which opens on 10th January. Painted Words runs from 10th to 25th January 2011 and is an exhibition of works inspired by prose, poetry and song. Featuring Open Eye artists such as John Bellany, John Byrne, Willie Rodger, Susie Leiper, Henry Fraser, Diane Rendle and Elaine Pamphilon.

Social Media Surgeries start this week on 10th January at Wester Hailes Library. “Edinbuzz Social Media Surgeries have a simple aim – to match up volunteer experts (or “surgeons”) with people from community groups or charities (the “patients”) that would like to make more use of the free online tools that are out there. All the events aim to avoid jargon and long boring speeches. Instead patients can expect some free one-to-one coaching from people who believe that social media can provide a cost effective boost to almost any organisation.” More details on the coaching on their website but the sessions start at 6.30pm.

Edinburgh Lecture series continues at Hawthornden Lecture Theatre, Weston Link, National Galleries of Scotland. Deyan Sujic OBE is Director of the Design Museum in London. Every political system makes use of design and architecture to establish its values, and its beliefs. Its both a cultural issue, a question of projecting identity, as well as a commercial one. Deyan Sudjic looks at how this long term relationship between power and design has evolved, and its lessons for contemporary society. Tickets £5 available here.

At The Usher Hall two concerts around lunchtime. The first is an organ recital at 1 o’clock.  The American Connection: a programme of music by American composers or with some American association, to include John Knowles Paine’s Variations on the Star-Spangled Banner, marches by Sousa, Scott Joplin’s The Entertainer and Widor’s Marche Américaine. Tickets are only £3 on the website.

12.45-1.15pm at The Gallery of Modern Art. No booking required: free, unticketed. Belinda Thomson, independent art historian, looks at the works on show by Howard Hodgkin in relation to the works of French artists such as Matisse, Derain and Vuilllard, which are currently on show at the Gallery of Modern Art. More details here.

Tuesday 11 January 2011

Tuesday 11th January at 14.30 Sax Ecosse at The Usher Hall. A show featuring top young Scottish musicians from Yehudi Menuhin’s charitable scheme Live Music Now, which supports young musicians of all genres at the outset of their professional careers while making high quality live music as widely accessible as possible, the Emerging Artists Series offers everyone a chance to hear tomorrow’s star performers TODAY! The young, vibrant saxophone quartet, Sax Ecosse, have played at festivals all over the world, as well as to a wide range of community audiences through their work with Live Music Now, performing original and specially arranged repertoire for four saxophones.

Lighthouses Image and Imagination – 12.45-1.30pm at Hawthornden Lecture Theatre – Weston Link No booking required: free, unticketed. Even today, when we know there is no longer a light-keeper present, the reality of the lighthouse is the friendly warning beam from a dark and dangerous shore. The paintings, engravings and photographs held in Scotland’s national collections demonstrate the extraordinary development of this engineering practicality from Rococo effusion to structures of mundane efficiency.

A talk by Dr Alison Morrison-Low, Principal Curator, Historic Scientific Instruments and Photography at National Museums Scotland.

12th January 2011

Behold the Light of Nature – Ruskin on Turner

12.45-1.30pm at Hawthornden Lecture Theatre – Weston Link No booking required: free, unticketed. Paul O’Keeffe, actor and art historian, recreates John Ruskin’s moving account of the life, achievements and death of JMW Turner in this performed reading. More information here.

Stargazing at the Observatory

Dates: 12 January; two sessions: 6:30-7:30pm and 8:00-9:00pm

Royal Observatory Edinburgh Visitor Centre EH9 3HJ

Join us on our spectacular rooftop gallery for stargazing with the naked eye and telescopes and discover the inspirational work of the observatory, past and present. £3.00 adult, £1.50 children and concessions. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Booking is required. Please email.

Contact: 0131 668 8404 | vis@roe.ac.uk

13th January 2011

At The City Art Centre a workshop from 11.30 to 1.30 with a break for lunch. Billed as suitable for families, it includes:-

Highland Life

What was life in the Highlands in the 19th century really like? Using drama to create a Highland community, pupils will explore the lives, jobs, joys and hardships of Highland living.

The Clearances

Using ‘The Desperate Journey’ as a basis, workshops will explore why the Clearances took place, what happened, famous characters involved, and the consequences of actions taken at the time.

Tickets and more information here.

What’s in the Sky?  6:30pm-8:00pm At Cramond House, Kirk Cramond, Edinburgh EH4 6HZ Cramond Wildlife Watch Club are having a special Stargazing session! Come along and see what the stars mean to wildlife and us! Booking is required. Suitable for ages 5-12, under 8s must be accompanied. £1 charge per child. Contact: 0131 312 4712 | dmathieson@swt.org.uk

Art for Absolute Beginners – Looking at Art

10.30am-12.30pm at Clore Education Centre – Weston Link (National Gallery Complex) Tickets £8 (£6)Buy tickets in advance from the Weston Link info desk, or call 0131 624 6560 9.30am-4.30pm, Monday-Friday with credit /debit card. Informal discussion-based tours for those who want to open a door into the mysterious but fascinating world of art. Each stand-alone session is guided by freelance educator. More details here.

Art for Absolute Beginners – Making Art

1.30-3.30pm at Clore Education Centre – Weston Link (National Gallery Complex) Tickets £10 (£8)Buy tickets in advance from the Weston Link info desk, or call 0131 624 6560 9.30am-4.30pm, Monday-Friday with credit /debit card. An opportunity to try out lots of different materials and techniques guided and encouraged by artist Louise Fraser. Places limited. More details here.

Easel Sketching in the Gallery

2-4pm at The National Gallery (National Gallery Complex)No booking required: free, unticketed. Sketching in the gallery, led by artist Damian Callan. A different subject each month and sometimes with a live model. More details here.

14th January 2011

Great Exhibitions – Meet the Curators of Gauguin and Monet 12.45-1.45pm at Hawthornden Lecture Theatre – Weston Link (National Gallery Complex) No booking required: free, unticketed. Rescheduled from 6 December.

September 2010 saw the opening of two great exhibitions: the largest retrospective exhibition on Monet at the Grand Palais in Paris and the first major exhibition in 50 years on the work of Gauguin at Tate Modern.

Michael Clarke, Director of the National Gallery is in conversation with the Edinburgh-based curators, Professor Richard Thomson from the University of Edinburgh (Monet) and independent art historian, Belinda Thomson (Gauguin).

Stargazing at The Royal Observatory Edinburgh Visitor Centre EH9 3HJ on 14 January; two sessions: 6:30-7:30pm and 8:00-9:00pm

“Join us on our spectacular rooftop gallery for stargazing with the naked eye and telescopes and discover the inspirational work of the observatory, past and present. £3.00 adult, £1.50 children and concessions. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Booking is required. Please email.” Contact: 0131 668 8404 | vis@roe.ac.uk

At Canongate Kirk Friday 14th January 7.30pm Ian Tomlin School of Music: Venus & Adonis. More details on the Kirk website.

15th January 2011

Starry starry night 15 January, 5:30pm-7:00pm

At Newhailes, Newhailes Road, Musselburgh, East Lothian EH21 6RY

A children’s event looking at the beautiful night sky over East Lothian. Learn to identify basic constellations, hear amazing tales and do some out-of-this-world crafts. Free to members of NTS Detectives Children’s Club, £2/child for others. Suitable for 7-12s. Booking essential.

Contact: 0844 493 2124 | hlevene@nts.org.uk

16th January 2011

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