The Colony of Artists is on this weekend. Today and tomorrow you can go along to the Abbeyhill Colonies between 1 and 5 pm to see the varied collection of work on display in the artisan community there.
More than 30 artists in 20 venues open their homes, to show painting, drawing, photography, mixed media, music and much more. Â This group of artists and creatives are loosely centred around the Abbeyhill colonies in Edinburgh, and practice in a wide range of different fields.
The Abbeyhill colonies, close to the top of Easter Road, were built by railway workers in the late 19th Century after a working hours dispute saw them locked out of their building site. During the three month dispute in 1861, local tradesmen formed The Edinburgh Co-operative Building Company and by 1911 built over 2,000 houses on 11 sites in the city.
That sense of community was reignited in 2005, when the inaugural Colony Of Artists exhibition brought the artists of the area together for the first ever event of its kind in Edinburgh.
The Colony of Artists show work from their own homes, which allows visitors to experience the pieces in a very personal setting. The event has grown year by year and now attracts people from all over Edinburgh and beyond.
With handcrafted jewellery, printmaking, landscape oil paintings, photography, botanical watercolours, animation, music, and lots more at this year’s Colony of Artists exhibition, the event promises to be as exciting as ever.
Building on the success of previous exhibitions, the event this year has expanded to include an array of local businesses, including bars The Regent and The Mash Tun. As ever, the local school, Abbeyhill Primary, will be taking part, as they display artwork from the pupils and a choir performance on each of the two days.
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Returning this year is Aileen Paterson, creator of Maisie of Morningside, and local Colonies resident. She will be exhibiting original Maisie of Morningside artwork along with a daily reading at 2.30.Â
Refreshments are served at the tea tent where all proceeds are donated to Oxfam.
More information on their Facebook page.
Colony of Artists 2013 – 8th Annual Exhibition
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Date: 7th and 8th September 2013
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Time: 1 – 5 pm
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Venue: Abbeyhill Colonies, Edinburgh
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Further information:Â www.colony-of-artists.com
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
