Pioneering a New Art in Russia: in the first three decades of the 20th century, the Russian Avant-Garde made an outstanding contribution to Western sculpture and painting, especially in pioneering the move into abstraction. Curator and academic Professor Christina Lodder (University of Kent) will look at how artists working in Russia combined Western creative developments with their native traditions (the icon and the lubok) to produce distinctive works in the style of Neo-Primitivism, Cubo-Futurism, Suprematism and Constructivism. 12.45-1.15pm, Level Two, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art ONE, Belford Road. Free and unticketed.
First Monday Lunchtime Concert: Iain Hood. Iain is one of Scotland’s foremost clarsach and harp players and performs with the Edinburgh Light Orchestra. 12.30pm, Eric Liddell Centre, 15 Morningside Road. £6 entry (includes a one course lunch after the concert, vegetarian option available).
Record Breakers: Board Games. Bring your favourite game, try some new ones and join in the fun with friends and family. 2-3pm, South Queensferry Library, Shore Road. All welcome!
The Monday Cafe @ Cramond Kirk: for people with dementia and their carers. Support, information, light lunch, teas and coffees – and a blether! 1-3pm, Kirk Hall, Cramond Kirk, Cramond Glebe Road.
Grassmarket Community Project Cinema: The Visitor (15). A multi-award winning drama telling the story of a college professor who travels to New York City to attend a conference and finds a young couple living in his apartment. 7pm, Grassmarket Community Project, 86 Candlemaker Row. All welcome, free admission: donations very welcome! The Grassmarket Community Project is a charity providing mentoring, training and education to participants, many of whom are amongst the most vulnerable of Edinburgh’s citizens, in a nurturing environment. It operates a community cafe, woodwork and tartan social enterprises, and a range of social integration and educational activities for members, aimed at enhancing life skills and developing confidence. 
To read about The Edinburgh Reporter’s afternoon at the Project, click here.
Fruitmarket Gallery Director’s Talk: Fiona Bradley discusses the coming together of Phyllida Barlow’s major new exhibition set, currently installed at the gallery. 6-7pm, Fruitmarket Gallery, 42 Market Street.
Summer! A new exhibition of works by Kirstie Hustler, Sarah Curtis, Ulla Hipkin and Linda Sheridan. 10am-4pm, Monday to Saturday, The Gallery Cafe, Penicuik Community Arts Association, West Street Arts Centre, 2-4 West Street, Penicuik. Meet the artists in person on Sunday 12th July, 2-4pm.
Picturehouses Toddler Time: short screenings exclusively for pre-school children and their parents and carers. This week: Q Pootle 5: Programme 5 (U) – join the stars of the hit CBeebies show as they tackle the everyday problems of the final frontier; with friendship at the heart of the series, Q Pootle 5 and his friends find fun and adventure wherever they go. 11am, Cameo, Home Street. Tickets for members of Toddler Time cost £3 (accompanying adults free) and may be purchased in person, by calling the Box Office on 0871 902 5723 or online here. Membership of the Toddler Time club is free: please ask at the Box Office. No adult unaccompanied by a toddler will be admitted.
Edinburgh Inter Faith Association Talk + Community Meal. The Spiritual Pathways series of talks continues with Norman Crane considering the topic of Fasting. Norman is chairman of the Council of Sukkat Shalom (the Edinburgh Liberal Jewish Community); he holds an MA in Jewish Studies from the University of Manchester and has a passionate interest in all things Jewish. The talk will be followed by a Q & A session and a shared vegetarian meal. 6-8pm, The Well Cafe, City of Edinburgh Methodist Church, 25 Nicolson Square. All welcome: free, but donations much appreciated from those who wish to make them. If you would like to attend please email sakina@eifa.org.uk or leave a comment on the EIFA Facebook page here, to assist the organisers with catering.
Flavours’ Italian Book Week: call into the Flavours’ office to chat about Italian summer reads, see the pop-up book corner, and vote for your favourite. Each vote will also be entered into a prize draw to win one of the books. 10am-8pm Monday to Thursday, 10am-5pm Friday, 10am-6pm Saturday, Flavours of Italy, 67-69 Raeburn Place, Stockbridge. Read The Edinburgh Reporter’s article about Italian Book Week here.
Discovering Family History at the National Library of Scotland: find out how the library can help you with your family history research. The workshop will include some practical information on how to get a library card (please bring evidence of identity with you if you plan to register) and use library resources. 10.30am, National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge. Free but booking is required: call 0131 623 3734 or book online here. For more information please email enquiries@nls.uk.
For Crying Out Loud: screenings for carers and their babies under 12 months old (maximum 2 adults per baby). Babychanging, bottle-warming and buggy parking facilities are available. Today’s film is Mr Holmes (PG). 11am, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets cost £4.50/£3.50 per adult, and may be purchased in person or by calling the Box Office on 0131 228 2688.
Breathing Space: Allan JH McGregor presents an exhibition of 72 photographs taken in Craigmillar, Niddrie, Greendykes and Newcraighall in the 1980s and 1990s – from play parks and shop shutters to housing schemes and murals. The images date from a time just after riots had taken place in Craigmillar to protest about a lack of public facilities. ‘The project is really about two things. It’s about the state of one of the capital city’s catchment areas, which was in a dreadful state of disrepair, but it also looks at the people within it, who had this ‘breathing space’, and celebrates the fact that they survived through that’. 10am-4pm Monday to Friday, 10am-2pm Saturdays, The White House Kitchen Galleries, 70 Niddrie Mains Road. Ends 29th August 2015. The White House Kitchen is a community cafe and venue run by the Community Alliance Trust for the benefit of the Greater Craigmillar neighbourhoods. It also offers an outside catering service.
Guided Tour of the National Library: a tour of the building and an introduction to the Library’s collections and history. 2pm, National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge. Free but, as numbers are limited, booking is essential; call 0131 623 3734 or book online here.
Meet the Edible Gardening Team: take a look round the productive garden with the Edible Gardening Project volunteers – find out what needs doing in your own garden just now and have your vegetable growing questions answered, then have a go at sowing seeds and take them home to watch them grow. For all ages. 1-3pm, Demonstration Garden, Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh, Inverleith Row. Free, no booking required. Also at same times on Tuesday 7th July 2015.
Singing for Fun: a new daytime choir. Sing, chat, make friends, improve your voice and have an enjoyable morning. The choir will neither perform nor learn complex harmonies – it’s purely for fun! Singing delivers a host of benefits, including increased aerobic exercise, improved breathing, posture, mindset, confidence and self esteem. 10am-12 noon today and every Monday until 27th July, Pilrig Church, Pilrig Street. £5 per session, £3 for carers. To find out more or to book a place, email hello.singinthecity@choiredinburgh.co.uk or call 0131 552 3149.
Sofi’s Cult Movie Mondays: free screenings of popular classics – with popcorn – in Sofi’s cosy back room. This week’s film is Monty Python and the Holy Grail (15). 8pm, Sofi’s Bar, Henderson Street.
Tricolour: a monthly night showcasing three different poetry and spoken word talents. Three different voices, three different styles, three different takes on life. This month’s performers are Kevin Cadwallender, Rachel Amey and Colin McGuire. 6.30pm, National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge. Free but booking is required; call 0131 623 3734 or book online here.
Blackwell’s Edinburgh Presents The Monthly Book Quiz: if you know your Waugh from your Peace and your Meyer from your Heyer, try Blackwell’s quiz and answer questions on anything from classics to current bestsellers, Booker Prize winners to celebrity biographies. Teams of up to 5 people can take part. 6pm, Caffe Nero, Blackwell’s, South Bridge. Free; no booking required, but please arrive early as space is limited.
Picturehouses Culture Shock: the best in cult and genre films. Tonight: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (15) – Ferris is a boy who gets everything he wants….gathering his best friend and his best girlfriend, he skips school for the day in Chicago. 9pm, Cameo, Home Street. Tickets may be purchased in person, by calling the Box Office on 0871 902 5723 or online here: prices vary.
