Five things you need to know today
- Art in Healthcare exhibition
- Armed Forces Day 2016
- Raising funds for the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home
- RBS Coding competition
- At the City Art Centre
Scottish law firm BTO Solicitors LLP has announced that it will sponsor the upcoming Art in Healthcare exhibition ‘All the Wonderful Things’ from 25 – 28 June 2016 at Gayfield Creative Spaces in Edinburgh.
Art in Healthcare is a charity that provides art for healthcare organisations in Scotland. It creates stimulating environments that positively affect patients’ wellbeing and contribute to an effective healing process.
The ‘All the Wonderful Things’ exhibition will feature the work of 22 artists who graduated and established their careers between the 1960s and 2010s, including Barbara Rae, Carmen Ambrozevich, Matthew Draper and Toby Paterson.
An original Ann Oram prestigious print will also be launched at the exhibition. A limited edition of 75 prints have been created and all proceeds from sales of the print will support the work of Art in Healthcare.
Alan Borthwick, BTO’s chairman, said: “We see sponsoring ‘All the Wonderful Things’ as a great opportunity to support artists and Art in Healthcare in its aim to create inspiring environments that will have a positive impact on the wellbeing of patients in hospitals, care homes, medical practices and hospices. We wish the charity every success in its fundraising efforts.
Margaret O’Connor, CEO of Arts in Healthcare, commented: “We are very pleased to have BTO on board as the lead sponsor for this exhibition. The firm’s generous support has made both the exhibition and the Ann Oram print possible, which will enable us to raise valuable funds for our important work. Coming along to the exhibition is an opportunity to buy art by some great artists and also for people to find out more about the work of Art in Healthcare. The eclectic mix of practices, subject matter and reflections of artists will also provide an interesting and informative visual art experience.”
Lothian MSP Miles Briggs lodged a motion in the Scottish Parliament earlier this week to ask that the public remembers the armed forces in particular this week. The motion reads as follows:
That the Parliament welcomes Armed Forces Day 2016, which will take place on 25 June; notes that Edinburgh will mark the day with serving personnel and veterans taking part in a parade from Johnston Terrace to West Princes Street Gardens; understands that they will be addressed by the Lord Provost and representatives from the armed forces and veterans’ organisations before an afternoon of entertainment takes place, which will include music from the Royal Scots Association Pipe band; understands that the Armed Forces Day flag will fly from a number of council building across Lothian, including the Edinburgh City Chambers and Brunton Hall in Musselburgh; congratulates the organisers of these events in Lothian and across Scotland on their hard work in setting up these important events, which allow members of the public to show their support for members of the armed forces, veterans, cadets and their families, and encourages people across the country to support Armed Forces Day and recognise the contribution, dedication and sacrifice of armed forces personnel, veterans and service families.
There have been some madcap fundraising ideas over the years . . . taking a bath in baked beans . . . marathon running in suits of armour . . . climbing the three peaks by moonlight. But how can a trip to the toilet raise money for a charitable cause?
Yes, you read that right, a toilet. Not just a bog-standard toilet or just any old charity.
Edinburgh residents will be giving new meaning to the term ‘spending a penny’ when the Geberit AquaClean tour rolls into town to help raise vital funds for Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home over the weekend of 1-3 July.
Everyone who comes aboard the Geberit AquaClean tour is invited to spend a penny in the literal sense, all in aid of Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home, by trying the Geberit AquaClean shower toilet out for size. As they do, they will be doing their charitable bit too, by ‘spending a penny’, as each penny received, will be converted into a pound donation to Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home.
Visitors will be encouraged to share their first time face on social media – they can have their photo taken to capture the moment they first experience this new toilet technology, with each share raising even more awareness of a great cause too.
The Geberit AquaClean tour will be at Castle Street from 1 to 3 July, converting pennies into pounds for Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home and spreading the feel-good factor along the way. Find out more at www.geberit-aquaclean.co.uk/myfirsttime
Last weekend RBS held an event which brought together computer coders, designers and business consultants from across the country for a competition to imagine, create and design innovative, new banking apps. The event, known as a ‘hackathon’, started on Friday at the bank’s Gogarburn HQ in Edinburgh and attracted 100 people – the biggest event of its kind that RBS has ever held.
Throughout the weekend, 20 teams competed to build new apps which would make the most difference to the way people bank. The teams were made up of a mix of coders, designers and mentors so that a wide range of skills could be drawn upon to build the apps.
The winning team – known as Lighthouse from IBM – developed an app that would help people with dementia manage their money safely by only making funds available in their account within certain locations.
The two runners-up, Microsavings a mixed team from RBS, Deloitte Digital and Microsoft and Pizza Crunch from Apigee, both developed apps that would help people better manage their money and that would alert customers to how much they’d spent if they were at risk of going over their savings limit. The winning team and runners up were chosen by a panel of judges from the bank and they shared prizes of Apple Watches, Garmin Watches and GoPros.
Whilst the apps were created in a test environment only, the winners will be given the opportunity to talk to the bank about whether some of their ideas could be made a reality.
Commenting, Les Matheson, RBS Personal and Business Banking Chief Executive said:
“We’re thrilled that so many people from across the country chose to join us for what was the biggest hackathon event we’ve ever held. We’re really excited about the potential of these events because they allow us to bring together small teams of people to test new ideas and think outside the normal constraints of every day office life. Some of the ideas generated from our hackathon were brilliant and I want to thank everyone who took part.”
Paper Trail: Drawings, Watercolours, Prints opens at Edinburgh’s City Art Centre next weekend, 2 July 2016. This exciting new exhibition features over 40 artworks in a range of media by artists including Anne Redpath, Joan Eardley, Eduardo Paolozzi, John Duncan, Victoria Crowe and Paul Sandby.
Councillor Richard Lewis, Edinburgh’s Convener of Culture and Sport, said: “Paper Trail draws from the fantastic permanent collection at the City Art Centre and showcases art by significant artists from the last 200 years. An opportunity to view which should not be missed!”
A blank piece of paper is one of the most basic materials available to a visual artist; yet it is also among the most versatile. The range of work that can be produced using paper is potentially limitless. Rough sketches, finely detailed drawings, atmospheric pastel studies, delicate watercolours, and a variety of printmaking techniques including etching, lithography and woodcut, all take their starting point with a fresh sheet of paper.
Paper Trail: Drawings, Watercolours, Prints explores some of the many ways that artists create works on paper. The exhibition is drawn entirely from the City Art Centre’s permanent collection of historic and contemporary Scottish art, and spans the period from the late 18th century to present day. A variety of creative processes are showcased, from the use of sketchbooks to etching plates, and artists’ individual working practices are examined in depth.
The exhibition includes a selection of work by celebrated figures like Anne Redpath, Joan Eardley, Eduardo Paolozzi and Paul Sandby. It also introduces some lesser-known artists such as James Watterston Herald, Katherine Cameron and Mabel Royds, whose careers and methods are not so familiar. In addition, Paper Trail presents a number of recent acquisitions to the City Art Centre’s collection, some of which are on public display for the first time. These include works by Victoria Crowe, Ian Hamilton Finlay and the early 19th century artist Robert Batty.
Paper Trail: Drawings, Watercolours, Prints
2 July 2016 to 21 May 2017
City Art Centre, Edinburgh
Free Admission
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