My current freelance role is main artist, for a project with the Historic Environment Scotland (HES) site Stirling Castle and Artlink Central. As the main artist, I devised a series of workshops and outcomes produced by Larbert High School students (aged 16-18), working with supporting artist Cara Fraser. The project began with a site visit to Stirling Castle with students to collect inspiration and imagery, then a set of four weekly workshops at the school to create a collaborative textile banner. During the workshops, students used paper collage to create a design within a set composition, which was printed on textile, for the students to embroider into. Each panel produced by students illustrated an aspect of Stirling Castle’s history that they had chosen, with stories like the ghost of the Green Lady inspiring their designs. The panels were sewn together to form a banner that tells the story of the site, through the imagination of the students. The project produced a new artwork and students developed artistically through the creative process, with Cara and myself able to guide them with our own experience as artists.
This project was part of a wider programme of community engagement by HES and Artlink Central, to assess the accessibility and inclusion of Stirling Castle’s learning offer. For that purpose, I considered the spaces and activities used in my design of the workshops, prioritising the success of students and their outcomes. The banner will be shown along with other outcomes from this wider project in an exhibition at Stirling Castle in January 2025.
