A CELEBRITY photographer has turned his lens on unsung heroes who have contributed to the arts in their local community with a new set of portraits.
Artists Laura Aldridge, from Glasgow, and Leanne Ross, from Edinburgh, and Sutherland based writer, Liz Treacher, are among the 13 people throughout the UK who are being honoured in the National Lottery project for keeping the arts in their local area alive and accessible for all, or supporting some of the most vulnerable people in our communities through the arts.
Chris Floyd, who has spent his 25-year career photographing household names such as Sir Paul McCartney, Victoria Beckham and Sir Mo Farah, was commissioned to spend two weeks driving around the UK to capture people who have worked in creative industries through the coronavirus pandemic.
The free digital exhibition can be visited on the websites and social media of galleries and museums including Summerhall in Edinburgh.
Aldridge and Ross thought lockdown would bring an end to their collaborative art sessions at the KMAdotcom art studio in Midlothian. The organisation is an artist collective, where artists with and without learning disabilities can develop their own creative practices. Prior to the pandemic, Aldridge was working with Leanne on an exhibition for the Glasgow International Festival (GI), until it was cancelled. But, the pair continued to collaborate online.
Together, and with funding from The National Lottery to KMAdotcom and ArtLink Edinburgh, Aldridge and Ross have created a colouring book to keep people occupied during lockdown. Ross has also been commissioned by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Trust to brighten up their “Rest and Relaxation Hubs” across the area.
For Ross, who has Down’s syndrome, lockdown brought the prospect of six months of shielding, being in the house and not being able to do the things she normally would. “She’d be lost if she didn’t have this, she wouldn’t be doing anything, or seeing anyone,” said her mother, Liz. Aldridge said: “We’ve all learnt that although virtual interaction doesn’t replace being together in person, we now know that if someone can’t come to the workshop, we can still keep working together.
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“In the past, nothing happened if people couldn’t come to a workshop but now we just turn on an app and everyone can see each other.”
Treacher is lead reader for Open Book, a charity that runs shared reading and creative writing sessions in communities across Scotland. The group uses literature to connect people, build communities and to amplify voices that often go unheard – something needed more than ever during lockdown.
Working across eight sectors – prisons, multi-cultural groups, community groups, libraries, residential settings for the elderly, islands, healthcare and public groups – the organisation “flipped” to bring together groups on Zoom, helping those who participated feel more positive after taking part in an Open Book session.
“The group has really inspired me during lockdown,” Treacher said, “When you work with adult learners their ideas and images are so amazing that they’re often very inspiring. Really the only reason I started writing was because I’d worked with students for a number of years and somehow what they were achieving pushed me. It pushes me further on my own path.”
Open Book is one of the many inspiring causes that are supported by The National Lottery whose players raise £30 million each week. Treacher added: “This recognition from The National Lottery is a real boost and it helps spread the word about what we do and help more people.”
The exhibition launches as The National Lottery released insights showing that across Scotland, the public turned to a wide range of artistic activities during lockdown, with 18% seizing the chance to do more arts and crafts, half enjoying listening to more music (53%) and watching more films (54%), and 9% singing more.
With many traditional entertainment venues closed, taking on a creative task also became a comfort for many with 61% of those who interacted with arts and crafts crediting it as a factor in improving their state of mind during the crisis.
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