New Space at FTE Dedicated to Exhibitions by Artists Living with Dementia

As part of the ongoing project to make the King’s and Festival Theatres dementia friendly communities, the exhibition space at The Studio, 22 Potterrow will be dedicated to exhibiting work by artists who are living with dementia and artists who care for people living with dementia.

Following the success of a recent exhibition of work by East Kilbride dementia activist and artist Edward McLaughlin, The Gallery at The Studio will be managed as an ongoing art space from November 2016.

‘Treasures from the Attic’ is a collection of work by artists living with dementia and by friends and family caring for people living with dementia and will officially launch the exhibition space on Friday 4 November, from 2.30pm-4pm. The exhibition will then be open to the public on Thursday 10 and Friday 11 November, 10am-4pm with a full programme of four exhibitions each year following from January 2017.

Kate Stewart, whose work will be featured at the Gallery says, “My painting and drawings reflect my ongoing journey of caring for a relative living with Alzheimer's, giving a family member's perspective of the challenges and triumphs involved.”

Artist Fiona Richard, a longstanding Patron of the Festival and King’s Theatres and a volunteer for Alzheimer Scotland., will manage the space and curate the exhibitions to help raise awareness of dementia. Fiona says, “I am extremely honoured and privileged to have been given the opportunity to curate and manage this fantastic gallery space for an amazing cause. As an artist I understand the therapeutic nature of creativity. The process, the experience and the end result of creating work generates such a positive feeling. To then have your work exhibited and appreciated is very special.”

The Gallery at The Studio is supported by Scotland’s leading dementia organisation, Alzheimer Scotland, and Life Changes Trust, that was established in April 2013 to support transformational improvements in the quality of life, well-being, empowerment and inclusion of people affected by dementia and young people with experience of being in care.

They awarded funding to the Festival and King’s Theatres in 2015 to launch Forget Me Not, a pioneering collaborative project designed to create dementia friendly communities at the heart of our cultural venues.

The Studio has a separate entrance at 22 Potterrow, EH8 9BL and the gallery is on the second floor of the studio building. There is a lift and the building is fully accessible.

Please email Forget Me Not Coordinator Paul Hudson at [email protected] or call 0131 622 8444 to reserve your place for the event on Friday 4 November.