Admission free

This exhibition features recent acquisitions by Albert Watson, Wendy McMurdo and Jane Brettle. It also includes work by leading Scottish photographers such as Calum Colvin, Owen Logan and David Williams.

Admission free

The City Art Centre has one of the best collections of Scottish art in the country. This was acknowledged by the Scottish Government in October 2007, when the City Art Centre’s collection of Scottish Art was recognised to be of national significance, in a scheme managed by the Scottish Museums Council.

Its core is the collection of the Scottish Modern Arts Association, founded in 1907, and donated to the city in the early 1960s. It contains key works by all the major Scottish artists from McTaggart to Eardley. At the same time, Miss Jean F Watson established a Trust enabling the City Art Centre to continue to acquire work.

As a result the collection is exceptional. There are views of Edinburgh and portraits of citizens. The Glasgow Boys are represented, as are the Scottish Colourists. The collection includes works by the Edinburgh School including Gillies and Redpath, while the post-war generation is represented by Davie, Paolozzi, Blackadder and Bellany.

In 1997 the City Art Centre was given part of the Scottish Arts Council collection and has recently acquired challenging contemporary work through the National Collecting Scheme for Scotland. The City Art Centre collection’s new status will ensure that it is cared for, protected and promoted to a wider audience.
Recognised will include iconic works from the collection, giving a taste of its range and diversity.

An exhibition outlining the history and development of origami, the Japanese art of paperfolding. The exhibition will be illustrated by many stunning folded models. Come along and see how much more there is to this fascinating art form.

There will also be a few Saturday workshops on offer for those who want to try their hand at Origami for themselves. Members of the British Origami Society will be on hand at these workshops to teach, assist and answer any questions you may have about origami.

There are limited places on these workshops, so we request that you book your place in advance.

click here to visit the exhibition website

Based at the City Art Centre, the Learning and Access section provides a life-long learning service for all of the venues managed by the City of Edinburgh Museums and Galleries and their surrounding communities.

Working with people of all ages and abilities, staff deliver hands on activities, art and craft workshops, lectures, seminars and study days. For further information contact Learning  and Access on 0131 529 3962/3. 

Two new programmes of events, for families and adults, will soon be getting underway at Lauriston Castle

click here for full details on adult & family craft programme
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click here for full details on historical lectures
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Inspired by Mount Helicon, the mythical home of the nine muses, this new exhibition at The Writers’ Museum features portraits of 9 contemporary Scottish women writers: Kate Atkinson, Helen Dunwoodie, Margaret Elphinstone, A.L. Kennedy, Joan Lingard, Val McDermid, Denise Mina, Dilys Rose and Louise Welsh.

The portraits are the work of Edinburgh artist Anna Caro, a graduate of Edinburgh College of Art. She continues to live and work in Edinburgh and has exhibited across the UK and in the USA.

click here for more information
(note: Adobe pdf format: 60kb - opens in new browser window)

Louise Welsh

The Travelling Gallery's Spring 2008 exhibition is a truly international selection of artists who work with the figure or portraiture to tell stories of real or fictional people from different cultures and times.

The exhibition includes sculpture, film, painting, installation and photography, and will be accessible to audiences of all ages. The selected artists include Shaun Gladwell (Australia), Hideko Inoue (Japan/UK), Oscar Muñoz (Colombia), Ursula Sokolowska, a Polish artist living in Chicago, Francis Upritchard (New Zealand/UK) plus Scottish artists Greg Grant, Kenny Hunter and Nafeesa Umar.

The Travelling Gallery will tour Re/trato throughout Scotland from 22 February until 6 June. For further tour information, call Vicky on 0131 529 3930, or visit the Travelling Gallery's website on www.travellinggallery.com

The People's Story Museum
Canongate Tolbooth, 163 Canongate, Royal Mile. Tel: 0131 529 4057

A new group of banners can now be seen at the People’s Story. These include three recently collected banners: Pride Scotland, Edinburgh College of Domestic Science, and Leith Provident Co- operative Women’s Guild. The forthcoming celebration of 500 years of the printed word is represented by two banners relating to the printing trade and John Bright, a campaigner for the abolition of slavery, features on a reform banner.

St Bernard's Well, situated by the Water of Leith in Stockbridge, will be open to the public from 12pm to 3pm on the following days:

Sunday 6 April
Sunday 4 May
Sunday 1 June
Sunday 6 July
Sunday 10 August
Sunday 17 August
Sunday 24 August
Sunday 31 August
Sunday 27 September (as part of doors open day)

This offers an excellent opportunity to visit an historical monument which is normally closed to the public. Thanks are due to volunteers from the Dean Village Association for their help with this.

A Brief History
The mineral springs , which later became St. Bernards Well are said to have been discovered by three boys from Heriot's Hospital. The mineral waters, similar to those at Harrogate , became popular and in 1760 the area was roofed over. In 1789, the owner, Francis Garden of Troup (Lord Gardenstone), then a Senator of the College of Justice , commissioned a new pump house.

Architect Alexander Naismith's design was based on Sybils Temple at Tivoli with an open rotunda of Roman Doric style, with ten columns in a circle surrounding a statue of Hygeia, executed by Coade of London. There are alternating paterae and triglyphs on the entablature, surmounted by a lead dome with a pineapple finial.

The foundation stone was laid on May 1st 1789 with the inscription: "ERECTED FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC AT THE SOLE EXPENSE OF FRANCIS GARDEN ESQ. OF TROUP, OF THE SENATORSOF THE COLLEGE OF JUSTICE , ALEXANDER NAISMITH, ARCHITECT, JOHN WILSON, BUILDER".

In 1887 the building was extensively renovated, at the expense of the then owner, William Nelson (the publisher). Thomas Bonnar was commissioned to carry out the work. The original statue of Hygeia had fallen into such a bad state of repair it was replaced by a new marble figure, sculpted by DW Stevenson. After completion, Nelson's Trustees offered the well to Edinburgh Town Council as a gift.

The original Coadestone statue of Hygeia was replaced by a new white marble figure, sculpted by DW Stevenson. After completion, it was also offered to Edinburgh Town Council as a gift.