We asked Emily, the intern who is working to promote our COP26 Exhibition, to let us know a little bit about how she is getting on. After hearing what she had to say we think she could have just said 'Amazingly'! Here's her response:
This is just a brief informal notice to say hello and to introduce myself in this role. My name is Emily, and I’ve been employed over July and August to help organise the Together Trust’s October exhibition for COP-26, the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference.
Members of the churches have been capably organising their congregations contributions, which has been a blessing in allowing me to concentrate on outreach. Writing this from two-thirds of the way through my time on this project, I thought that I might give you an update on what I’ve been focussing on so far, and what I hope to have achieved by the time that I leave.
In the first week I reached out to all of Edinburgh University’s international student societies, with positive responses from the Malaysian, Mecian, and Indian society presidents. Once student life resumes its normal pace, I’m confident that the exhibition will gain contributions that reflect these international perspectives.
In the second week I created an instagram page, which I hope will allow the exhibition to reach a more general audience. This page will also serve to link the Together Trust’s exhibition with other nation-wide events for COP-26. I also ran the first of our public drawing workshops, with the second to be held outside St Cuthbert’s on Thursday 26th August, 1.30pm to 2.45pm. Please do attend if you are able!
In the third week I countacted Scouting and Girlguiding groups, and in the fourth, interfaith and LGBTQ+ organisations. I had a positive response from Edinburgh’s Hindu Mandir as well as the Muslim Women’s Association, with the latter group submitting both a join banner and several individual works alongside the tapestries that were made with St John’s last year. Our Tribe, a group that supports LGBTQ+ Christians, has reserved an entire board for their groups contributions.
As we approach the present, I have had conversations with the president of the Scottish Arts Club and the headmistress of St Mary’s RC Primary School, both of whom are confident that their communities will have plenty to submit. I ran the first of two painting workshops with the organisation Steps To Hope, from which the exhibition gained works from Edinburgh’s homeless community.
Next week I will speak to a representative from Stitches for Survival, a Craftivist collective who are keen to support our exhibition. I am also hoping to arrange meetings with the Art Department of the Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity, and a representative for the art programme at four local primary schools, both of whom have expressed interest over email. I also hope to make contact with Dementia groups and nursing homes in the city, as well as year-round drawing and art clubs.
As I’m sure that this whistlestop tour has shown, at the heart of this exhibition are the voices of the Edinburgh community. We hope to represent the city in all of its diversity, providing a space to amplify the voices of all age groups, social backgrounds, and faiths. My role is to support the work that the committee has been doing within the churches of the Together Trust, using the resources given to me by the Edinburgh Presbytry to broaden the scope of this project. I still very much hope to see each of your individual contributions come October- whether in the form of a drawing, photograph, or musical score- but hope that through this notice I have provided some context for the works that they will be hanging alongside. By gathering such diverse voices, the exhibition can achieve its aim of representing what the people of Edinburgh have to say about the topics that politicians will be discussing fifty miles West.
Members of the churches have been capably organising their congregations contributions, which has been a blessing in allowing me to concentrate on outreach. Writing this from two-thirds of the way through my time on this project, I thought that I might give you an update on what I’ve been focussing on so far, and what I hope to have achieved by the time that I leave.
In the first week I reached out to all of Edinburgh University’s international student societies, with positive responses from the Malaysian, Mecian, and Indian society presidents. Once student life resumes its normal pace, I’m confident that the exhibition will gain contributions that reflect these international perspectives.
In the second week I created an instagram page, which I hope will allow the exhibition to reach a more general audience. This page will also serve to link the Together Trust’s exhibition with other nation-wide events for COP-26. I also ran the first of our public drawing workshops, with the second to be held outside St Cuthbert’s on Thursday 26th August, 1.30pm to 2.45pm. Please do attend if you are able!
In the third week I countacted Scouting and Girlguiding groups, and in the fourth, interfaith and LGBTQ+ organisations. I had a positive response from Edinburgh’s Hindu Mandir as well as the Muslim Women’s Association, with the latter group submitting both a join banner and several individual works alongside the tapestries that were made with St John’s last year. Our Tribe, a group that supports LGBTQ+ Christians, has reserved an entire board for their groups contributions.
As we approach the present, I have had conversations with the president of the Scottish Arts Club and the headmistress of St Mary’s RC Primary School, both of whom are confident that their communities will have plenty to submit. I ran the first of two painting workshops with the organisation Steps To Hope, from which the exhibition gained works from Edinburgh’s homeless community.
Next week I will speak to a representative from Stitches for Survival, a Craftivist collective who are keen to support our exhibition. I am also hoping to arrange meetings with the Art Department of the Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity, and a representative for the art programme at four local primary schools, both of whom have expressed interest over email. I also hope to make contact with Dementia groups and nursing homes in the city, as well as year-round drawing and art clubs.
As I’m sure that this whistlestop tour has shown, at the heart of this exhibition are the voices of the Edinburgh community. We hope to represent the city in all of its diversity, providing a space to amplify the voices of all age groups, social backgrounds, and faiths. My role is to support the work that the committee has been doing within the churches of the Together Trust, using the resources given to me by the Edinburgh Presbytry to broaden the scope of this project. I still very much hope to see each of your individual contributions come October- whether in the form of a drawing, photograph, or musical score- but hope that through this notice I have provided some context for the works that they will be hanging alongside. By gathering such diverse voices, the exhibition can achieve its aim of representing what the people of Edinburgh have to say about the topics that politicians will be discussing fifty miles West.
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