As our summer of Art in Action comes to a close, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow Southside, visited SCAN member Studio Pavilion at House for an Art Lover.
On Friday she met with the venue’s Arts and Heritage Officer Louise Briggs who introduced her to resident artists based in the on-site studio spaces, members of the Studio Pavilion staff team and participants in a ceramic taster workshop that was taking place in the learning and teaching space.
The Studio Pavilion exists on a unique site that includes not only the Charles Rennie Mackintosh-designed House for an Art Lover but also a Heritage Centre showcasing the rich history of Bellahouston and the surrounding area of Govan; the Grounds for Play children’s park with outdoor sculptural work and shed studio spaces.
Studio Pavilion offers free contemporary art in Bellahouston Park, presenting an ambitious, pioneering and challenging programme of events, exhibitions, residencies and workshops that is visible and relevant locally, while being nationally and internationally aware.
Artist and constituent Tessa Lynch met the First Minister. Her joint exhibition with Rachel Adams, Stoop Stoop Stooping is Stoopid, closed at the weekend. Tessa, who is represented by Patricia Fleming Projects, chatted to the First Minister about the research behind the artwork – which explored Frances Gabe’s invention, the self-cleaning house, as a framework by which to look at laborious making techniques and connotations of domestic mess.
Rachel and Tessa have been working as artists in residence in Studio Pavilion over the last couple of months, collaborating together for the first time. Both artists share an interest in elevating craft and household activity, often associated with women’s work, into the realm of art. These themes are in stark contrast to the staged space of House for an Art Lover where no domestic chaos or mess is allowed.
Louise was keen to share the with the First Minister that one of the key aims of the Studio Pavilion is to support the public in their understanding and enjoyment of the visual arts. Their initiatives include an annual art class programme, a schools programme; a talks programme and gallery tours. They work with local projects including Govan Men’s Shed, Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice and the GalGael Trust.
Art in Action 