Blythswood Festival Program at GAC
www.glasgowblythswoodfestival.co.uk
Thursday 23rd May - 7:30 pm
GLASGOW STREETSCAPES – Muirhead Bone & friends
Norry Wilson, journalist
If, as Shakespeare says: ‘All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players’, then the streets of Glasgow are surely our stage; a time-shifting tableaux against which we, previous, and future generations, measure out our days and dramas.
Join Lost Glasgow's Norry Wilson as he pulls back the photographic curtain to reveal the lives, stories, and people who first built and inhabited the streets we now call home.
Tickets are purchased via Eventbrite by CLICKING HERE.
Friday 24th May - 2.00 pm
BET LOW CENTENARY
City Streets, Scottish Islands and Silhouetted Hills: Bet Low Art and Life
Hildegarde Berwick, art curator
In this centenary year of the birth of Glasgow-based artist Bet Low, Hildegarde describes in the Art Club Gallery the art and life of this important figurative and landscape painter. The artist is best known for her tranquil views of Orkney and other west coast locations in Scotland. During the earlier part of her career, she co-founded a pioneering art gallery in 1963 in Sauchiehall Street to show the work of young, ambitious artists. Her views of Glasgow dating to the late 1940s and 1950s, have since become important documents of now lost areas of the city. In 1999, Bet was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters from Glasgow University.
Tickets are purchased via Eventbrite by CLICKING HERE.
GUIDED WALK & AFTERNOON TEA
Tuesday 28th May - 2 pm for 2:15 pm
Tuesday 4th June - 2 pm for 2:15 pm
Bet Low - an Artist’s Life Reflected Through Glasgow’s Architecture
Hildegarde Berwick, art curator
Join art curator and historian Hildegarde Berwick in this guided walk around some of the streets in Blythswood. Bet Low made Glasgow her home after studying at Glasgow School of Art, completing her studies in 1945. Bet’s first studio was in Sauchiehall Street across from Glasgow Unity Theatre Centre, located in one of the still-existing Georgian houses. Bet exhibited widely at many venues across Glasgow including the McLellan Galleries from the late 1940s onwards and also the Glasgow Society of Lady Artists Club located in Blythswood Square. Returning to Glasgow Art Club around 4 pm and Afternoon Tea served in the Dining Room. Please dress appropriately for the weather and wear comfortable shoes. Be aware that some pavement surfaces may be uneven.
Tickets are purchased via Eventbrite by CLICKING HERE.
Friday 31st May - 7.30 pm
JUNIPER THREE - Vocal Harmony Trio
Juniper Three
Harmony is at the heart of Juniper Three, a vocal trio comprising Aimee Penman, Laura Hill and Outi Smith. The group writes and arranges their songs as a collective, creating a tapestry of genres in a lush, seamless interweaving of voices, and embracing the ethos of three solo singers coming together to share the lead. As well as their own acclaimed material, the trio sings arrangements of hand-picked covers, in a similarly eclectic mix of styles, melody and jazz. Accompanied by piano; with some a cappella.
Tickets are purchased via Eventbrite by CLICKING HERE.
Wednesday 5th June - 3:30 pm
THE LOST ART of HOLLYWOOD: George Gibson and MGM
Gary Fry, Head of Scenic Art, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
Lost pieces of art from the golden age of Hollywood have been rediscovered. Six original backdrops from the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film archive have been donated to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland from the American Art Directors Guild archive. These magnificent pieces were created by George Gibson, a Scot who trained in Glasgow before moving to Hollywood in the early 20th century, pioneering the new art form of painted backings for film. At MGM’s request, he formed and headed for thirty years the first, and most important, in-house Art department of any major film company. Join us for a special event, hosted by Gary Fry, to find out more about how these – and other – iconic pieces of film history were created and used on the big screen, enjoyed by audiences worldwide.
Tickets are purchased via Eventbrite by CLICKING HERE.
Thursday 6th June - 7:30 pm
NOT JUST A CRAFT OR PROFESSION: Bet Low and Scottish Colourist J. D. Fergusson
Hildegarde Berwick, art curator
With a 50-year age gap between these two artists, what could they have in common? With new illustration, Hildegarde Berwick throws light upon the connections. Be surprised by the crossovers in their careers once Fergusson returned from France at the outbreak of the Second World War and chose to live in Glasgow. Bet Low had an eventful 50+ year career in this city, including co-organising probably the first open air painting exhibition on the railings of the Botanic Gardens, a short distance from where Fergusson lived.