Category Archives: Alumni

Glamour and Espionage: the story of Brian Stonehouse

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Brian Stonehouse

From flyer for the upcoming Brian Stonehouse exhibition at Abbott and Holder

On a visit to London last week I called in to the picture dealer Abbott and Holder in Museum Street. This is a long-standing haunt, celebrated for its stock of excellent British drawings, watercolours and paintings from the eighteenth to the twentieth centuries.

Conversations with the gallery’s director Philip Athill are always enlightening and on this visit he drew my attention to a forthcoming exhibition of the fashion illustrator Brian Stonehouse (1918-1998). Stonehouse’s elegant work for Vogue through the 1960s compares well with that of many of his better-known peers, but it is the backstory to his life that is truly fascinating. Continue reading →

Hospitalfield

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Francis Mckee

Hospitalfield. Image by Francis Mckee (bit.ly/francismckee) used under a Creative Commons license

Yesterday I visited Hospitalfield and enjoyed the hospitality of its enlightened and energetic Director, Lucy Byatt. The historic house in Arbroath was originally founded in the 13th Century, and has been altered and changed by many of its occupants since then. In particular, by Patrick Allan-Fraser, and the family he married into. Continue reading →

Athena SWAN

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St Aidan's College

St Aidan’s College, image by John Phillips, used under a Creative Commons license

I was at Saint Aidan’s College at Durham University yesterday to receive an Athena SWAN bronze award on behalf of colleagues in the Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (ESALA) at Edinburgh College of Art (ECA). The Equality Challenge Unit’s Athena SWAN Charter Awards recognize institutional commitment to advancing women’s careers in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM) employment in higher education and research. Continue reading →

GENERATION

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GENERATION

This week saw the opening of several exhibitions that are part of the GENERATION programme, celebrating 25 years of Contemporary Art in Scotland and coinciding with the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. As ever, Edinburgh lined all its ducks up at the same time and on Thursday evening the city’s artists’ community enjoyed a round of buzzing private views in its independent and national galleries. Continue reading →