Fledglings

Fledglings was a project funded by Museums Galleries Scotland as part of 'The Wild Escape' supported by Art Fund.

Led by Edinburgh Printmakers, the project encouraged school children to participate in discussions around Climate Change and its impact on the UK’s birdlife, by looking at work from our collections. Engaging with 6 prints from our archive, children from three local primary schools considered the changing biodiversity of the UK in a hopeful and optimistic manner. Edinburgh Printmakers demonstrated constructive and creative ways to support and understand the natural world around us using engagement with the arts as a starting point.

The project was inspired by work from our extensive collection; an archive of prints cataloguing the evolution of Scottish Art since Edinburgh Printmakers’ inception in 1967. Our collection contains a fascinating representation of birdlife from a wide range of highly acclaimed artists including Wendy McMurdo, Colin Thoms and Kittie Jones.

The project was complemented by the involvement of the Scottish Ornithological Club (SOC) in Aberlady, East Lothian, who participated in our activities to help engage young people in their work with birds and endangered species.

We would like to thank Drawing Down the Sun for their generous support in helping to expand the activities of this project.

Fledglings aimed to strengthen Edinburgh Printmakers’ relationships with nearby primary schools through workshops and activities from January to April 2023, and culminated in a public event on Earth Day on Saturday 22nd April to showcase the children’s work.

The Wild Escape was made possible by lead support from Arts Council England’s National Lottery Project Grants, with additional support from Art Fund and a group of generous individuals and trusts.