Hi! For anyone who does not know me, I’m Lily. I’m 18, and I have recently started my job as an Exhibition Trainee with CHARTS. During my four months with CHARTS, I will be working on the fantastic project of planning and installing an exhibition using artwork from the Argyll Collection. You can read more about The Argyll Collection and the artworks here.
As someone who has grown up going to art galleries and adoring every trip, this is an amazing opportunity for which I am really honoured and truly grateful to have been chosen for! I will be creating a series of blogs to share my work so far, plans for the future and my thoughts/feelings during the whole process, including challenges and achievements.
I suppose I best start at the beginning of my placement. I started working with CHARTS at the beginning of January. For the first few days, I focused on familiarising myself with the Argyll Collection and its history. This was truly fascinating, and I highly recommend you research the collection- you will not be disappointed! After learning more about the collection in general, I started to focus my attention on individual pieces that captured my eye. There was one piece in particular that stole my attention immediately - 'Pale Moon Carpet' by Edward Gage (1970). The colours in the painting are beautifully saturated, with a gorgeously captured figure laid across the foreground. I think I was drawn in by the name also. I love the moon; any chance I get, I will take my camera outside and capture it- its glow makes me smile.
Recently, I decided to focus my exhibition on the theme of the five senses. Through this, I plan to create an immersive experience where visitors can engage their different senses whilst exploring my chosen artworks. Now that I’ve chosen my theme, I plan on contacting community members to see how they can get involved. I also have some exciting plans regarding the art department at Dunoon Grammar School … stay tuned. I want the community to feel that this is as much their exhibition as it is mine. It is the people who make up Argyll and Bute.
Thank you for reading my very first blog! I hope it’s enticed you into doing some of your own research into the Argyll Collection. It really is a credit to our local area and the heritage.
Happy reading,
L.J. Vaughan