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Self portrait, Bread Street, May (1993), Sandra George. Courtesy of Craigmillar Now. The Glasgow School of Art Exhibitions presents a solo exhibition of Sandra George (1957-2013), as part of the open Programme for Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art 2024. |
Born in Nottingham, Sandra George lived the first seven years of her life in Jamaica with her mother, before moving to Birmingham, and then Edinburgh, to live with her father. George was a community worker in Craigmillar, Edinburgh. She was a prolific social-documentary photographer, taking thousands of images of community projects across Scotland between the late 1980s through to the late 2000s. Social justice and equity was at the heart of both George’s community and artistic work.
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| Sandra George, Stage Picket at MEC, Leith Walk Primary School, Edinburgh (1990), Courtesy of Craigmillar Now. |
This solo exhibition of George’s work presents her photography and a selection from her wider artistic multi-disciplinary practice which includes printing, painting, bookworks, textiles and jewellery. Her black and white photography includes subjects ranging from Braille classes in Royal Blind School Edinburgh, to capturing sessions with disabled musicians. Her perspective and insight as a Black female social documentary photographer and artist adds further importance to this collection – women photographers of colour capturing community life in Scotland over this time period are significantly underrepresented. George did not exhibit work in her lifetime. The message of her work – community, care, accessibility and equality in the arts and workplaces, ethics in working with others in under-reached communities, exploration of identity – are all relevant to issues and themes today.
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North British Hotel with British Hotel Disabled musicians (1981), Sandra George. Courtesy of Craigmillar Now. |
The exhibition takes place in 5 Florence Street, the former Adelphi Terrace Public School, designed by Thomas Lennox Watson (1850-1920) and opened in 1894. It is a Category B Listed Building, located on the south bank of the Clyde, opposite Glasgow Green.
This exhibition is curated by GSA Exhibitions Director Jenny Brownrigg in partnership with Craigmillar Now, a community-led arts and heritage organisation based in Craigmillar, Edinburgh who hold George’s collection. The collection is being cared for by a team of volunteers who are in the process of re-housing, cataloguing and digitising the thousands of photographs Sandra took in her lifetime.
As part of the event programme, Christian Noelle Charles has been selected from an open call for the Sandra George Archive commission. She will develop an event in response to the archive that will take place at 5 Florence Street on Thursday 13th June at 6pm during Glasgow International. Booking details for the event can be found HERE.
For further information contact press@gsa.ac.uk
Sandra George
Fri 7 – Sun 23 June 2024
Admission Free
Venue details
5 Florence Street, Glasgow G5 0YX
Opening Times:
Fri 7 June: 10:00 – 17:00
Sat – Sun: 10:00 – 17:00
Mon-Fri: 12:00 – 17:00
Notes For Editors
Sandra George studied at Napier University gaining a BA in Photography; then a BA in Fine Art at Edinburgh College of Art in Drawing and Painting. In 2004 she graduated in Community Education at The University of Edinburgh. George was a freelance photographer for over 30 years for organisations and publications such as the Sentinel, the Tollcross Community Newspaper, Shelter, and the Craigmillar Festival News and the Craigmillar Chronicle. In the 1980s she worked in Community Development in Wester Hailes. In the 1990s she worked in Craigmillar, Edinburgh for organisations including McGovan House, the Thistle Foundation, and the Craigmillar Community Arts Centre. In 2008 she was Youth Services Manager with Hunter’s Hall Cooperative, Craigmillar. That year she launched Niddrie Community Youth Group.
Whilst George did not exhibit in her lifetime, Craigmillar Now have curated Sandra George, Craigmillar 1988–1994; The White House, Craigmillar 2022; Sandra George, Craigmillar 1988–1994, Oman’s Pub, Craigmillar 2023; and in the group exhibition We © Craigmillar, at The Craigmillar Heart’s Community Club 2023.
Christian Noelle Charles is a Black Female Artist currently living and working between Scotland, UK and New York. A Syracuse, New York native, Christian’s work is an exploration of female representation and self-love in a contemporary world. She has acquired a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the Cooper Union in New York City and a Master of Fine Arts at the Glasgow School of Art. She has presented works with Tramway in Glasgow, Scotland, Edinburgh Printmakers, and South London Gallery in London.
Christian takes inspiration from today’s pop culture, modern performance techniques, and personal experiences. She also derives inspiration as a video performance artist from the relationship between performer and audience member. By using the mediums of printmaking, video, and performance her work demonstrates a celebration of self-love and individuality.
Supported by
The Glasgow School of Art, Craigmillar Now, Glasgow Life and Assumption Studios. Also supported by Glasgow International with funds from the Scottish Government’s Festivals EXPO Fund.