Come along from 6-8pm and take part in the evening at the Talbot Rice Gallery, where James will be guiding the event where lots of people will share their thoughts on who has influenced them…

Title of talk:

Face Value

Bullet points of what you would like to talk about:

• Participants will invited to spend 5 minutes talking about someone who has had an influence on them, focusing on the knowledge that person imparted that helped them better understand an aspect of life.
• This person can be someone famous or a personal relation, in either case the speaker should consider how the information they are passing on will benefit the audience.
• Speakers should base their talk upon a specific, physical visual aid such as a photograph, printed image, painting or drawing large enough for people, sitting in a circle, to see.
• Speakers should be prepared to answer questions and discuss other people’s images within the friendly and informal context of the event.

A few paragraphs on your subject:

This event will take place during Alice Neel: The Subject and Me, the first exhibition of Neel’s work in Scotland. Talbot Rice Gallery, where the exhibition and event takes place, is the public Gallery for the University of Edinburgh and places an emphasis on creative education and public engagement.
Alice Neel was an American painter specifically recognised for her distinctive portraiture. A socialist, feminist and bohemian, she associated with cultural figures like Andy Warhol and Allen Ginsberg, creating psychologically insightful images whilst also creating a fascinating document of post-war life in America. Despite some success, she lived in relative poverty throughout her life and suffered traumatic experiences including the death of a child; her work wasn’t given high recognition until later in life and posthumously.
Face Value uses this exhibition as an informal prompt for people to talk face-to-face, and recount the valuable lessons they have learnt from the people they have known, whether meeting them in real life or encountering their work. Borrowing something of Neel’s passion for connecting with people from different backgrounds and areas of life, Face Value aims to be open and democratic, shedding light on experiences that might otherwise go unnoticed.
 

A few paragraphs about you:

James Clegg is Assistant Curator for Talbot Rice Gallery, who among other duties helps to plan exhibitions and events and leads on knowledge exchange activities. Face Value is the first of many events James hopes to create in collaboration with The Ragged University, as well as working to make sure as many people as possible feel welcome and comfortable coming to the Gallery to engage with contemporary art and subject matters.
Talbot Rice Gallery is one of Scotland’s leading contemporary art galleries. Part of the University of Edinburgh, it was founded in 1975 and has earned a reputation for pioneering links between artistic practice, research and education. Engagement with societal issues is a hallmark of the Gallery’s work, underpinned by a curatorial commitment to risk-taking and experimentation. An active part of Edinburgh College of Art and the University’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Gallery is ideally placed at the heart of discussions about the social role and function of art in Scottish culture.
 

What free internet knowledge resources would you recommend to others if they wish to explore your chosen theme further?

The direct themes of Face Value will be dictated by participants, who will apply to take part in the event. Some of the information passed across in the event may be generally available online, but other information may be revealed for the first time. In due course participants will also be asked to provide a list of free online resources that can be shared via the Gallery website, listed below.

The Gallery’s website will include more information about Alice Neel and information can also be found through the website of the Alice Neel Estate:

www.aliceneel.com

What are your weblinks?

Website – www.ed.ac.uk/talbot-rice
Twitter – @talbotrice75
Facebook – www.facebook.com/talbotricegallery
Public Email – [email protected]
Any others….