Past Events

In March 2023 the Folklore Museums Network and Museums Galleries Scotland (with kind support from HES) hosted 'Creative Responses to Intangible Cultural Heritage & Folklore' at St. Cecilia's Hall, Edinburgh. The event brought together speakers working in the arts and with intangible cultural heritage, and explored how museums and heritage organisations can harness the importance of both fields to interpret collections, reach communities and explore diverse histories. Many thanks to all our inspiring speakers, to Museums Galleries Scotland staff (especially Jacob O'Sullivan, Devon McHugh, Keira Easton and Eleanor Haswell), and to HES for funding support. Films of the presentations will be made available by MGS.

Friday March 3 2023

St Cecilia's Hall, Edinburgh EH1 1LL

11:15 – Welcome and introductions, Jacob O'Sullivan, Peter Hewitt (MGS/FMN)

Screening of Visit Scotland ICH film

11:30 – Ben Edge – 'Frontline Folklore' new artistic responses to tradition

12:30 - Janos Lang, Ando Glaso – Roma Music & Culture in Scotland (Performance and interview)

13:00 – Lunch

13:45 – Steve Byrne, 'Creative Ethnology in the Field: putting ICH into action'

14:05 – Valentina Bold, 'Up the Middle Road' Creative responses to the history of mental health 

14:30 – Panel discussion

15:30 – Dr. Jenny Nex: discussion of St Cecilia’s Hall Musical Instrument Collection

16.15 - Thanks and closing remarks Dr. Devon McHugh (MGS)

Bios:

Ben Edge is an acclaimed artist. His fieldwork on the folk customs of the British Isles (and beyond) inspires his remarkable paintings, sculpture, video work and music. He recently exhibited at the Crypt Gallery London with 'Ritual Britian' with the Museum of British Folklore. In this talk, Ben will explore South Queensferry's Burryman traditions and how his research informed his artistic practice.

Janos Lang is a founding member of Ando Glaso, a Roma cultural non profit organisation. Ando Glaso’s mission is not only to strengthen and support Roma people; but to work with diverse communities and stakeholders across Scotland to celebrate and promote Roma cultural heritage.

Steve Byrne is the Director of TRACS, Traditional Arts & Culture Scotland. He is also a folklorist, Scots singer, researcher and community activist. Over the past decade he has worked on a range of public folklore projects with the organisation Local Voices in schools and communities for clients including the National Library of Scotland, Aberdeenshire Council and Kilmartin House Museum. In 2020-21, Steve authored the report "Mapping Intangible Cultural Heritage Assets and Collections in Scotland" for a partnership of national cultural bodies. 

Valentina Bold is a writer, researcher and presenter. She is a nationally and internationally recognised expert on Scottish culture and community heritage: literature, songs, stories, working lives, food traditions. Valentina is currently Heritage Policy and Projects Officer with the Crichton Trust. As a result of a recent oral history project, she developed an exciting new creative event, partnered by Emily Smith, Jamie McLennan, Amanda Edmiston and Kathleen Cronie. This was performed, in a series of sold out events, in 2022 as part of Scotland’s Year of Stories: ‘Up the Middle Road: Crichton Stories of Resilience and Recovery’.

In December 2021 the FMN hosted the Folklore & ICH in Scotland conference. The event brought together speakers of international standing, case studies of projects, inspiring perspectives on collections and the archaeological/heritage landscape, to drive forward the ways in which museums and heritage organisations deal with folklore and related fields. You can watch all (but one) of the sessions below. Thanks to all our inspiring speakers, and Ben Thomas, Laura Harrison and Jacob O'Sullivan for supporting this event. Many thanks to Emily C. at MGS for editing and preparing the videos.