I’m thrilled to be working with poet Courtney Stoddart and artist Kezia Lewis on a new project open to people of Caribbean heritage, including mixed heritage, living in Scotland.
The Windrush Legacy Creative Reflections project invited people of Caribbean descent based in Scotland to creatively explore our experiences, reflect on and celebrate our roots and our lives in Scotland, share cultural or personal stories and dream into our futures.
The project included two online (free) creative writing workshops in May and June 2023 and culminates in an exhibition at the Museum of Edinburgh and a printed anthology, with copies sent to Edinburgh schools. New art workshops are running in December 2023!
Anthology
The Windrush Legacy Creative Reflections anthology booklet was launched on 4th November 2023. It is a full colour perfect bound booklet featuring all the visual artworks, poetry and prose from the exhibition.
Every primary, special and high school in Edinburgh will receive a copy, as will all project contributors. Five copies will be donated to the National Library of Scotland.
We would love to get more copies into more schools and libraries across Scotland. This requires further funding and partnering with a publisher. If you are interested in supporting this or receiving or buying a copy, please leave a note of interest here.
Exhibition
Windrush Legacy Creative Reflections
30th September 2023 to 28th January 2024
Free Entry
Museum of Edinburgh
142-146 Canongate, Edinburgh EH8 8DD (map)
Open Monday – Sunday, from 10am – 5pm
Supported by: Scottish BPOC Writers Network, Edinburgh Caribbean Association, Scottish Government and Museums and Galleries Edinburgh.
Exhibition Contributors
Poetry, prose and art from…
Co-Curators: Kezia Lewis, Jeda Pearl, Courtney Stoddart
Foreword: Lisa Williams, Founder of Edinburgh Caribbean Association
Contributors:
Anonymous, Phoenix Archer, Catherine Bissett, Dr Charmaine Blaize, Amadea Daley,
Sharon Farnum-Croome, Roshni Gallagher, Charlotte Grieve, Ashanti Harris, Kanika Leo,
Rhea Lewis, Tamzin McDonald, Zach McDonald, Jay Garfield Oliver, Luke Samuels,
Carmen R Lewis Thomson, and Isaac Thomson
Content Note: Among the joy, pride, honouring and celebration, some works explore racism, bereavement and related themes.
Workshops
Memories of Home: Collage Art Workshop
Creative workshop for people of Caribbean heritage, Black people and people of colour
2nd December 2-4pm @ City Art Centre (free, ticketed)
Bring along a personal item and join Scottish Jamaican artist Kezia Lewis for a colourful paper collage art workshop exploring place, belonging, family and heritage where you will paint, draw, cut and piece together your own artwork to take home.
Memories of Home: Collage Art Workshop
7th December 2-4pm @ City Art Centre (open to all, free, ticketed)
Bring along a personal item and join Scottish Jamaican artist Kezia Lewis for a colourful paper collage art workshop exploring place, belonging, family and heritage where you will paint, draw, cut and piece together your own artwork to take home.
Venue Access
- Tickets are free
- The exhibition space at Museum of Edinburgh has level access and is on the ground floor, however, the rest of the Museum is not wheelchair accessible (Museum of Edinburgh access)
- The workshop space at City Art Centre is wheelchair accessible (City Art Centre access)
- Museum of Edinburgh sometimes give an online audio tour (TBC)
About the Co-Curators
Jeda Pearl (she/her) is a Scottish Jamaican writer and artist based in Edinburgh, Scotland. She writes speculative fiction and poetry, and her work often traverses/reflects the ‘in between’ and explores the intersections of be/longing, (intergenerational) memory, illness and disability, secrecy and survival. Her work examines the histories, cultures, folklores and languages of her ancestral islands, at times exploring grief and nature writing, often creating magical realist or science-fictional worlds.
In 2022, Jeda was shortlisted for the Sky Arts RSL Award and longlisted for the Women Poets’ Prize. She’s performed on The Big Scottish Book Club (BBC Scotland), at StAnza, Push the Boat Out, Event Horizon, Inky Fingers, and Hidden Door. Commissioned works include Caledonian Library, 3033 (Scottish Storytelling Centre), Acts of Observation (Collective) and her poems and stories are published Rhubaba, New Writing Scotland, Shoreline of Infinity, Aesthetica, and most recently in Glimpse – Peepal Tree Press’ first anthology of speculative fiction by Black British writers.
Courtney Stoddart is an acclaimed Scottish poet, writer and performer. In June 2019, Courtney took part in the BBC Radio 1xtra and BBC Contains Strong Language Festival Word’s First Talent Scheme, making it to the final 12. She was selected to be published in an anthology by Own It! London and edited by Jude Yawson, co-writer of Stormzy’s Rise Up: The Story So Far. Stoddart starred in Hannah Lavery’s ‘Lament for Sheku Bayoh’ for 3 years running at the Lyceum Theatre and has represented Scotland at FLUP! literary festival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, whilst also being named as one of YWCA’s 30 under 30 in 2020.
She has appeared on a panel at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, featured on Damian Barr’s Big Scottish Book Club on BBC Scotland and published in Neu Reekie’s #Neu Voices. As of 2021, she was announced as an Ignite Fellow with the Scottish Book Trust, and gained a First Class Masters degree in Creative Writing from the University of Glasgow. Courtney was also recently commissioned alongside Poet Laureate Simon Armitage for the BBC Centenary.
Courtney’s website | Instagram
Kezia Lewis is a Scottish Jamaican artist, designer and facilitator. She incorporates collage, painting and illustrative techniques in her work, playing intuitively with colour and form. Depicting everyday scenes and curated spaces, she explores memory, place, belonging and self, sparking familiar viewpoints, nostalgia or a journey to somewhere new.
Thank you to our partners Edinburgh Caribbean Association, ScottishBPOCWritersNetwork, and Museums and Galleries Edinburgh for space, resources and support, and the Scottish Government for funding this Windrush Generation Legacy program in Scotland. Special thanks to the team at the Museum of Edinburgh.
