Funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund Scotland, Caring for the Collection is a project that will focus on Art in Healthcare’s vast art collection, enabling us to undertake a programme of maintenance and conservation of artworks currently in our art store.
We are delighted to have the support to recruit two technical roles, who will be dedicated to working with collection artworks and improving how they are stored safely. In November, we appointed Giulia Gentili, our Technician, who brings several years of experience working with a wide range of artists and organisations as an art technician, fabricator and artist.
Followed by the recruitment of our Collection Technician Apprentice, Mina Brennan, who will work closely alongside Giulia. Together, they will review, maintain and restore artworks, with the aim of placing them in hospitals, care homes and community spaces across Scotland. In addition to gaining hands on experience working with the collection, Mina will gain a Museum and Galleries Technician Modern Apprenticeship [SCQF level 7] qualification.
As part of this project, and to celebrate Art in Healthcare’s 35th Anniversary, Mina has launched a blog exploring 35 works from the Art in Healthcare Collection and her findings from her apprenticeship.
Image: ‘Three Cats’ by Elizabeth Blackadder
Dame Elizabeth Blackadder’s career as an artist began when she graduated from Edinburgh College of Art in 1954. From there she would go on to become one of Scotland’s most known artists. After graduating Blackadder won a travelling scholarship and used it to visit Greece, Italy and what was formally known as Yugoslavia. Later in her career Blackadder would also visit Japan and become influenced by what she saw there. Notable motifs throughout Blackadder’s work include cats and flowers. She says of these subjects, “cats and flowers are dangerous, they can be too pretty”.
Her interest in flowers began when she was sent to live with her grandmother during the war, she found herself gardening for all her grandmother’s friends and started collecting flowers and drawing them, something she did throughout her career.
Blackadder didn’t like to set up or stage a still life, instead the still life changed and morphed as the piece was painted. This gives her still life paintings a slightly surreal feeling as she pieces together different things she’s seen or noticed over time.
Blackadder was invited by Glasgow Print Studio to work with them and Master Printer Stuart Duffy in 1985. ‘Three Cats’ was printed in 1992. The technique and mark making used to print the piece gives it a fluidity and movement, something often seen in Blackadder’s work. Another etching we have in our collection by Blackadder from the same year titled ‘Fred and Rosie’ is much stiller in comparison.
Image: ‘Fred and Rosie’ by Elizabeth Blackadder
Blackadder’s work is an exercise on looking, remembering and documenting the things around us. Still lives of oranges, cats, plants and everything in-between almost like a collage of things Blackadder has seen and appreciated.
Caring for the Collection is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund Scotland.
Thanks to National Lottery players, we will be able to dedicate time to improve the condition of our artworks currently in our store, so that they will be able to be displayed in health and social care settings across Scotland.
Museum & Galleries Technician Modern Apprenticeship is supported by Museums Galleries Scotland provider of the apprenticeship, mentor and SCQF level 7
18 March 2026 by
Amy Miles