The Rt Hon Lord Hamilton is to launch ‘Judge for Yourself’, the first art exhibition involving the Scottish Court Service (SCS), on Sunday (14 November) at the Royal Botanic Gardens.

The work, which includes a wide range of art media from large canvas paintings, sculpture and glass work to ceramics and weaving, is the culmination of an 18 month partnership between Garvald Edinburgh, a charity that supports adults with learning disabilities, and the SCS.

The pieces were inspired by supervised visits to Scottish courts and presentations about the justice system.

“This exhibition is the result of a successful partnership between two seemingly very different organisations,” said Lord Hamilton, who is Chair of the SCS Board. “It has injected a creative touch to one of Scotland’s most esteemed institutions, enabling court staff to see themselves from a different perspective. At the same time, it has exposed the artists to the mechanism behind our legal order and introduced provocative ideas that they would not otherwise have tackled.”

SCS Chief Executive Eleanor Emberson added: “Projects like this provide an opportunity to glimpse the human side of the SCS and meet the people who operate the courts. This partnership is about making a meaningful contribution to the larger community and has produced an exhibition from which we can all take inspiration.”

Director of Garvald, Mike Casey, said: “We are delighted to be developing areas of partnership with the SCS. This exhibition is just one of the areas of mutual benefit that have come from the partnership. Working in this way has given Garvald artists unique access into an interesting area of public life with some fantastic and unique results.”

SCS Director of Human Resources Alan Swift explained that the link between the two organisations was created in a bid to further the aim of the SCS to take forward ‘good corporate citizenship’.  

The work, which can be seen free of charge at the RBG’s Fletcher Building from 15 November to 5 December, reflects a variety of interpretations of the courts. One artist, Campbell Munro, was so impressed with the array of footwear worn in the Supreme Courts that he obtained permission to take black and white shots of professional feet including those of advocates and judges.

Another piece, produced by a weaving group, took inspiration from the trial of Madeleine Smith, a woman accused of poisoning her French lover, and comprises a series of multi-media frames to tell the story.

The works will be on sale with all proceeds going to Garvald Edinburgh.

Notes:

• THE LORD PRESIDENT IS OPENING THIS ART EXHIBTION IN HIS ROLE AS CHAIR OF THE SCOTTISH COURT SERVICE BOARD NOT IN HIS ROLE AS A JUDGE.
• Garvald Edinburgh provides a wide range of activities to over 100 adults through its two main workshop premises in the city.
• The SCS is a key player in the Scottish Justice system but seeks to make a wider contribution within Scottish Society both as an organisation and through the activities of its staff.