Bio.
Gillian Adair McFarland is a Visual Artist. She is the recipient of awards from Arts Council England, Creative Scotland, and Creative Europe.
A graduate of St Martins, London, she has been involved in a range of inter-disciplinary research projects collaborating with art therapists, artists, astronomers, geneticists, and social scientists.
She is an elected professional member of the SSA, and a member of council, and an elected professional member of Visual Arts Scotland. She works from her studio in Fife.
Awards, prizes & funded projects
2025
Creative Scotland Award for Cosmos R&D
2024
Hoskings House, Residency Award, Stratford upon Avon
Creative Scotland Award - ArtMovesFife Project
2023
Society of Scottish Artists Mentoring Project. Creative Scotland funded.
Co/project lead
2023
ArtMovesFIfe, connecting people, culture, place and planet
2022
4 Nations International Fund collaborator
Creative Scotland Sustaining Creative Development Grant for SSA
2020
Creative Development Award Creative Scotland, ‘Harbour’
Daiwa Grant, ‘Confluence: Spirit of North’
Hutton Institute, Research grant, Meosis Project
Research Project Crafts Scotland, ‘Resilience Diaries’
2019
VACMA award, with Creative Scotland
2018
Arts Council Artists Award, ‘Developing your Creative Practice’
Royal Scottish Academy, WASP Residency Prize
Hope Scott Funding for C&C project
Selected exhibitions
2026
Cosmos, the Art of Observing Space, Royal West of England Academy, Bristol
SSA Annual, RSA, Edinburgh
Future Folklore, VAS Annual, McLaurin Galleries, Ayr
2025
A Scottish Symphony, Crane Court Gallery, London
The Art of Craft, London Craft Week, Crane Court Gallery, London
SSA Annual, RSA, Edinburgh
The Thread That Pulls, Visual Art Scotland. RSA Edinburgh
The Wonder Store, Methil Heritage Centre. Group show curated by David Mach and Robert Mach.
Art and Nature Collective, Customs House, Edinburgh
2024
SSA Annual Exhibition, RSA, Edinburgh
VAS Centenary Exhibition, RSA, Edinburgh
VAS Now and Then, Dalkeith Palace
Way Markers, ArtMovesFife , St Andrews Botanics
2023
SSA Annual Exhibition, McLaurin Galleries
Royal Scottish Society of Watercolours, Royal Scottish Academy
Green Gallery, Dundee Botanics (Hutton Institute, Meiosis)
Space, Inaugural exhibition, National Space Research Centre, Leicester
2022
Creativity and Curiosity, Birmingham University
Commonwealth Cultural Programme
SSA Annual Exhibition RSA, Edinburgh
Visual Arts Scotland, Creative Academy, Inverness.
2021
‘In Time’ Harbour, Wilhelmina Barns Graham Trust, Edinburgh
‘Dear Planet‘ National Theatre of Scotland Screenings. COP26
SSA Annual Exhibition, Edinburgh
‘Confluence of North’, Creative Exchange, Perth, Stornoway
Kitikata City, Fukushima, Japan, Nishiaizu- Fukushima, Japan
Tides Changing/Changing Tides SSA online exhibition
RSA Open exhibition
Visual Arts Scotland ‘Surge’, Tatha Gallery
Society of Women Artists, Mall Galleries, London
Bibliography / publications
2026
Cosmos, the Art of Observing Space catalogue
2024
Artist Support Recipe Book Podcast
Joint Author on article for International Journal of Arts Therapies Nature Based Art Therapy (Art at the Start)
Contributor to Chapter on Parent-Infant Art Therapy Groups. Book
SSA Mentoring Programme Publication and Evaluation (online Book)
2023
The Space Between Artists and Astronomers’ SSAH journal
2022
‘On our Toes’ Grass Roots Connections Between Scottish and Japanese Visual Artists https://ssahistory.wordpress.com/current-journal/
2020
Scotsman Arts Review, Duncan McMillan SSA,VAS Exhibition Royal Scottish Academy 11/01/20
Teaching experience and presentations
2025
Guest lecturer at St Andrews University with Dr Rehema White
2024 Guest lecturer for Geography students at St Andrews University with Dr Rehema White
Space Lates – Planetarium Artwork Premier, National Space Centre
Festival of Tomorrow, Swindon
2023
‘Illuminating Cosmological Perspectives’, Art History Festival UK, Scottish Society for Art History/Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design
‘The Space Between Artists & Astronomers, Art & Science: Connections & Interactions Conference, University of Dundee/Scottish Society for Art History/ Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design
National Astronomy Meeting, Panel Discussion (Chaired by Prof Chris Lintott), Cardiff University
2022
Interact Symposium, Cardiff City Hall (Science & Technology Facilities Council and Cardiff University)
British Association of Planetaria, National Space Centre, Leicester
Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham
2020
Guest lecturer for Geography students at St Andrews University with Dr Rehema White
Lecture to Art and Science Students DJCAD, Dundee
National Astronomy Meeting, Bath
Interdisciplinarity Conference, University of Warwick
INSAP XI, Conference on the Inspiration of Astronomical Phenomena
Art of the Cosmos Conference, Caltech, Pasadena, California
Hebridean Dark Skies Festival 2010, An Lanntair, Isle of Lewis
2019
Association of Interdisclipinary Studies Conference, University of Amsterdam
“Creativity & Curiosity - Marvellous Moons”, Peter Harrison Planetarium, Royal Observatory, Greenwich
Disciplinary Convergence Conference, University of Notre Dame (USA) in England, London
Hebridean Dark Skies Festival An Lanntair, Isle of Lewis
2018
Berlin Science Week, Zeiss-Grossplanetarium, Berlin, Germany (Exhibition,Talks & Panel Discussion)
Royal Astronomical Society, London
National Astronomy Meeting/European Week of Astronomy and Space Science, ACC Liverpool (Talk & Panel Discussion)
Space Lates Evening, National Space Centre, Leicester
2017-19
De Montfort University. Artist In Residence with focus on Arts Therapies/Arts in Health input for students
2017
MA Art, Science and Critical Thinking, Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, Dundee
"Creativity & Curiosity", Dundee Contemporary Arts, Visual Research Centre
"C&C", Road to the Stars Conference (ISAP X/Oxford XI/SEAC 25th), Centro de Estudios Avanzados, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Panel Discussion, Creativity & Curiosity, Cambridge Science Festival
C&C Creative Workshops, Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge Science Festival
Articles and reviews
ArtTakesOnTheCosmos - April2025
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/569cbb0525981de028b45b1a/t/67fb77f5739af74346982f61/1744533501240/
“Wee art in the Wee Forest, a nature based art therapy pilot” International Art Therapy Journal Inscape Armstrong, McFarland & Ramm
Times Review of Visual Arts Scotland Centenary Exhibition. RSA Giles Sutherland
Creativity and Curiosity: Exploring the Space Between Artists and Astronomers, G. McFarland & I. Parkin, Scottish Society for Art History Journal, 2023-2024
’Adventures in uncertain territories: looking for the boundaries between art and science at the Art & Science: Connections & Interactions Conference’, Hamer Dodds, Newsletter no 72, 2023, Scottish Society for Art History
‘For the Sake of Science: an ethnographic study of artists in collaboration with scientists’, MA Science Communication Dissertation, UWE 2023 (forthcoming)
Art Reviews: SSA & VAS Open, Royal Scottish Academy, Duncan Macmillan, The Scotsman Magazine, December 2019
Creativity and Curiosity - Moons, exhibition catalogue, Newarke Houses Museum, Leicester, 2019
Creativity and Curiosity, exhibition catalogue (German/English), Zeiss-Grossplanetarium, Berlin, November 2018
Creativity & Curiosity, catalogue, September 2017
Elements, iScience Magazine, Imperial College, London, Summer 2017
Creativity & Curiosity, Astronomy & Geophysics Magazine, December 2016