The Cooper Gallery opens its doors this autumn with a fantastic exhibition by Ruth Ewan.

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Cooper Gallery’s major five-chapter exhibition and event project The Ignorant Art School: Five Sit-ins towards Creative Emancipation strides forward this autumn with a timely new exhibition by internationally celebrated Scottish artist Ruth Ewan.

Indexed by Dundee’s historical connection with the 1789 French Revolution, Ewan’s exhibition, We Could Have Been Anything That We Wanted to Be and It’s Not Too Late to Change, brings together evocative manifestations of revolutionary time with the creative energy of dissent.

Featuring a decimal clock especially installed on the public façade of Cooper Gallery, a virtual and physical perpetual Republican Calendar and an immersive installation How Many Flowers Will Make the Spring?, Ewan’s exhibition offers us a transcendent moment resonating with dissent and solidarity.

There will be a preview on 2 September and the exhibition will be open from 3 September to 23 October.

Alongside the physical exhibition there will be a series of participatory events to attend that will be In-person at Cooper Gallery unless otherwise stated

Register for your free tickets via Eventbrite.

A Play Class: Free Radicals?  
Wednesday 22 September, 6–7.30pm 
Exploring the extent, impact and legacy of Dundee’s radicalism, Playwright John McCann will provide participants a set of printed prompts to discuss and respond to using physical gesture. The prompts are drawn from John’s research towards the development of his upcoming performance at Cooper Gallery. Join a writer interrogating their own writing process and sharing their inspirations. 

A Perpetual Class: In-conversation with Ruth Ewan
Wednesday 29 September, 6–7.30pm
Artist Ruth Ewan will be in-conversation with artist, educator, and writer Felicity Allen within the exhibition to unpack the research, intentions and ambitions for her new body of work brought together for the Ignorant Art School at Cooper Gallery.

A Vocal Class: Rewilding the Voice
Wednesday 6 October, 6–8pm 
Online
Empowering our collective voices, activist, singer and voice coach, Frankie Armstrong will conduct an online voice exploration workshop. Catering for anyone open to discovering how to use voice with power and relaxation, playfulness and awareness, the workshop is designed to free the voice of everyone.

No prior musical experience is necessary.

A Slogan Class: 3000 Word Chant!
Wednesday 13 October, 6-7.30pm
Building on the ideas in a workshop during sit-in #1, this workshop facilitated by designer Neil McGuire will explore ways of using words, letters and slogans, combined with some basic computer-aided randomisation, to create a collaborative digital protest generator. Participants will also explore hand-drawn lettering and design, looking at the (many) ways letters (and words) carry meaning.

A Performance Class: Free Radicals? 
Wednesday 20 October, 1.30-2.30pm 
‘Free Radicals?’ is a script-in-hand reading of a performance text which explores the extent, impact and legacy of Dundee’s radicalism. The text is based on first-hand historical and contemporary material; speeches, pamphlets, meeting minutes, newspaper articles. The text will be read in the grounds of the Cooper Gallery and exhibition space.   

A Play Class: SCRIEVE @ Cooper Gallery
Thursday 21 October, 6-7.30pm 
To accompany the exhibition, We Could Have Been Anything That We Wanted to Be and It’s Not Too Late to Change, Cooper Gallery will host a playwriting scratch night facilitated by SCRIEVE, where writers are invited to respond to the exhibition themes. 

If you are interested in writing a short play for this event or in volunteering to be a reader then please contact SCRIEVE directly by emailing: scrievedundee@gmail.com.