Watch/listen

Video and audio to spark curiosity, lose yourself in and hear from different perspectives

Concerts

Concerts

Music at National Galleries of Scotland | Live Music Now

A series of short performances recorded in our gallery spaces, brought to you by our partners Live Music Now Scotland.

80 Years of Music at National Galleries of Scotland

Dr Gráinne Rice, Adult Programme Coordinator, looks at over 80 years of concert programmes at the National Galleries of Scotland

Concerts at home | Live Music Now

These special concerts have been commissioned by the National Galleries of Scotland in response to artworks in the collection

Talks and lectures

Talks and lectures

'A Work of Art in Itself' | Displaying the Collection at the National 1859 to Present

Dr Patricia Allerston considers how art has been displayed at the National since its foundation in the mid-19th-century.

Introducing James’s People

In this illustrated talk, Kate Anderson explores a selection of artworks which are part of the display James's People at the Portrait.

You Are Here: Keep the Heid

Join artist Angela Palmer for a discussion about portraiture, the purpose of art and how identities are formed.

George Chalmers and the artistic language of Jacobitism

This lecture explores the meaning of Chalmers’ Jacobite painting A Shepherdess Spied upon in a Landscape, its relation to Ramsay’s ballad opera and the references it makes to the pastoral as an expression of Scottish nationality.

Edinburgh Through Art | City Walking Tour

Edinburgh Through Art | City Walking Tour

Discover Edinburgh through art with our City Walking Tour. This podcast series travels along the historic Royal Mile by exploring stories and places connected to Scottish artworks in the National Galleries of Scotland collection.

Workshops for Adults

Workshops for Adults

Art in the open

Pick up some materials and head out to your favourite local spot. These video tutorials delivered by artist Damian Callan will give you some useful tips and insight to the artist’s working methods.

Gallery Social | for anyone affected by dementia

Join artists from our regular Gallery Social programme as they invite you into their homes to relax, enjoy a cuppa and explore some art together.

Performance & exhibition

Performance & exhibition

Service to Empire | A Play by Maud Sulter

Maud Sulter wrote the play Service to Empire in 2002. In 2022, we hosted a special livestream of a filmed rehearsed reading, nearly 20 years after it was first written.

Ruined

In these short films young people on the Image Liberation Force (2016–2021) project radically reinterpret Scottish history.

Thomas Joshua Cooper musical commission by Andrew Wasylyk

Music composed by Dundee-based musician Andrew Wasylyk to accompany photographs by Thomas Joshua Cooper.

Iain Stewart's selection from You Are Here

Photographer Iain Stewart selected nine images from our You Are Here display to tell the story of 2020. 

Accessible resources

Accessible resources

We offer a variety of activities and resources for visitors with additional support needs. Find out what we have to offer on our British Sign LanguageVisual Impairment and Dementia-friendly pages, both online and in person.

Explore Deaf history | Walter Geikie

British Sign Language (BSL) presenter Trudi Collier and Senior Curator Helen Smailes explore the fascinating story of Edinburgh-born artist, Walter Geikie.

Audio-description | In the Mind's eye

Relaxing descriptive talks by the artist Juliana Capes. Juliana will take a mindful, closer look at artworks and will invite us to take our time, to contemplate and to notice.

British Sign Language (BSL) | Mindfulness and Art

Join educator and mindfulness practitioner, Trudi Collier for a series of short videos in British Sign Language.

Gallery social at home | for anyone affected by dementia

Join artists from our regular Gallery Social programme as they invite you into their homes to relax, enjoy a cuppa and explore some art together.

Discover, create and be inspired

Discover, create and be inspired

Take part in an activity, read an artist blog, listen to a music concert recorded in the gallery or find resources to help you make the most from a visit to the gallery...