RSA200: Big Birthday Party: The 200th RSA Annual Exhibition
Booking is optional, but registering for a free ticket allows us to send you a reminder and additional event information in advance.
Join us as we celebrate 200 years of the Royal Scottish Academy with a Big Birthday Party at the RSA!
On 27 May 1826, the Scottish Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture held its inaugural meeting in Edinburgh, attended by 13 founding Academicians, 11 painters, one architect and one sculptor. Two centuries later, we’re marking this milestone with a special day of celebration in the galleries.
Join us from 11am to 3pm for a lively programme of events. Pick up an RSA200 party hat, specially designed by our Members for the occasion, hear from our Academicians, get creative in the gallery and learn more about the RSA Friends and Celebrating Together.
Meet the Academicians
Hear directly from our Members at Meet the Academicians, a series of talks running throughout the day offering the chance to learn more about their practice, influences and work on show in the 200th Annual Exhibition.
11:30 - Ronnie Forbes RSA, Gallery 5
11:45 - Kate Downie RSA, Gallery 5
12:00 - Philip Braham RSA, Gallery 1
12:15 - Martin Kemp HRSA, Gallery 1
12:30 - Annie Cattrell RSA, Gallery 1
12:45 - Edward Summerton RSA, Members Lobby
1:30 - Marion Smith RSA, Gallery 2
1.45 - Jane Hyslop RSA, Members Lobby
2.00 - Mary Bourne RSA, Gallery 3
2.15 - Victoria Crowe RSA, Gallery 5
2:30 - George Donald RSA, Finlay Room
2.45 - Robbie Bushe RSA, Finlay Room
Get Creative
Gallery 2, 11am – 3pm
Families and visitors of all ages can get creative with hands-on making activities using a range of art materials.
Celebrating Together
Gallery 2, 11am – 3pm
We’re marking our bicentenary nationwide as we bring over 100 partners, galleries and institutions together for an extraordinary year of exhibitions, events and performances. At our Big Birthday Party, you can learn more about how we’re bringing communities across Scotland and beyond together, uniting museums, galleries and cultural partners in a shared celebration.
40 years of the RSA Friends
Members’ Lobby, 11am – 3pm
We’re reflecting on 40 years of the RSA Friends in the Members’ Lobby. This is a chance to look back on four decades of friendship, learn more about the programme and hear about our new referral scheme and the rewards on offer.
The Living Mountain, by Susie Leiper
Members’ Lobby, 11am – 3pm
Drop in between 11am and 3pm to chat to Annual Exhibition open artist Susie Leiper. Hear how she designed, planned, hand wrote and illustrated Nan Shepherd’s The Living Mountain – a project that grew out of a paper prize into a 10-year labour of love.
Hear from Gareth Fisher PRSA
Gallery 2, 1pm
RSA President Gareth Fisher will give a special talk at 1pm reflecting on what this landmark moment means for both the Academy and for Scottish art and architecture.
Our Big Birthday Party celebrates the Academy’s long-standing commitment to supporting artists and architects and fostering public access to contemporary art. Come along and help us mark 200 years of the RSA.
