Handing On
To Hand On
To teach
To share
To create
To reasure memories
To create value in an everyday or overlooked small item
Because of the story it holds.
To share love and wisdom
To facilitate transitions.
To carry onwards beyond transitional times.
Handing On
In 2021 mother and daughter storytellers: Jean and Amanda Edmiston, were generously awarded an Andy Hunter Bursary by Scotland’s TRACS (traditional Arts) to create a multi-faceted project: Handing On.
Handing On was a project created around a personal journey undertaken by Jean and Amanda to distil and create a tangible form that makes their interdisciplinary storytelling practice into something that could be shared.
The project comprised of a series of online elements, workshops, mentoring opportunities and connections is currently being extended and embellished to become a beautiful new online course, to ber released later this year.
A showcase performance was also recorded live at The Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh thanks to a commission from the Scottish International Storytelling Festival 2021, featuring a beautiful film backdrop created by Glasgow film artist Bash Khan.
The recording will be made available exclusively as part of the forthcoming course alongside a series of workshops one which was filmed live during an in person workshop created for The National Library of Scotland.
Jean and Amanda then created a series of original workshops with The National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh, connecting to the National Library's permanent exhibition Treasures, an exhibition which entirely aligned with the ethos and intentions of Handing On,.
The three interactive workshops explored the ‘treasured’ stories held in household, personal and found objects (or maybe those brilliant family photos of grandparents on the beach in the 1950's!) passed down through the generations.
Exploring the vital role of handed on stories and memories and valuing the everyday ojects that connect us to those we love.
Amanda’s Great Grandparents on the beach.
About: Jean Edmiston
Jean was born in Aberdeen in 1946. Her sculptor father’s passion for the natural landscape and its stories meant the family went long walks in all weathers, exploring!
Out of this childhood grew her own love for stories, place and art.
Photo by John Irvine 2023
One of Jeans enduring passions is working with textiles: dyeing, printing and creating clothes. During the '70's and '80's she developed a successful business with a retail outlet in York ‘Showspace’.
But life events in late ‘80s meant sudden change for Jean, and she had to find new creative ways to survive. She discovered storytelling with Mary Medlicott as her guide and mentor.
Now with over 30 years’ experience of working full time as a storyteller and writer with community projects, schools, arts organisations, museums, she is 'considering' retirement!
Jean says:
‘I have been fortunate and privileged to work over the years with some wonderful people and amazing artists, now I am officially retired, but will always be a storyteller, always creative, and working with my fabulous daughter developing a new project and ‘Handing On’.
Amanda’s mum Jean has supported and mentored Amanda’s creative journey and the pair continue to work on creative projects together.
