I was first introduced to the Stirling Photography Festival shortly after The Barracks Conference Centre opening in late 2019. Creative Director, Janie shared the Festival's aims and aspirations, and it seemed very clear to me that these resonated with The Robertson Trust values. As a grassroots community project, the festival is fully inclusive to anyone who wishes to participate. With aims of 'building community, building creativity and building skills", this reflects our values of we connect, we act with integrity, we are ambitious', so we decided to get involved.
In 2020 the theme was Our World and I was invited to join the judging panel for the Kodak sponsored exhibition. I was surprised and overwhelmed by the creativity and artistic quality of the submissions we received. Furthermore, after meeting my fellow judges, I was very much in awe of their collective knowledge and experience. All the submissions were subsequently curated and exhibited within the Barracks throughout 2021.
This year we took a more active role, hostinq talks from internationally renowned Stirling-born artist Margaret Mitchell, who works within the areas of poverty and trauma which links directly into the Trusts' strategy; Sonja Blietschau who inspired and engaged us as she talked of her personal journey pursuing her creative career; and David Grinly, research associate at Stills of Edinburgh, further helping build connections for Stirling across the Scottish creative community.
This year we are delighted to be sponsoring the Stories 2022 exhibition and this commemorative book. The exhibition goes digital, making it more accessible to the growing international audience and allowing it to travel to local community spaces.
On a personal level, my team and I have enjoyed being part of such a vibrant and relevant Festival and are eager to see what's coming next.
Fiona Jamieson
Venue Manager
The Barracks Conference Centre