RBGE Creative Programmes

RBGE Creative Programmes A unique place for contemporary art, exhibitions + events, embedded within the world of plants.

Beatrix Potter: A Victorian Naturalist was the first exhibition of the artist’s scientific drawings of fungi, presented ...
25/08/2025

Beatrix Potter: A Victorian Naturalist was the first exhibition of the artist’s scientific drawings of fungi, presented by the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh in 1993.

Her work culminated in a scientific paper on the germination of fungal spores, which was presented at the Linnaean Society in 1897. Although she didn’t receive enough support to publish her paper, her research continued for another four years until she began to write and illustrate the first of her books.

The drawings presented at this exhibition highlighted conclusive evidence that Potter was carrying out pioneering research in a highly specialised field.

🕰️1993
💷£5.00

🔗 To purchase this poster, follow the link here: https://rbgeshop.org/products/a-victorian-naturalist-beatrix-potter?_pos=1&_sid=c0def935c&_ss=r

🍄Interested in all things fungi? Explore our new exhibition Fungi Sessions at the John Hope Gateway, where you can immerse yourself in the mesmerising music of Hannah Read and Dr Patrick Hickey's films exploring these vital organisms. The two are combined in a revealing audiovisual installation.
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🍄 Fungi Sessions
📅 2 Aug 2025 – 11 Jan 2026
⏰ Open daily 10am – 5pm
📍 John Hope Gateway
🎟️ Free exhibition
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Image: Beatrix Potter: A Victorian Naturalist, 1993 exhibition poster, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
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Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh







Room 3: Cut ‘The scalpel that I use cuts through paper and time with equal ease.’ Linder For Linder, the cut is a trans...
06/08/2025

Room 3: Cut

‘The scalpel that I use cuts through paper and time with equal ease.’
Linder

For Linder, the cut is a transformational act. By cutting images from their original context, she makes cuts in time and reveals links between the past and present.

Room 3 showcases a variety of images that sit under this theme, including artworks made especially by Linder for the Botanics. The images are taken in front of some of Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh’s world leading Rhododendron collection.

Linder has ‘cut’ into these images with photomontage of roses, chairs, and teacups to reflect the domestic setting of Inverleith House. The works’ titles are all quotes from Walter Scott – Linder’s homage to Scotland.

Two of the artworks are available to buy as limited-edition prints at the Botanics shop.

Follow the link below for further info 👉
Linder: Danger Came Smiling at Inverleith House – The Botanics Shop at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
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🌺 Linder: Danger Came Smiling
📅 23 May – 19 Oct 2025
⏰ Open daily 10.30am - 4.30pm
📍 Inverleith House
🎟️ Free exhibition
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Image: Installation shots of Gallery 3, Linder: Danger Came Smiling, 2025. Photo: Sally Jubb.
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Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh The Botanics Shop Edinburgh Art Festival

Spill the Tea Tours Join us for a guided tour of Danger Came Smiling led by a member of RBGE staff and chat about all yo...
30/07/2025

Spill the Tea Tours

Join us for a guided tour of Danger Came Smiling led by a member of RBGE staff and chat about all you have seen in the gallery whilst sampling a cup of specially blended Eteaket leaf tea co rose tea. 🌹

Linder's first retrospective in Scotland is on tour from the Hayward Gallery and comes to Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh to showcase 50 years of trailblazing artwork.

Join us to dive deeper into Linder’s fascination with plants and see beyond traditional ideas about gender and sexuality, all whilst sampling a cup of tea and seeing behind the scenes.

👉 Follow the link below to book your tickets:

https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/linder-danger-came-smiling-4247053

📅 Sundays; 3 August, 7 September, 5 October
⏰ 2:30pm - 4pm
📍 Inverleith House
🎟️ £7.50
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🌺 Linder: Danger Came Smiling
📅 23 May – 19 Oct 2025
⏰ Open daily 10.30am - 4.30pm
📍 Inverleith House
🎟️ Free exhibition
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Image: Exhibition close up from Linder: Danger Came Smiling, 2025. Photo: Sally Jubb
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Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Edinburgh Art Festival

Join us for a BSL (British Sign Language) tour of Linder: Danger Came Smiling. Linder’s first retrospective in Scotland ...
29/07/2025

Join us for a BSL (British Sign Language) tour of Linder: Danger Came Smiling.

Linder’s first retrospective in Scotland showcases 50 years of trailblazing artwork. It dives into her fascination with plants and invites us to see beyond traditional ideas about gender and sexuality.

🗓️ Tuesday 12 August
⏰ 10:30am – 11:30am

🎟️ Book here: BSL Tour - Linder: Danger Came Smiling Tickets, Tue 12 Aug 2025 at 10:30 | Eventbrite

This exhibition tour is in British Sign Language (BSL), led by Trudi Collier. Please book your ticket in advance via Eventbrite and meet at the entrance to the exhibition in Inverleith House.
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🌺 Linder: Danger Came Smiling
📅 23 May – 19 Oct 2025
⏰ Open daily 10.30am - 4.30pm
📍 Inverleith House
🎟️ Free exhibition
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Image: Linder with Rhododendron Praecox grex, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 2025. Photo: Ross Fraser McLean / StudioRoRo.
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Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Edinburgh Art Festival Trudi's Mindfulness for Deaf Community Deaf Heritage Collective Deaf Festival DeafNation

Room 2: Glamour 💄 This room features the only photographic work in the exhibition, produced by Linder in collaboration w...
09/07/2025

Room 2: Glamour 💄

This room features the only photographic work in the exhibition, produced by Linder in collaboration with Swiss photographer Christina Birrer.

The She/she series – which originally appeared in a zine format – was created to coincide with the launch of Linder’s band Ludus’ new cassette and features lyrics from their songs.

Through the images Linder deconstructs the feminine ideal represented by the media, instead depicting a freedom of expression that can be viewed as ‘self-montage’. Dressed in the New Romantic style typical of the early 1980s, she uses clingfilm, torn photographs and bandage to alter her appearance.

Linder’s striking portrait from the series features on the cover of our exhibition catalogue, available to purchase at the gallery shop or online here:

https://rbgeshop.org/products/linder-exhibition-book
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🌺 Linder: Danger Came Smiling
📅 23 May – 19 Oct 2025
⏰ Open daily 10.30am - 4.30pm
📍 Inverleith House
🎟️ Free exhibition
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Image: Installation shot of Linder: Danger Came Smiling. Photo: Sally Jubb.
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Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Edinburgh Art Festival Hayward Gallery

July Poster Highlight “We often forget that WE ARE NATURE. Nature is not something separate from us. So, when we say th...
08/07/2025

July Poster Highlight

“We often forget that WE ARE NATURE. Nature is not something separate from us. So, when we say that we have lost our connection to nature, we’ve lost our connection to ourselves.”
- Andy Goldsworthy

Andy Goldsworthy is a British artist known for his site-specific installations involving natural materials and the passage of time.

Working as both sculptor and photographer, Goldsworthy crafts installations out of rocks, ice, leaves, or branches, work that changes over time.

Our April poster of the month is from Goldsworthy’s solo exhibition 'Hand to Earth' held in Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh in 1990 as part of Edinburgh Festival.

If you are interested in Goldsworthy’s sculptures make sure to look out for our monthly art walks, held by a member of the Creative Programmes Team, where you will be able to see Goldsworthy’s work in the garden!

🕰️1990
💷£20

To purchase this poster, follow the link here:

https://rbgeshop.org/products/sculpture-1976-1999-by-andy-goldsworthy

Art walk tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/art-walks
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Image: Hand to Earth 1990, Andy Goldsworthy @ Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
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Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
The Botanics Shop




📢 Botanics Choir is back for autumn term! Join the Botanics Choir and be part of something bigger! Experience the joy of...
05/07/2025

📢 Botanics Choir is back for autumn term!

Join the Botanics Choir and be part of something bigger! Experience the joy of singing in a group, from choir enthusiasts to first-time singers. 🎵

Expect songs about the changing seasons, harvest time and autumn leaves. You can book a full term in one go or split it into two half term payments.

Botanics choir is for everyone, and no singing experience or auditions are required. Visit Eventbrite for more details.
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📅 Tues 9 Sep – Tues 9 Dec 2025
⏰ 5.30pm - 7pm
📍 Science Buildings, 20a Inverleith Row, Edinburgh, EH3 5LR
🎟️ £25 - £72
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Image: The Botanics choir performing in front of the Botanics Cottage @ Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Photo: Amy Porteous
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Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

Room 1: Graft ‘I often ponder the most minimal interruption that I can create to totally change the meaning of the orig...
02/07/2025

Room 1: Graft

‘I often ponder the most minimal interruption that I can create to totally change the meaning of the original image.’
Linder

Danger Came Smiling spans five decades of Linder’s artistic journey, from her beginnings in the 1970s Manchester punk scene to the present day.

Under the theme of graft in gallery 1 we explore Linder’s manipulation of found imagery, and how this can reassemble stories told to us by society.

Diagrams of Love: Marriage of Eyes is the focal point in this gallery space and questions the idea of glamour and form. Combining a montage of different themes, the rug was tufted at Dovecot Studios in Edinburgh back in 2016 and has been both exhibited and performed with by Linder.

For more Linder themed textiles, head to our online shop linked below and explore the range of tablecloths, napkins and scarfs inspired by photomontage ✨

Linder: Danger Came Smiling at Inverleith House – The Botanics Shop at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
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🌺 Linder: Danger Came Smiling
📅 23 May – 19 Oct 2025
⏰ Open daily 10.30am - 4.30pm
📍 Inverleith House
🎟️ Free exhibition
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Image: Installation shot of Diagrams of Love: Marriage of Eyes, Inverleith House 2025. Photo: Sally Jubb.
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Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh The Botanics Shop Edinburgh Art Festival

🌼Join us for an art tour this July! Spend some time learning about the outdoor sculpture collection at the Botanics, fr...
25/06/2025

🌼Join us for an art tour this July!

Spend some time learning about the outdoor sculpture collection at the Botanics, from the iconic works of Barbara Hepworth and Andy Goldsworthy to new interventions by artist Linder Sterling.

Or why not take a tour exploring our current exhibition at Inverleith House, ‘Linder: Danger Came Smiling’? Delve into the themes of each room and sample a bespoke cup of rose tea while continuing the conversation.

Both tours will be run by members of staff from the Creative Programmes team, giving you an insight into the world of art at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh 🎨

🎟️ Book your spot using the links below

Art Walk (Fri 11 Jul):
https://Art-Walk-July.eventbrite.co.uk

Spill the Tea (Sun 6 Jul):
https://JulySpilltheTeaLinder.eventbrite.co.uk

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🌺 Linder: Danger Came Smiling
📅 23 May – 19 Oct 2025
⏰ Open daily 10.30am - 4.30pm
📍 Inverleith House
🎟️ Free exhibition
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Image: Garden of Smiles caterpillar, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 2025. Photo: Linder Sterling
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Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Edinburgh Art Festival
Hayward Gallery

📢 Last chance to see... This is the final week to discover Pressed for Time in the John Hope Gateway Gallery space! Home...
21/06/2025

📢 Last chance to see...

This is the final week to discover Pressed for Time in the John Hope Gateway Gallery space!

Home to three million preserved plant and fungi specimens, encompassing over 300 years of biodiversity, the herbarium at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is a scientific resource of worldwide importance.

Take a journey through time, over land and sea, and discover how the herbarium might shape our future in the final week of this exhibition.

Thank you to all those involved with the exhibition, and to everyone that has participated in creating beautiful drawings of both herbarium samples and postcards from the future herbarium, we wish we could include them all! 🌱
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🍁Pressed for Time
📅 22 Mar 2025 – 29 Jun 2025
⏰ Open daily 10am - 5pm
📍 John Hope Gateway Gallery
🎟️ Free exhibition
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Image: Herbarium Future postcards from the Pressed for Time exhibition, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 2025.
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Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Edinburgh Science Festival
RBGE Scottish Plants

🍵 Join us next week for a free outdoor tea tasting and meditation session in partnership with Eteaket leaf tea co. 🌹 To ...
17/06/2025

🍵 Join us next week for a free outdoor tea tasting and meditation session in partnership with Eteaket leaf tea co.

🌹 To mark the launch of our new exhibition, Linder: Danger Came Smiling,we invite you to sample a specially blended tea, Rose Ritual, inspired by Linder’s work.

Crafted exclusively for the exhibition by eteaket, this tea invites you to pause, breathe, and reflect.

Find your calm in the Botanics this summer — we’d love to see you there.

👉 Click the link below to book your free ticket: https://linder-eteaket-tea-meditation.eventbrite.co.uk
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📍Inverleith House Gallery
📅 Monday 23 June
⏰11am – 12pm
🎟️ Free event
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Image: Rose ritual tea blend. Photo: Erica Moore
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Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
The Botanics Shop

June Poster Highlight 🌿 Have you caught the Meconopsis in bloom this year? The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh played an ...
13/06/2025

June Poster Highlight 🌿

Have you caught the Meconopsis in bloom this year?

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh played an important role in introducing this species to Europe from the Himalayas and South-west China in the first half of the 20th century. It’s one of the most striking montane plants; its flower colour varying from vivid turquoise to pale blue, like no other found in nature. The art of Roni Horn has just such a quality.

In 2006, Inverleith House hosted the first solo exhibition in the UK by the American artist Roni Horn (b.1955.) Though photography is the medium which creates the axis of her practice, Horn included sculpture in this exhibition as well.

🕰️2006
💷£5

👉 To purchase this poster, follow the link here: https://rbgeshop.org/products/roni-horn?_pos=20&_sid=c9419be81&_ss=r
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Image: Roni Horn, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.
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Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

The Botanics Shop







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Arboretum Place/Inverleith Row Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Edinburgh
EH35LR

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