The Andrew Carnegie Lecture Series is a programme of annual public talks at Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) by some of the most innovative people working in the arts, worldwide, today. Together with student workshops, seminars and one-to-one meetings with the speakers, the series places ECA at the centre of international discourse on art and creative practice.
The Series was established in 2014 as part of the centennial celebrations of Carnegie Corporation of New York, one of the many institutions and organisations established by the Scottish-born philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie.
Steel magnate Carnegie donated much of the wealth he generated by to help improve society, with a particular focus on education. This also led to the foundation of the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland in 1901.
On the announcement of the Series, Professor Chris Breward (ECA Principal) said:
“It is a privilege to host this series of events commemorating the enormous contribution Andrew Carnegie made to higher education in Scotland.
By allowing the University access to key arts practitioners and researchers, the lectures will allow us to develop and enhance the research culture of Edinburgh College of Art as a whole, and contribute to a wider global arts agenda”.
The Series
01 | Professor James Elkins, E. C. Chadbourne Professor of Art History, Theory, and Criticism at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago | Thursday 16th January 2014 | Watch an interview with Professor James Elkins >
02 | Professor Beatriz Colomina, Professor of Architecture and Founding Director of the Program in Media and Modernity at Princeton University | Thursday 20th November 2014 | Watch this lecture >
03 | Brian Eno, Musician and Producer | Tuesday 10th May 2016 | Watch this lecture >
04 | Fergus Linehan, Festival Director of Edinburgh International Festival | Thursday 23rd November 2017 | Watch this lecture >
05 | Tacita Dean, Artist | Wednesday 4th July 2018 | Hear this lecture >
06 | Peter Galison, Pellegrino University Professor of the History of Science and of Physics at Harvard University | Friday 25 September 2020 | Watch this lecture >
07 | Sonia Boyce, Artist | Monday 23 November 2020 | Watch this lecture >