Glaswegians Posterworks & Campaigns 1983 to 1993

16th January – 1st February 2026

Opening Hours

• Monday to Friday, and Sunday 10am-5pm

Open evenings to ticket holders during events.

• Saturday the 24th January 10am – 5pm

Closed Saturday 17th and 31st except to Glasgow Royal Concert Hall ticket holders.

About the exhibition

This exhibition coincides with Celtic Connections 2026 and the event True and Bold, which celebrates the legendary Scottish folk musician Dick Gaughan. Known for his passionate and politically charged work, his commitment to social justice is mirrored in the practice of Alistair McCallum and Jane Carroll, evidenced here in the posterworks and photographic records contained in this special exhibition.

The posters were all produced between 1983 and 1993 at Cranhill Arts’ in Glasgow’s East End. Most were screen-printed and almost all were designed by Jane and/or Alistair. Cranhill Arts was started in 1981 by local people, and built-up fantastic resources for photography, screen printing and then graphic design.

Over this decade Alistair and Jane developed a design style, working with and for people and organisations on campaigns, celebrations, festivals and fund-raisers. They were quickly able to scale up and produce runs of colourful street posters that worked as publicity and also were sold on to fundraise.

In Scotland this decade saw a wave of committed musicians, artists, singers, poets and comedians come together for good causes and campaigns.

Looking back at our posters, it’s like a who’s who of Scottish pop and folk. Dick Gaughan, the McCluskey Brothers, the Whistlebinkies, Jim Kerr from Simple Minds, Runrig, Deacon Blue, Hue & Cry, Blue Nile and more were all on there and all out there doing their bit - Jane Carroll

Design collaborations continued beyond this time and these posters.  They went on to produce cover art for Dick Gaughan, Hue & Cry, Deacon Blue, the Blue Nile, Capercaillie, Michael McGoldrick, Diamh, Creeping Bent and Postcard Records.

TRUE AND BOLD CONNECTIONS - Dick Gaughan

Alistair and Jane’s first collaboration with Dick Gaughan was commissioned by the Scottish TUC to help raise funds for the 1983 People’s March for Jobs. Later that year they were brought in to work with Dick on a new project  - an album of Scottish miners’ songs that was to become TRUE AND BOLD. Begun before the miners’ strike of 1984/1985 TRUE AND BOLD: SONGS OF THE SCOTTISH MINERS was completed after the strike ended and released in 1986. 

We contributed photographs and ideas for Dick's 1988 album Call it Freedom. Our collaborations continued through the 1980s. Dick's commitment and engagement meant he was on the billing on many of the benefit gigs and festivals we were producing posters for. Dick topped the bill at our Peoples' Palace fundraiser we organised with the African National Congress in June 1989.