This year we’re making Coastal Connections – the latest project to support our process of reconnecting with, respecting and restoring our environment.

David Attenborough introduces his latest film with the simple statement that
‘The Oceans are the most important place on Earth’
The oceans are in crisis bit can and do recover when we make the right choices and take action.

So Sustaining Dunbar and North Light Arts have developed a programme of walks, talks and workshops to stimulate connection with the marine environment, reflect on our relationship with nature and better understand our habits and social patterns. To achieve this we are collaborating with artists Katie Fowllie, Anna Davis, Lucy Robertson, marine biologists, a geologist and other local people with knowledge and expertise, to share their enthusiasms.
This is an invitation to explore our coastline and your creativity.

All of our activities are Free including the art workshops but we will ask permission of participants to use some elements of their work in our exhibition:
Shore Lines and Tide Marks at john Muir’s Birthplace in August and September 2025

Please make a booking for all of these sessions.
          CONTACT LIZ WILCOX – lizwilcox52@gmail.com or 07821 402466
find our more about us on northlightarts.org.uk and sustainingdunbar.org or on Facebook & Instagram

SHORE LINES & TIDE MARKS
free art workshops to explore our coastline and your creativity

Bookbinding and floating ink
Discover Suminagashi the Japanese art of marbling with ‘floating ink.’ Learn bookbinding techniques to craft a unique ‘cascading’ book, perfect for preserving your artistic creations and reflections and deepen your connection to the natural world.
Wednesday 9th July 10 – 12 or 2 – 4 at Dunbar Town House suitable age 14+

 
Make your own brushes and marks
An opportunity to craft unique brushes, tools, and pigments from natural raw materials and make marks inspired by the diversity of our shoreline. Celebrate the richness of our coastal landscape and its enviroments in this hands-on workshop
Wednesday 16th July 10 – 12 or 2 – 4 at Lauderdale Park suitable age 8+

 
TIDAL SHIFT -ALTERNATIVE PHOTOGRAPHY
Explore eco-friendly photographic techniques without a camera. Create images directly onto algae-based bioplastics and sea-worn fragments. Transform found objects and express your creativity
in ways you never imagined possible.
Wednesday 23rd July 10 – 12 or 2 – 4 at Lauderdale Park suitable age 8+

Thursday 17th July 2 – 4 Underwater World – make stunning cyanotype images

ART ON THE BEACH PARTY
join us at Whitesands Beach for a party to make a super long shoreline drawing together, rockrubbing mark making. Experience the beach like never before – discover stunning geology, birds and plants galore.
Friday 18th July 1 – 4 Whitesands Beach all ages welcome

Please make a booking for all of these sessions.
          CONTACT LIZ WILCOX – lizwilcox52@gmail.com or 07821 402466
find our more about us on northlightarts.org.uk and sustainingdunbar.org or on Facebook & Instagram

 
WALK, TALK , CONNECT, CREATE
EXPLORE OUR SHORES WITH EXPERTS – LOOK & LEARN

GEOLOGY WALK AT WHITESANDS
Explore this very special site and discover the stories in the stones that explain how our landscape was formed and the shifts from tropical sea to forest to icy desert. Find fossils of the creatures that inhabited these terrains and their influence on local industries. Booking essential
Sunday 6th July 4 – 6pm – meet in the car park at the beach

DUNBAR LIFEBOAT DAY & THE PEARL OF DUNBAR RESTORATION PROJECT
Dunbar Lifeboat Day is one of the high spots of the town’s year and a fantastic example of community spirit.Take this opportunity to meet the Harbour Master and hear about the project to restore this wooden sailing boat. We won’t make you climb the rigging but you can see how its made and try your hand at knotting and splicing. See how the fishermen make their lobster pots.Hear about life on the harbour, the changes and how we can keep it at the heart of our community and identity.
Saturday 12th July – McArthur’s stores drop in – no booking required
lobster pot demo 10 – 12 , harbour master talk 11 – 12

 LIFE IN THE OCEAN AND RECYCLING FISHERMEN’S ROPES
Marine plastic pollution is a severe environmental problem. This response is not even a drop in the ocean but a moment to reflect on the part we can play in its restoration. Weave the patterns of marine bacteria – the basis of ocean life. Simple and satisfying you can take them home with you but we would be very pleased if you could make some for our exhibition

Saturday 12th July & thursday 24th 2 – 4 at mcarthur’s stores drop in rock pooling with the rangers
Join our Countryside Ranger for a guddle in the puddles and discover the creatures that live there and what they do. Come prepared for fascinating insights and amazing facts about the intertidal world and don’t forget your waterproofs.
Wednesday 16th July 12.30 – 2.00 at the east beach booking essential

Please make a booking for all of these sessions.
          CONTACT LIZ WILCOX – lizwilcox52@gmail.com or 07821 402466
find our more about us on northlightarts.org.uk and sustainingdunbar.org or on Facebook & Instagram