A cultural icon, Byrne has continued to work, paint and create plays on into his 80’s. The exhibition encapsulated the energy and excitement of Byrne's work, displaying over 40 self-portraits, the most ever displayed at one time, spanning Byrne's whole career. Various other works were also drawn from Glasgow Life Museums’ collections, other institutions across Scotland, and private lenders. Stories were drawn from the exhibition, John Patrick Byrne: A Big Adventure. Stories covered reflections on his life and work as an artist, playwright and polymath. Storytellers explored characters from 'The Slab Boys' trilogy and their exploits in 1950s working class Scotland. TV dramas like 'Tutti Frutti' and 'Your Cheatin’ Heart' provided a platform to for storytellers to explore Byrne’s ability to weave both relatable stories and farfetched, entertaining tales from the everyday experience. Byrne's rich tableau of artworks spanning portraiture, extensive self-portraiture, drama character studies, illustration, mythological imagery, and children’s storytelling offered an immersive experience that prompted and inspired participants' own storytelling and sharing.

Podcast produced as part of the project: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/season-4-episode-1-creative-writin...