Mother Glasgow is a series of striking new portraits by artist Gerard M Burns celebrating women who have made Scotland, and Glasgow in particular, their home.
Held as part of the Parliament’s Festival of Politics, the display showcases 16 oil-painted portraits of 15 women and one schoolgirl, from all corners of the world, each of whom have chosen Glasgow as their home. Ranging in age, background and profession, the sitters’ stories reflect Glasgow’s global identity – a city defined by resilience, generosity and spirit.
Most portraits are accompanied by a short video narrative contributed by the subject sharing their journey to Glasgow and what the city now represents in their lives. Together, they paint a vivid picture of modern Glasgow: diverse, open and dynamic.
Eleven portraits are on public display to view during our opening hours and can be explored at your own pace. However, to experience the full display, you can book our free guided viewing of all the portraiture, available from 12 to 26 August. Let our Visitor Service Officers take you through the display, with insight into the portraits as well as other works of art in the Scottish Parliament.
Book a guided art viewing session
All 16 portraits will also be available to view during the Festival of Politics on 27-28 August.
We are also holding a free panel discussion: 'Scotland 2026 – who gets to belong?' on Monday 17 August, looking at themes within the display.
We are an accessible venue. Read our detailed guide on what you can expect.
Please remember that this is a working parliamentary building and, as such, you are expected to behave as set out in this policy. We reserve the right to remove visitors who breach this policy and apply a period of exclusion from our public galleries and parliamentary business.
For all visits, please:
The Parliament’s Standing Orders cover public access to parliamentary business. They allow the Presiding Officer to set reasonable conditions, and exclusions if these are not met.
For visits to see parliamentary business, please:
27-28 August 2026
The annual festival brings together academics, writers, policymakers, business people and politicians to debate important issues in society.
19 October-7 November 2026
See the world's best photojournalism for free, at the only venue in the UK to host this exhibition.