Name/TitleBanner: Gude Cause
About this objectDouble-sided banner made by Scottish artists Sam Ainsley, Nicola Atkinson, Claire Barclay, Diane Dawson, Rachel Mimiec and Karen Vaughan for the 100th Anniversary of Suffragette March in Edinburgh, on 10th October 2009.
One side of the banner, with an olive green background, features the slogan 'A Gude Cause Maks A Strong Arm' around a central motif of six linked arms and wrists. The other, on a purple background, bears the name 'Women Artists of Scotland' around a green map of the country.
MakerWomen Artists of Scotland
Date Made2009
Period2000s
Place MadeScotland
Medium and MaterialsOrganic, textile
Subject and Association KeywordsWomen's suffrage
Subject and Association KeywordsWomen's Marches
Subject and Association KeywordsCraftivism
Subject and Association KeywordsArt & design
Subject and Association DescriptionGude Cause 1909 and 2009 (Wikipedia):
Gude Cause was the name of a feminist project, based at the Peace and Justice Centre in Edinburgh, Scotland, which inspired over 60 events and projects throughout Scotland between 2007 and 2009. Gude Cause aimed to commemorate the work of Scotswomen involved in the suffrage movement, to celebrate women's achievements in the 100 years since the Women's Suffrage Procession which had taken place in Edinburgh in 1909, and to re-energise women's commitment to political representation and action in Scotland.
The work culminated in the re-enactment on 10 October 2009 of the 1909 Edinburgh procession, and was organised by volunteers, women's historians and community workers, in association with The Edinburgh Peace and Justice Resource Centre, achieving the main goal of recreating the original procession in all its glory, while drawing attention to the problems that still need to be faced up to around the world, such as tackling domestic violence, forced marriage, sex trafficking and equal pay.
Thousands of people from groups across Scotland had prepared for the day by creating banners, learning old and specially written songs, researching women's struggles in the past and discussing current issues and future aims. The crowd on the day included women, men and children; students, activists, 'roller derby girls', the University of the Third Age, political parties, faith groups and trade unions; artists and academics; professionals and campaigners for women's rights, social justice and environmental justice, representing a wide spectrum of ages, ethnicities, attitudes and activism and a mixture of beliefs, traditions and movements.
In common with the Suffrage Procession a century before, the Gude Cause Procession 2009 was led by a lone woman piper, Pipe Major Louise Marshall Millington, and featured a band, the Forth Bridges Accordion Band. Two mounted policewomen represented the women on horseback of the 1909 parade. Groups of drummers, including SheBoom, and singers led each section of the Procession, representing the past, the present and the future for women in Scotland.
Named CollectionGlasgow Women's Library
Object TypeBanner
Object numberGWL-2018-93
Copyright LicenceAll rights reserved