St. James Episcopal Church, Leith.

In 2022 – Present day

2022- JULY 2025 Carol began to design and facilate the art, alongside others, at St. James once again (Except where noted).
AUGUST 2025 Carol’s role has changed from an informal voluntary role to a more formal, ‘Liturgical Artist in Residence’ role, for 7 hours a week, The role includes:

Continuing a seasonal Transformation of our Worship Space, interweaving Art & Liturgy as part of the worship of the church.
The development and creation of Transformative Rituals, when and where appropriate throughout the year.
Leading some Second Sunday SacREd Space contemplative services, which take place on the second Sunday of each month @ 7pm.
Preparing meditations, researching & providing materials throughout the year, for example for Lent groups.
Helping the development of the website and new contemplative space (chapel) at the back of church.

This role, at least for the next year, has been made possible by funding given primarily from Spill the Beans https://www.spillthebeans.org.uk/ & supplemented by St. James. I look forward to developing, with the St. James community, Art, Liturgy and Spirituality, not only for Creation-tide, but throughout the coming year and am excited by what God has in store for us.

See: www.stjamesleith.org

The work at St. James is also featured in Carol’s PhD thesis, See Chapter Four,:INSTALLATION ART IN THE INSTITUTIONAL CHURCH, in CONTRASTING EXAMPLES OF LITURGICAL INSTALLATION ART IN CHRISTIAN WORSHIP IN ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND FROM THE 1980S TO THE PRESENT DAY 2019 http://: https://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/handle/10023/17819

1999 – 2011

In 1999 Carol was asked to be artist in resisdence at the St. James Weekend Away entitled ‘The Cathedral of Dreams.’ She lead workshops for all ages of the church to create a series of installations for the Sunday morning worship. In January 2000 she became a member of the church, and in 2001 became convenor of the newly formed Workship Planning Group (until 2011).

From 2000-2007 Carol worked voluntarily, alongside rector Steve Butler and others to help to grow and facilitate the arts in worship at St. James. From 2007-2011 she was employed through the Soul Marks Trust to continue this work. A continual pattern of transforming the environmental worship space through each of the liturgical seasons – Lent, Easter, Pentecost, Harvest, Advent, and Epiphany – developed. All ages of the congregation were encouraged to join in the creative workshops to change the space. These were facilitated by Carol and other members of the worship planning team. Artwork was also often created during and as part of the worship.

In 2011 left to study at the Institute of Theology, Imagination and the Arts at St. Andrews University. The work of St. James is included in her PhD. Contrasting Examples of Liturgical Installation Art in Christian Worship in England and Scotland From the 1980s to The Present Day.

In 2014 the church building became a weekday campus for the Leith School of Art. Although this has changed the space somewhat, the visual arts continue to be an important part of the church’s worship.