Artist
Holly Summerson
Animation & Art Education
Holly Summerson
Themes:
Community Art, Animation Workshops, LGBTQ+, Disability, Transformation, Community Empowerment & Lived Experience
Meet Holly Summerson.
Holly’s work combines mixed-media animation techniques – including charcoal, paint on glass, collage, 2D puppetry, and digital manipulation – to create textured, swirling imagery.
Common themes include transformation, queer and disabled life, and magical moments in the everyday.
Much of her commissioned work is with charities and organisations that seek to empower and improve people’s lives – such as Deaf Action, Turn 2 Us, LGBT Health and Wellbeing, and the VOLPOWER Project.
Her community film-making and creative workshops focus on sharing, creating skills and highlighting the unique perspective and visual voice of those she’s collaborating with.
Education
Holly holds a BA in Animation from Edinburgh College of Art.
Biography
Holly is an animator and arts educator specialising in mixed-media, experimental, and community-based projects. Since graduating, she has worked freelance on a range of creative projects. She directed and animated the short film Living With It, created an interactive artwork and animation series for the Edwin Morgan Trust’s Second Life project, and planned and hosted a talk on community and collaboration in animation for Animate Projects as part of their Accelerate Sessions.
Her work combines mixed-media animation techniques — including charcoal, paint on glass, collage, 2D puppetry, and digital manipulation — exploring themes such as transformation, queer and disabled life, and magical moments in the everyday. Much of her commissioned work is with charities and organisations that seek to empower and improve people’s lives.
Awards
In 2021, she was awarded BFI funding to direct and animate the short film Living With It.
Her commissioned work includes projects with Deaf Action, Turn 2 Us, LGBT Health and Wellbeing, and the VOLPOWER Project.
Professional language Experience
Holly volunteers as an English and maths tutor for Refugee Action Scotland, supporting a student one-to-one with their secondary school learning.
