ROOMS WITH A VIEW CONTINUED
TAIGH CHEARSABHAGH LOCHMADDY Taigh Chearsabhagh may be located in one of the most rural and remote areas of Scotland, in North Uist, but its provision outstrips what most central belt city centre galleries offer. In addition to a diverse exhibition programme, showing international artists alongside works by local makers, the museum and gallery have publicly accessible print and dark rooms, and is the only Scottish contemporary arts venue that offers a National Certii cate in Art & Design and a full four-year Degree in Fine Art. Moving image work has become an exciting new focus for their arts programme over the last few years, and Taigh Chearsabhagh has provided important support for works of this discipline by high- proi le artists including Ilana Halperin, Dalziel + Scullion and Shona Illingworth. Taigh Chearsabhagh Museum & Arts Centre, Lochmaddy, North Uist | Open in winter: Mon–Sat 10am–4pm; summer: Mon–Sat 10am– 5pm | taigh-chearsabhagh. org
AN TALLA SOLAIS ULLAPOOL An Talla Solais was set up in 2003 by a group of local artists and art lovers frustrated by the lack of creative opportunities in Ullapool. The project started small, with the group organising pop-up exhibitions in a redundant library building, then a year later An Talla Solais moved into a former medical centre, providing them with a much larger base. From here it delivers classes and courses for beginners and professional artists alike, providing crucial artistic support for the community, as well as studio and workshop space. In recent years the gallery space has moved into the Caledonian Hotel in the town centre, where it’s shown an eclectic mix of work from internationally renowned artists including An Talla Solais’ patron Will Maclean RSA, to local group shows and open exhibitions. An Talla Solais Studios, Market Street, Ullapool; An Talla Solais Gallery at the Caledonian Hotel, West Argyle Street entrance | Gallery open 10am–5pm during exhibitions | antallasolais.org
DUNOON BURGH HALL DUNOON Dunoon Burgh Hall is another success story from the west of Scotland. Architect John McAslan bought a dilapidated Dunoon Burgh Hall in 2008 for £1. When he took his family to see the old 19th-century hall soon after purchasing it, they told him he’d been robbed. A huge renovation project ensued, transforming the hall into an impressive multi-arts space. The i rst show in 2012 was an Artist Room exhibition by Robert Mapplethorpe, setting an ambitious precedent but one that the programme has lived up to, with major exhibitions by Andy Warhol and Martin Parr following. McAslan has transformed what might have been a sleepy village hall into one of the most cutting-edge, exciting spaces outside the central belt. Dunoon Burgh Hall, 195 Argyll Street, Dunoon | Open Tue–Sat noon–4pm, Sun 1–4pm | dunoonburghhall.org.uk
KIRKCUDBRIGHT GALLERIES
KIRKCUDBRIGHT Few people are aware of Kirkcudbright’s fascinating artistic heritage as one of the UK’s most signii cant artist colonies, but a redevelopment of the local town hall into a new art gallery promises to change all of that. Opening in June 2018, the gallery will give prominence to the Kirkcudbright Artists Collection showing work by local boy (and more famously, the Glasgow Boy) Edward Atkinson Hornel, alongside Jessie Marion King, Samuel John Peploe, Robert Sivell and John Faed who all spent signii cant time in Kirkcudbright making work. The touring crowd-pleaser, ‘The Monarch of the Glen’ by Sir Edwin Landseer, will also be on loan to the gallery as part of its opening celebrations. Kirkcudbright Galleries, St Mary Street, Kirkcudbright | Open (from Sat 9 Jun) in winter: Tue–Sat 10am–4pm, Sun noon–4pm; summer: Mon–Sat 10am–5pm, Sun noon–5pm
THE FIFE ARMS BRAEMAR While it hasn’t opened yet, The Fife Arms at Braemar is sure to be a huge hit on the Scottish art scene. Owned by art world heavyweights Iwan and Manuela Wirth (of Hauser & Wirth), the hotel venue will ‘rel ect their love of art and design . . . creating a unique and transformative experience for guests.’ Durslade Farmhouse in Somerset is another hotel location owned by the Wirths and has impressive installations by Pipilotti Rist and Guillermo Kuitca as part of the interiors: The Fife Arms promises to bring an equally impressive roster of contemporary artists to the town. Artists are even involved in the renovation process, with artist and poet Alec Finlay collaborating with Scottish architects Moxon and interior designer Russell Sage. Love contemporary art? Get a room. The Fife Arms, Mar Rd, Braemar | Opening 2018 | Follow Alec Finlay’s blog at gathering- aleci nlay.blogspot.co.uk
116 THE LIST 1 Apr–31 May 2018