Thurso Art Gallery rises again thanks to efforts of local creative group
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A Thurso gallery that appeared doomed to shut for good has risen from the ashes thanks to the efforts of the Society of Caithness Artists (SCA).
A trial exhibition will take place at Thurso Art Gallery – based in the town's library – after the body running it, High Life Highland (HLH), called it a day on the facility earlier this year to save running costs.
Chair of SCA, Ian Pearson, has been instrumental in setting up discussions with HLH to explore alternative options to the long-term closure of the gallery and said: "A lot of people were bitterly disappointed and upset about the planned closure of the gallery.
"The Society of Caithness Artists recognised that the local community would benefit from having a place to go to to appreciate the creativity that exists in the county. Reopening the gallery to host art seemed an obvious choice and I am glad that HLH felt the same and worked with us to enable exhibitions to continue.”
As a result of these negotiations the SCA has announced that it will be hosting an up-and-coming show by its members at the Davidson's Lane venue on Friday, November 17. The exhibition is called Winter and will be open the same hours as Thurso Library, running until March 2, 2024. The seasonal theme follows on from similar shows hosted by the Society.
Discussing the need to close the gallery, a spokesperson for HLH said in April: “Like many organisations, HLH has seen its operating costs rising against a challenging cost-of-living-crisis backdrop for its users. This has meant the charity has had to take some difficult decisions as part of its budget setting for the current year.
“The charity has taken the decision to cease the programming and operations at the Thurso Art Gallery as part of that process in an agreement between High Life Highland and the Highland Council. The gallery will continue to operate whilst contractual discussions are ongoing."
The SCA chair said: “The experience of working with HLH towards such a goal proves that with the right teamwork and a positive attitude anything is possible."
He urged all to visit the exhibition to see the artwork for themselves and help support the local creative scene. "The theme of the Society’s exhibition is 'Winter' and let’s hope it's not going to be a 'Winter of Discontent'!"
