Art gallery at Ullapool in hunt for new home
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A charity-run art gallery faces losing the exhibition space which has been its home in Ullapool for the past five years.
An Talla Solais has received notice to vacate the premises at the Caledonian Hotel by October. The charity, which receives no core funding, relies on the gallery as its main source of income for covering basic costs such as staff wages.
In response, An Talla Solais is launching a widespread community consultation starting with an online survey which will be available from next week until March.
Joanna Wright, An Talla Solais's Associate Director, said public support had been overwhelming since the closure was announced a few days ago. "More than 85,000 people have visited this space since we opened its doors and it's been both inspiring and moving to hear how much the gallery means to some of them. We'd ask anyone who wants to help us in the first instance to take five minutes to complete our survey so that we can gather ideas and get feedback on options for how we go forward next year. We have a JustGiving page for donations and once we have firm feedback we'll be devising a fundraising plan for our transition to the next phase."
She added: "Our tenancy at the Hotel has never been permanent so we've been trying to find a space for some time but so far we haven’t succeeded in coming up with anything appropriate or available in Ullapool. We would welcome any suggestions about new premises. We're lucky enough to live in a creative and resourceful community and that has inspired our work for nearly two decades so we're staying positive about what the future holds."
An Talla Solais was set up more than 15 years ago by local artists to provide a dedicated space for visual arts in the north west Highlands. In addition to an annual programme of exhibitions, the organisation runs free community events and workshops. It also offers studio spaces, a ceramics facility and classes.
The gallery has shown work by renowned artists including Elizabeth Blackadder, Victoria Crowe, Turner Prize nominee David Mach and Rachel Maclean, who was selected to represent Scotland at the prestigious Venice Biennale in 2017.
Whatever direction the charity takes, it confirmed that its Dolphin Arts Project which works with people and their families living with dementia in Ullapool, will continue and that it is working to guarantee the Project's future.
The Dolphin Project's second exhibition opens in the gallery on the 13th of February and will signal the start on a series of informal drop-in consultation sessions held with the community.
