Hidden Gem
Amazing creations from around Orkney and beyond can be found at The Pier Arts Centre
SINCE 1979, Stromness on Orkney’s Mainland has been home to The Pier Arts Centre, a small yet mightily impressive art gallery and museum. The centre was originally established to create a permanent home for the art collection donated by English artist Margaret Gardiner OBE, which can still be seen today.
This collection, known as The Pier Collection, is ever-expanding and includes work by well-known artists including Olafur Eliasson, Barbara Hepworth and Sir Terry Frost.
You’ll also find work on show by local Orcadian artists such as Margaret Tait, so
The Pier Collection feels right at home.
Isla Holloway, marketing and customer services manager at the centre, says she struggles to choose a favourite from the vast collection, but a local piece does stand out.
“I love looking at Sylvia Wishart’s paintings – Reflections, 2004 shows the view through Wishart’s window at her house in Stromness and there is so much to see.
“From the ferry heading out to sea and the Hoy Hills, to the ship in a bottle on the windowsill and the reflections of the inside of the house, I could look for hours and still find something new to see!”
Alongside the popular Pier Collection, the centre also runs numerous one-off exhibitions.
“The temporary programme of exhibitions offers the chance to see some of the best local, national and international art. As the collection is constantly moving around, there is always something new,” says Isla. If you weren’t expecting something so special, according to Isla, you’re not alone. “People visiting for the first time are delighted to find such a fine collection of British modern art here in Stromness. “Because the building looks quite unobtrusive from the street, it is often a real surprise when people discover the spaces and the art on display within.” An unassuming gallery next to the water in Stromness, The Pier Arts Centre is full of wonders and is a real Orcadian hidden gem.
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