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Past Exhibitions
Sixties Stirling
Titanic
Scottish Salon
In Nepal
Dunmore Pottery
Space and Time
Stirling Girls
Pots and Paint
E.H. Shepard
Robert Burns
Miniature Print
Stirling Childhood
John Paterson
Henry Morley
Ronald Forbes
William Wallace
Japanese Art
Leonardo da Vinci
Tel: 01786 471917
Programmes for adults and children include art exhibitions, events, workshops and school education service.
Open All year
Tues-Sat 10.30-5 and Sundays 2-5.
Admission is free.
Disabled access and facilities
Cafe serves lunches, snacks, teas and coffees with home baking and is open
daily to 4.30pm.
The friends of the Smith offer guided tours every Wednesday afternoon to
groups and individuals and at other times by arrangement.
Tel: 01786 471917.
SEE Current and Forthcoming Exhibitions at the
Smith Art Gallery and Museum
The Stirling Smith is proud to create and host a wide variety of different exhibitions every year, showcasing many different disciplines including fine art, social history, cultural history and other subjects of local and national interest.
In recent years we have presented exhibitions focusing on subjects ranging from the history of golf to the Titanic. Others have dealt with the lives of illustrious figures of Scottish history such as George Buchanan and Sir William Wallace, and celebrated the work of artists from all over the world. There are always new and exciting things to see in our galleries.
New Stirling Smith exhibition celebrates City’s farming heritage
The Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum is set to open a new exhibition of animal paintings and other images of life on the land, celebrating the rich heritage of agriculture in Stirlingshire. The exhibition is drawn from the collections of the Stirling Smith and the title reflects both the size of the paintings and their subjects.
The largest exhibit is “The Rebel” by A.R.W. Allan (1878-1959), measuring 9 x 9.5 feet. Painted in 1925, it features three Clydesdale horses at a time when Massey-Fergusson tractors were being introduced to farming. Art enthusiasts will have the chance to see Allan’s painting, which has been in store since 1970, cleaned and conserved in the public gallery from 9 to 13 August.
Other works include paintings by Joseph Denovan Adam (1841-1896) who ran a school of animal art at Craigmill, near Cambuskenneth, which was frequented by several of the Glasgow Boys. Adam ran his art school in Stirling as it was a major crossing place of the drove roads, which brought cattle from all over Scotland to the trysts of Falkirk. Highland cattle were once a common sight in the streets of Stirling in the autumn.
A number of events will take place alongside the exhibition, including a range of talks exploring agricultural-related topics, and activities for children throughout the summer.
The exhibition is supported by United Auctions (UA), Scotland’s leading livestock auctioneers, whose headquarters are based at the new Stirling Agricultural Centre. UA’s sponsorship is match-funded by a New Arts Sponsorship Grant supported by the Scottish Government in conjunction with Arts & Business Scotland.
David Leggat MBE, Executive Chairman of UA, will be doing a talk on Scotland’s Auction Marts during the exhibition. He said: “The company has been part of the farming culture in Stirling for more than 150 years so it’s with great delight that we lend our support to this terrific new exhibition.”
Barclay Price, Director of Arts & Business Scotland, said: “I’m delighted to see United Auctions sponsoring this new exhibition and that we have been able to match their money. This is a terrific example of business working with the arts for mutual benefit and the company is to be commended for its community support.”
To celebrate the first ever Potfest in Stirling at the Stirling Agricultural Centre, the Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum is exhibiting ceramics from the collections.
The Smith was established by artist Thomas Stuart Smith in 1874 and ceramics have been collected ever since. Some of the pots are of local interest and manufacture, such as Dunmore and Strathyre, while others mark national events such as a bowl from 1832 commemorating the Reform Act.
Visitors are given a warm welcome and can also visit the Stirling Story, a permanent exhibition of Stirling through the ages, where more ceramics from the collections can be discovered. We look forward to welcoming you!
Potfest Scotland is at Stirling Agricultural Centre, 29-31 May
www.potfest.co.uk
An exhibition of Galway images by photographer Jane Talbot will be opened by Mayor of Galway, Declan McDonnell at 10.30am on Tuesday 8 June at The Smith. It will be followed at 11.00am by a talk from distinguished historian Simon O’Dwyer on the ‘Ancient Music of Ireland’, illustrated with examples of early instruments.
The Galway in Stirling festival is part of the Stirling & Galway Sessions 2010, a festival of Celtic Music and the Arts that facilitates the exchange of exhibitions and events between the cities of Galway and Stirling. It takes place in Stirling from 6 - 12 June and then in Galway from 13-21 June.
As part of the Stirling festival and alongside the photography exhibition, the Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum will host a week-long series of special talks from 8 to 11 June. They include: ‘Hamish Henderson and the Summer Walkers’ by Timothy Neat on Wednesday 9 June at 11am; ‘The Harpers of Connellan’ by Kathleen Loughnane on Thursday 10 June at 11am; and ‘Saints and Scholars’ by Padraig MacNeil on Friday 11 June at 11am.
Musical events will also be held in the evening at the Tolbooth and elsewhere in Stirling.
Provost Fergus Wood of Stirling Council said: “Stirling and Galway share remarkable similarities with each having played a vital part in the development of their respective nations. With this exhibition and the presentations and concerts which follow, the Festival will set us on a course of shared experience for our common benefit and enjoyment.”
The photography exhibition runs until 12 September. To book a place at the talks, please contact the Smith on 01786 471917 or email museum@smithartgallery.demon.co.uk
Two front-line arts organisations exhibit together for the first time in Stories of Recovery, the new Spring exhibition at the Smith. Artlink Central and Reachout with Arts in Mind both work to challenge the stereotypes of mental ill health, celebrating the achievements of adults in mental health recovery.
While both groups operate throughout the Forth Valley, Reachout is an Alloa-based self-help group for adults led by its members and Artlink Central works with people of all ages, delivering visual and performing arts projects to people with enduring mental health problems in hospitals and in the community.
The gallery displays a wide range of artwork - drawing, painting, printmaking and jewellery, with some items for sale. Participation in the arts is recognised as a positive, health-promoting activity and we welcome the opportunity to show this bright, exciting Spring-time exhibition.
Artlink Central has worked for the past 22 years throughout Forth Valley delivering visual and performing arts projects to people with enduring mental health problems within hospitals and in the community. As well as arts opportunities delivered within a hospital setting, Artlink Central facilitates free weekly art classes for those recovering from mental health issues in the following locations:
Artspace Stirling, Thursday afternoons 2 – 4pm at The Cowane Centre, Stirling
Artspace Music, Wednesday afternoons 1.30 – 4pm at The Cowane Centre, Stirling
Artspace Dunipace, Thursday mornings, 10.30 – 12.30pm at The Heritage Rooms, Milton Row Hall, Denny
Artspace Camelon, Tuesday afternoons 1.30-3.30pm at Scotia Suite, Camelon Education Centre, Camelon
The exhibited work is a snapshot of the artwork created in the many settings that benefit from Artlink Central and its artists.
Contact Sarah Pearson, Artistic Programmer
email: info@artlinkcentral.org
Tel 01786 450971
www.artlinkcentral.org
Reachout With Arts In Mind provides a creative drop-in for 98 local adults from Clackmannanshire and across Forth Valley. Reachout campaigns to empower local people to develop a voice through raising awareness and challenging oppressive stereotypes of mental ill health.
Reachout has developed an innovative model of support using creative arts as a route to recovery and is recognised as a popular adult learning project. Reachout is self-managed by members, providing a sense of ownership integral to its success.
Reachout is supported by Clackmannanshire Council, The Fairer Scotland Fund, Voluntary Action Fund, Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland, Coalfields Regeneration Trust, The Robertson Trust and is a registered Scottish Charity. For more info contact:
Lesley Arthur Project Manager
Reachout With Arts In Mind 4/8 Glasshouse Loan Alloa FK10 1PF
Tel: 01259 723666
Email: lesleyarthur.reachout@googlemail.com
The main exhibition in Gallery 3 is The Stirling Story, telling the story of Stirling from pre-history to the 20th century. Using artefacts from the Stirling Smith collections, topics include the Romans, Wallace and Bruce, Renaissance Stirling, Jacobite Rising, trades and industry, agriculture and the two World Wars.
This important display features for the first time in the Smith's history, an interpretation of the history of Stirling, told using artefacts from the Smith collections. It has been funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and sponsorship from Scottish Amicable.
Allow at least 1 hour for browsing as the exhibition is full of detail. A variety of quizzes & games are provided for children.
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