28 - 36 Victoria Street, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3AA
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  • 20 June – 26 September 2026 The Scale of Things – new work by Erin McQuarrie Through the language of...
    Erin McQuarrie, Dava (detail), 2025, image courtesy of the Artist

    20 June – 26 September 2026

    The Scale of Things – new work by Erin McQuarrie

     

    Through the language of warp and weft, Erin McQuarrie explores the architectural qualities and poetic sensibilities of textiles.

     

    Through the language of warp and weft, Erin McQuarrie explores the architectural qualities and poetic sensibilities of textiles. For her upcoming solo show, The Scale of Things, at Pier Art Centre, McQuarrie will present a new body of work inspired by her RSA residency at Linkshouse, Birsay in Orkney. Her naturally dyed tapestries, drawings and poetry will respond to the magnetic landscape, ecology and Neolithic sites of Orkney.


    Erin McQuarrie is an artist and educator from Glasgow. She studied Textiles at The Glasgow School of Art (2018) and received her MFA in Textiles from Parsons School of Design (2021) on a Fulbright scholarship. Her work has been exhibited in Scotland and internationally, including Dovecot Studios, The Briggait, Jane Lombard Gallery, Mana Contemporary, L’Space Gallery, New York Public Library and New York Textile Month. She lives and works in Glasgow and teaches at The Glasgow School of Art as a lecturer in Textiles.
  • Erin McQuarrie, Laminaria, 2024, image Alex Hoyles (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Erin McQuarrie, weaving detail, image courtesy of the Artist (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    work by Erin McQuarrie, image courtesy of the Artist (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).

    Erin McQuarrie, Laminaria, 2024, image Alex Hoyles

  • 26 September 2026, 10am-4pm George Donald RSA: Tutored Life Drawing Workshop Integral to the RSA’s history is the Academy’s Life...
    Life drawing class with George Donald RSA

    26 September 2026, 10am-4pm

    George Donald RSA: Tutored Life Drawing Workshop

    Integral to the RSA’s history is the Academy’s Life School at The Mound in Edinburgh, where fine art, including life drawing, was taught until the formation of Edinburgh College of Art in 1907 (from where the Life School continued to function until 1930). To highlight this, the RSA is working with artist George Donald RSA to deliver a series of one-day life drawing classes across Scotland in 2026. 

     

    Workshop Overview:

    This practical life drawing workshop will be delivered in-person by George Donald RSA. George will teach basic life drawing skills and techniques with the use of a model human skeleton, while giving lively insights into the history of life drawing and telling stories of his illustrious career.

     

    Over the course of the day participants will draw from a life model and explore how the anatomy of the body influences its surface, shape and tone. George will guide and instruct participants to create their own work in a relaxed and informal setting.

     

    Book direct via The Pier Arts Centre
  • About The Pier Arts Centre
    The Pier Arts Centre, Orkney,  photograph Alistair Peebles

    About The Pier Arts Centre

    The Pier Arts Centre in Stromness, Orkney was founded in 1979 to house a collection of British fine art donated to the people of Orkney by philanthropist Margaret Gardiner (1904-2005). The collection includes works by major 20th Century artists Barbara Hepworth and Ben Nicholson amongst others, as well as Orkney artists such as Sylvia Wishart RSA and Stanley Cursiter RSA and contemporary artists including Karla Black, Jim Lambie RSA (elect) and Katy Dove. The Pier Arts Centre presents a programme of local, national and international exhibitions, events, residencies and performances, providing people in Orkney with the opportunity to engage with art of the highest quality.

     

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    Banner image: The Pier Arts Centre, Orkney photograph Alistair Peebles