FOCUS: CULTURE
Reconnecting through Culture Most people will associate the National Galleries of Scotland (NGS) with its iconic sites in Edinburgh. By Sir John Leighton Director-General
Our Galleries occupy strategic positions across the city, from the Modern Art campus in the west to the Portrait Gallery at the east end of Queen Street, with our flagship, the Scottish National Gallery, positioned physically and symbolically at the very heart of the capital. Collectively, these magnificent buildings are an amazing asset but they are also in some ways a liability. Their beautiful but imposing nineteenth-century architecture can reinforce an outmoded idea that galleries are temples of fine art, reserved for those who are sufficiently culturally confident to venture over the threshold. Today we operate with a very different model in mind. We aim to be open, inclusive and to work in partnership with diverse communities. We aspire to be outward-facing and responsive to the needs and expectations of many different audiences, local, national and international. These aims are reflected in numerous ways in our programmes and activities but they also
have a physical manifestation in two major projects in different parts of the capital. In the city centre, the redevelopment of the Scottish National Gallery is well under way and on track to be completed towards the end of next year, on time to give an extra boost to what we all hope will be the swift recovery of Edinburgh as a magnet for tourism. This project quite literally opens the Gallery out into its surroundings. The main entrance of the National Gallery moves from the congested portico of Playfair’s temple on The Mound Precinct to a newly remodelled, light-filled entrance facing onto the new layout of Princes Street Gardens. A whole suite of modern galleries for Scottish art will have views over the city and, crucially, passers-by will be able to see into the building, inviting curiosity and interest. At the same time as modernising our existing buildings in line with carbon reduction targets, we are in the early stages of developing a very different, transformative project in the north of Edinburgh. Situated on a large and currently derelict site in Granton, The Art Works will be a major new, low energy facility to house all
of the NGS collections. As with the National Gallery, this will not be a sealed off treasure chest but rather a place where anyone can explore and experience their national art collection. Our local community journey has already started and, as a key part of the Granton Waterfront development Plan, The Art Works will contribute an essential cultural and learning element to the placemaking ambitions for this deprived part of Edinburgh. As we move out of the physical and social isolation of the past year, our cultural organisations will play a key role in helping us to reconnect as individuals and communities as well as helping us to re-establish our national and international relationships. At NGS we are determined to play our part in recovery and to contribute to the physical, mental and economic well-being of our public. We look forward to welcoming you back and if you should have any new ideas for potential partnerships or creative collaborations with NGS then we are both approachable and easy to find.
June/July 2021 BC
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