Edinburgh New Town Art Month

By Susan Mansfield, 02.06.2023

exterior of Powderhall Bronze Editions

Edinburgh’s New Town art galleries are due to get a special boost in June with a three-week festival highlighting the variety of work on show. The inaugural New Town Art Month, 8^th – 30^th June, brings together 10 galleries, stretching from Dundas Street to Howard Street and Summer Place.

 

Art galleries have long been a part of New Town life: the Scottish Gallery celebrates its 180th anniversary this year, and others such as the Fine Art Society (established 1876) and Open Eye Gallery (40 last year) are well-loved institutions in the city.

 

Others, such as &Gallery and Atelier Gallery have opened in the last decade, with the newest, Powderhall Bronze Editions, opening just a year ago to showcase the work of Powderhall fine art foundry, alongside furniture and contemporary art. Wine bar Bacco Wines will host a pop-up exhibition of photographs by James Glossop.

 

NT Art Month aims to celebrate the part that commercial galleries, young and old, play in the city’s art infrastructure. During June, visitors can explore the “art quarter”, from the top of Dundas Street down to the Botanic Gardens, with the aid of a specially designed map, website, “scavenger hunt” for children and a programme of special events.

 

“We want to encourage people to come out and explore, to raise the profile of the galleries and the artists we work with,” says artist Linda Park, who owns the Atelier Gallery on Howard Street with her husband Richard. “A lot of us gallerists muddle on in our own way, this is a great way of getting us to work in more of a team.”

 

While most people will be aware of some of the New Town galleries, many won’t know the range of work available, from Harvey & Woodd which specialises in mixed shows of Scottish art from the 18th century to the present day, to &Gallery, focussing on abstract and minimal painting, drawing and sculpture, and Birch Tree Gallery, which celebrates art which has its roots in nature, either in the subject matter or the material.

 

A key aim is to encourage people across the threshold of spaces they might find intimidating, with initiatives such as the family “scavenger hunt” (downloadable from the website). Linda Park says: “People say galleries are a bit scary, but we are hoping people of all ages will come in and see the art and talk to us about what they think. At Atelier we tend to have quite a relaxed feel because my studio is in the back and I’m generally covered in paint!

 

“It’s also about letting people know that art can be affordable, rather than assuming it is just for people with lots of money. We can do lots of things to work with customers, like taking a painting to their home to try, and many of us offer the option to pay in instalments.”

 

New Town Art Month runs between 8^th – 30th June, see www.ntart.org