National Galleries Scotland are recruiting volunteers to help with our upcoming events that will take place in the Granton Art Centre.
We are prioritising volunteers based in the area as we are looking to support local people and help connect them with the community. You can find more information in the link below:
We need your help in providing a warm welcome for community groups and visitors to Granton Art Centre, where we house many artworks from the National Galleries of Scotland’s collection.
With your help we can support audiences, in particular groups from North Edinburgh, to feel more connected to the collection and National Galleries of Scotland.
Your role:
You will be supporting the GAC team – led by our Store Manager, Holly – as well as freelance artists and educators who lead tours, events and activities to ensure community groups and visitors have a positive and memorable experience.
This opportunity supports National Galleries of Scotland with its community development programme in North Edinburgh, building relationships for The Art Works – National Galleries of Scotland’s future project in Granton to deliver a community centred and sustainable new facility for Scotland’s collection of art.
What is the Granton Art Centre:
Granton Art Centre is Scotland’s first purpose-built art store for paintings, drawings and sculptures from the national collection. It provides 1,300 square metres of secure and climate-controlled storage space.
It is a living archive, full of potential inspiration for community groups, artists, researchers, schools, and individuals where visitors can see artworks up close.
In the future, Granton Art Centre will eventually exist as The Art Works.
How to apply:
Easiest way to apply is online through the button on the right. You will be asked to provide some basic information about you, along with why you would like to volunteer in this role. You will also be asked for two referees, ideally one of them should be work/education/volunteering related and the other personal.
We are looking to recruit a team of 4 – 5 volunteers each contributing about 2hrs per month
PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION BY THE END OF JULY
Through this opportunity we aim to support local people and help connect them with the community. As such, priority will be given to applications from local residents (EH5 postcode).
The City of Edinburgh Council has granted planning permission for the National Galleries of Scotland’s exciting new community space, conservation, research and art storage facility in the heart of Granton.
The Art Works will form part of the wider regeneration of the Granton area, and will be located on a brown field site west of Madelvic House on Granton Park Avenue, within one of Scotland’s most diverse yet socioeconomically deprived areas.
The state of the art facility is designed with an innovative dual purpose, that goes beyond traditional art storage. While it will hold Scotland’s renowned art collection, it aims to make it more accessible than ever before to explore the nations art.
The Art Works will also contribute to the wellbeing and investment in the local area, offering community spaces for use by local residents, community groups and the wider public, all under one roof.
Offering an additional 11,000m² of quality space – the equivalent of two playing fields – the facility aims to make a major contribution to enhancing the local community for the long term.
The Art Works will be a world-class home for more than 120,000 works of art to be stored, cared for, conserved, and researched, while not on display in a gallery.
Storing Scotland’s extraordinary national collection in a completely new way, the public will be able to explore, discover, and engage with the art like never before. The building will also be a key focal point for community investment, pride and growth.
Inside there will be spaces for public use, including social areas and amenities for visitors’ comfort and enjoyment, such as a community studio, community support space, further education rooms and a Changing Places toilet.
This will be the only Changing Places facility available in the Granton area, and opens up the spaces for even more people to visit. These specially designed toilets enable those who need extra equipment and space to use the toilets safely and comfortably.
Sustainability is central to the National Gallery of Scotland’s vision for The Art Works. The plans include sustainable building practices which minimise energy impact and provide quality of life opportunities for the local community.
As the country’s largest cultural building designed to the Passivhaus standard, it will go beyond what is required by the Scottish Building Standards. It will be climate resilient and decarbonise the care of the nations collection.
Alongside enabling the National Galleries of Scotland to develop a vastly improved digital offering, the purpose-built facility will deliver a modern environment in which members of the public, colleagues, students and researchers can engage with the art stored there.
The historic collection of the Royal Scottish Academy will also be housed in the new building and it will also be home to the Demarco Archive. Outside, there will be activity areas that bring the natural environment to life, including new green routes through to Granton Waterfront.
Accessible to all, The Art Works will attract and inspire local visitors and communities right through to specialist researchers in Scotland and from across the world.
Several projects with local partners are underway, with completed projects including a collaboration with local charities and social enterprises to make 1000 art-themed face coverings for local people and visits for nursery groups to enjoy the community orchard which is currently on part of the site.
Previously known as the National Collection Facility, proposals for a building of this kind have been in the early stages of concept development since 2015. Now known as The Art Works, the project aims to bring Scotland’s vast and extraordinary national art collection into a single, future-proofed location.
The national collection is currently stored across several sites where access and space are extremely limited, logistics are difficult, and conditions are suboptimal for enabling the full potential for public access, conservation and research to be realised. It also means it can be challenging for works to be made available for display and loan.
The Art Works will be instrumental in addressing these issues, enabling much greater access to and engagement with Scotland’s incredible collection of art treasures. The facility safeguards the future of this publicly owned, renowned national collection.
Sir John Leighton, Director-General of the National Galleries of Scotland, said: ‘We are delighted to have received planning permission for The Art Works. We are committed to continuing work with the Council and other strategic partners to play our part in shaping and informing the development of north Edinburgh.
“Our project has the potential to be a huge catalyst for change in the local community and at national levels. The Art Works will allow National Galleries of Scotland to share its collection much more effectively across the nation and to bring the benefits of art and culture to the widest possible audience.’
Check out this freshly painted mural outside Fresh Start in West Pilton
National Galleries of Scotland have been working with residents and artists Fraser Gray and Eva Paredes to create this stunning artwork, inspired by the work the charity does to support the local community.
The mural is part of NGS’ work to build stronger relationships with people and organisations in North Edinburgh, where The Art Works will be based.
The mural also features some artworks inspired by the national collection – see if you can spot them!
National Galleries of Scotland submits full planning application for transformational major development in North Edinburgh
National Galleries of Scotland has submitted ambitious plans to construct a new collection storage, conservation, community space and research facility for the national collection of art in Granton,
The Art Works will allow everyone to explore, discover, and engage with Scotland’s national art collection. The historic collection of the Royal Scottish Academy will also be housed in the new building along with the home of the Demarco Archive.
The Art Works will offer an additional 11,000m² of quality space – the equivalent of two playing fields – to make the collection more accessible to the public than ever before. Alongside a vastly improved digital offering, the purpose-built facility will deliver a modern environment in which members of the public, colleagues, students and researchers can engage with the works stored there.
Much more than a world-class building to care for Scotland’s national art collection, The Art Works will be created with the needs of the local community at its heart. Inside there will be spaces for public use, including social areas and amenities for visitors’ comfort and enjoyment, including a community studio, community support space, further education rooms and a Changing Places toilet, as well as collection viewing rooms and study spaces.
Outside there will be opportunities for activity areas and bringing the environment to life, including new green routes through to the Waterfront. Several projects with local partners are underway, with completed projects including a collaboration with local charities and social enterprises to make 1000 art-themed face coverings for local people and visits for nursery groups to enjoy the community orchard which is currently on part of the site.
Located at the heart of one of Scotland’s most diverse yet socioeconomically deprived areas, the facility sits at the heart of the Granton Waterfront regeneration area and will make a significant contribution to the regeneration process. It will seek to be inclusive, connecting to other facilities and partners in the area both physically and visually.
Sustainability is central to the National Gallery of Scotland’s vision for The Art Works. The plans include sustainable building practices which minimise energy impact and provide quality of life opportunities for the local community.
As the country’s largest building designed to the Passivhaus standard, it will go beyond what is required by the Scottish Building Standards.
Previously known as the National Collection Facility, proposals for a building of this kind have been in the early stages of concept development since 2015.
Now known as The Art Works, the project aims to bring Scotland’s vast and extraordinary national art collection into a single, future-proofed location. Prior to and following submission of the Proposal of Application Notice in May 2022, the National Galleries of Scotland, and their consultant design team, worked closely with the local community, key stakeholders and the planning authority to prepare the planning submission.
The collection is currently stored across several sites where access and space are extremely limited, logistics are difficult, and conditions are suboptimal for enabling the full potential for public access, conservation and research to be realised. It also means it can be challenging for works to be made available for display and loan.
The Art Works will be instrumental in addressing these issues, enabling much greater access to and engagement with Scotland’s incredible collection of art treasures and safeguarding the future of this publicly owned, renowned national collection.
Sir John Leighton, Director-General of the National Galleries of Scotland said: ‘National Galleries of Scotland is happy to now be able to submit a full planning application following extensive consultation with the communities of North Edinburgh.
“This is an incredibly exciting moment in the realisation of The Art Works project. This entirely new facility will provide state-of-the- art spaces for the management and distribution of Scotland’s art, deliver world-class services for staff, researchers and visitors and provide a significant, long-term contribution to benefit and enhance the local community for years to come.’
Invites to this event have also been issued to other local stakeholders and to residents/businesses in the local area. Please do pass the invitation on to any other parties that you think may be interested.
A public consultation has started on ambitious plans by the National Galleries of Scotland (NGS) to construct a vitally important new building in Granton, North Edinburgh. Titled The Art Works, the facility will house Scotland’s extraordinary national art collection and provide a significant, long-term contribution to benefit and enhance the local community for years to come.
Located at the heart of one of Scotland’s most diverse yet socioeconomically deprived areas, The Art Works has a unique dual purpose at its core: firstly, as a base for more than 100,000 works of art to be cared for, conserved and researched; and secondly as a key focal point for community investment, pride and growth.
The building will by fully accessible and open to all, offering world-class visitor facilities, rooms for education and community programmes, and new outdoor public spaces – all designed to meet the needs of and help realise the huge potential of the local community.
Previously known as the National Collection Facility, proposals for a building of this kind have been in the early stages of concept development since 2015. Now known as The Art Works, the project aims to bring Scotland’s vast and extraordinary national art collection into a single future-proofed location.
At present the collection is stored across several sites where access and space are extremely limited, logistics are difficult, and conditions are suboptimal for enabling the full potential for public access, conservation and research to be realised; and also for allowing works to be made available for display and loan.
The Art Works will be instrumental in addressing each of these issues, enabling much greater access to and engagement with Scotland’s artistic treasures. The scope for touring the collection around Scotland and internationally will be greatly increased, meaning more people than ever before will be able to connect and engage with Scotland’s incredible artistic legacy.
Sir John Leighton, Director-General of the National Galleries of Scotland said: “This is an incredibly exciting moment for both the National Galleries of Scotland and the communities of North Edinburgh.
“The Art Works has the potential to be truly transformative, not only in how Scotland’s national collection of art is cared for and shared more widely, but also by providing much needed new facilities to unleash the creative confidence and spirit of the local area.
“I would encourage everyone to get involved in the consultation and together help design a major new building in Granton that will work for and provide inspiration to all.”
As part of the Granton Waterfront project, which is adopting ambitious plans on low-carbon travel modes and energy-efficient new housing, The Art Works will play an important role in Scotland’s green recovery as the country’s largest building designed to the Passivhaus standard, which goes beyond the requirements for meeting Scotland’s 2030 carbon reduction targets.
The Art Works will be located on a site west of Madelvic House on Granton Park Avenue. The project is at the pre-planning application consultation stage which enables members of the public to share their views on the proposals.
These will be considered before NGS proceeds to submit a full planning application.
People can find out more about the proposals at an event on Monday 6 June 2022 from 3pm-7pm at Edinburgh College (Granton Campus).
In addition, an online question and answer session with the project team is planned for Tuesday 7 June 2022 between 5pm-7pm.
