Artists in Uist are opening up their homes and studios to the public – and there is more to come.
The Uist Arts Association, which supports local creatives in Uist and Barra, is heading into its busiest season.
The Art on the Map trail is back with a bang post-Covid.
And now, a call-out has been released for 2022’s summer exhibition, where artists’ work will be displayed at Taigh Chearsabhagh in Lochmaddy from July 2 to August 6.
The artworks will also be available to buy either in person or online.
One room in the exhibition is dedicated to a retrospective of the work of Judith Entwisle-Baker, a longstanding member of the community and “an active and passionate supporter of arts in the Uists”, who died in 2019.
Meanwhile, the UAA’s Art on the Map Trail, a project happening across Uist and Barra which offers visitors a look inside the workspaces of artists, opened on June 1 and will run until the end of August.
The project has been part of the Uist art landscape for over 20 years, but was on hold over the last two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
‘You’re inviting in strangers’
The threat of the virus made it unfeasible, says artist and UAA member Peter Ferguson.
“The artists are opening their homes. You’re inviting in strangers.”
2021’s summer exhibition also had to implement new rules and restrictions.
Now, the return of the art trail is one sign that life on the Western Isles is beginning to return to normal.
But Covid, Mr Ferguson says, isn’t the only challenge the UAA has been facing.
“The other problem we’ve had here, of course, is Brexit,” he said.
“Because we’re on an island, we need to ship off what people buy, so postage to Europe has been a big issue.”
And, while the art courses at Taigh Chearsabhagh bring a steady stream of new talent to Uist, Mr Ferguson says a lack of housing means not everyone who wants to live there can find a home.
He stressed that the UAA is dedicated to showing the diversity of talent on the islands. This includes work from less established artists such as students.
‘A craft element’
That diversity also applies to what’s shown at the exhibition.
It includes fine arts such as painting and sculpture, but “there’s a craft element as well — people bring things like weaving and knitting.”
Like many places in the Highlands and Islands, Uist has a rich history of textile and applied arts.
These traditions, along with the distinctive way the artists use their work to capture the landscape of the Outer Hebrides, mean that the art trail and summer exhibition are popular with tourists.
They bring in much-needed funds, but, Mr Ferguson says, the focus has always been on “local people”.
“We want to show our neighbours what it is that we’re doing.”
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