Pier Arts Centre facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Pier Arts Centre

The Pier Arts Centre from opposite pier
Established	1979
Location	Stromness, Orkney, Scotland
Type	Art Gallery & Museum

The Pier Arts Centre is a cool art gallery and museum in Stromness, a town in Orkney, Scotland. It opened in 1979. A kind lady named Margaret Gardiner (1904–2005) gave her amazing art collection to Orkney. She wanted it to be kept safe for everyone to enjoy. Besides her collection, the Centre always has new art shows and fun events happening all year!

History

The buildings where The Pier Arts Centre is located have a long and interesting past in Orkney.

Curved Form (Trevalgan) by Barbara Hepworth

Early Days of the Buildings

The main house, facing the street, was built a long time ago in the 1700s. In the 1800s, a rich merchant named Edward Clouston lived there. He was an agent for the Hudson's Bay Company. Clouston built storage buildings and offices on the pier behind his house. His home had a fancy drawing room filled with books and a piano.

When the Hudson's Bay Company ships arrived each summer, it was a big event in Stromness. In 1840, Mr. and Mrs. Clouston even hosted some ladies. These ladies were traveling to join their husbands who worked for the Hudson's Bay Company in Canada.

Later, in 1872, John Aim Shearer took over the buildings. He ran a general store business there for almost 100 years. Stromness was a busy place for herring fishing back then. Shearer built a shop across the street and a cooperage (where barrels are made) on the pier. His schooner ships, like the Maggie and Minnie, often brought goods to the pier.

A Special Collection

After the fishing boom ended, the pier became much quieter. During World War II, the top floor of the pier store was used by the army. Later, it became a home. In 1977, The Pier Arts Centre Trust bought the original house and the pier store.

Margaret Gardiner first visited Orkney in the 1950s. She decided to turn the old quayside building into a home for her collection of modern art. Margaret was born into a wealthy family. She studied at Cambridge University. She was also an activist, speaking out against unfairness. She wrote books, including one about the artist Barbara Hepworth. Margaret knew many important writers and artists of her time.

Margaret didn't like being called a "collector." She said she "never set out to collect." But she became friends with many artists and supported their work. This helped her gather a very personal and important art collection. It shows how British Modernism developed over time. Her friendship with Barbara Hepworth especially influenced her interest in art. Through Hepworth, she met other famous artists like Ben Nicholson.

In the 1930s and 40s, Margaret supported a group of artists who found a safe place in St Ives. She also helped the Cornish painter Alfred Wallis. After World War II, she encouraged new artists. These included Peter Lanyon, Patrick Heron, and Terry Frost. They were drawn to St Ives because it was becoming a hub for new art ideas.

The art collection at the Centre has grown since 1979. It now has over 180 artworks. Most of these are from the Modernism art style, from 1929 to today. Recently, the Centre has also added works by international artists. These include Sean Scully and Olafur Eliasson.

Architecture

Looking out from the Arts Centre to the traditional fishing activities on the pier

The Pier Arts Centre reopened in July 2007. It had been closed for two years for construction. The original buildings and pier were once offices for the Hudson's Bay Company. They have been expanded by Reiach & Hall Architects. They created a new, modern building right on the edge of the harbor.

Artists in the collection