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Past Exhibitions

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* Denotes Pier Arts Centre publication or co-publication

Beautiful Being, Alex Katz and Cy Twombly ARTIST ROOMS

Hill and Voe, new paintings by Diana Leslie

Wood, Paper, Stone, new work by Jeremy Baster

Beach Boy, Jim Lambie

Orkney in colour, images from the 1960s & 70s by photojournalist John Bulmer

Traces in time, the work of Sylvia Wishart (1936 – 2008)

Tall ships, the boat paintings of Alfred Wallis and William G Thomson

Christmas Open Exhibition

Adam Barker-Mill, Space for Colour (27 February–10 April 2010)

Steven MacIver, Latitude (24 April–5 June 2010)

STONE project and Milestone Carve (19 June–21 August 2010)

Annie Cattrell, Fathom – Sculpture and drawings (4 September–13 November 2010)

Hannah Rickards: Thunder (2–30 October 2010)

Ian Stephen, Is a thing lost if we know where it is? (in collaboration with Emmanuelle Waeckerlé & Colin Myers)(4 September–13 November 2010)

Christmas Open Exhibition (26 November–24 December 2010)

Orkney Art Graduates 2001–2008, Generation (21 February–4 April 2009)

Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, A Discipline of the Mind (18 April–6 June 2009)

The Lighthouse, Building Biographies

RCHAMS, Treasured Places

Bill Viola, Being Time (19 June–5 September 2009)

Robin Gillanders, A Scottish Journey

Margaret Gardiner, Paintings

Roger Ackling, Brought Back (19 September–14 November 2009)

Christmas Open Exhibition (28 November–31 December 2009)

Colin Johnstone, His Angry Ghost (9 February–5 April 2008)

Sue Jane Taylor, Oilwork – The North Sea Diaries (9 February–5 April 2008)

Bill Woodrow and Richard Deacon, Lead Astray (19 April–7 June 2008)

Gunnie Moberg (1941–2007), Three Island Groups Orkney, Shetland & Faroe (23 May–2 August 2008)

Camilla Løw, Straight Letters (20 June–6 September 2008)

Scotland and Venice, 2003, 2005, 2007 (20 September–8 November 2008)

Circles in the Landscape Drawings by Philip Hughes (20 September–8 November 2008)

A Winter Festival of Orkney Artists (22 November–24 December 2008)

a north light ~ cynosure (7 July 2007–10 November 2007)

A Winter Festival of Orkney Artists (24 November 2007- 26 January 2008)

Christil Trumpet, Consequences (24 November 2007–26 January 2008)

Rebecca Marr – Artist in Residence, Art & Agriculture (24 November 2007–26 January 2008)

Edinburgh College of Art – Art, Space & Nature, Ferry Loupers (24 November 2007–26 January 2008)

Pier Arts Centre closed for redevelopment

The Films of Margaret Tait, Subjects & Sequences (in collaboration with LUX, London) – hosted at Orquil Gallery, Rendall

Alan Davie, Etchings – hosted at Orquil Gallery, Rendall (Edinburgh Printmakers)

Cursiter at Yesnaby, Window in the World & Creels, tea, tar and paint (6 March–10 April 2004)

Gunnie Moberg, Zenomap & From Hamnavoe to Holyrood (17 April–15 May 2004)

Open Exhibition (22 May–5 June 2004)

Festival Exhibition, Richard Slee, Panorama (13 June–14 August 2004)

Ian Scott, Uncast (21 August–25 September 2004)

Marian Ashburn, Cupola (2 October–20 November 2004)

Christmas Exhibition (27 November–24 December 2004)

Schools Exhibition, Bricks & Mortar (15 February–8 March 2003)

*Edinburgh College of Art, Architecture Students & Works from the Collection, A Future in the Past (15 March–12 April 2003)

Freddie Robins (firstsite, Colchester), Cosy (19 April–17 May 2003)

Open Exhibition (23 May–7 June 2003)

*Festival Exhibition, The Multiples of Joseph Beuys (in collaboration with the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art) (20 June–23 August 2003)

Raymond Besant, A Turning Tide/Semana Santa (6 September–11 October 2003)

Jade Stout/Kevin Cormack/Eilidh Harcus (18 October–22 November 2003)

Christmas Exhibition (29 November–24 December 2003)

Pier Gallery Collection and Plans (19 January–16 March 2002)

*John Cumming & Frances Pelly, Hansel (30 March–18 May 2002)

Open Exhibition (24 May–15 June 2002)

Festival Exhibition, Will McLean, Driftworks (21 June–17 August 2002)

John McLean, Hinterland (Peacock Visual Arts, Aberdeen) (1 September–5 October 2002)

Christmas Exhibition (30 November–24 December 2002)

Schools exhibition, Looking Twice (3 February–10 March 2001)

Judy Spark/Zoe Walker/Jenny Brownrigg, Northern Exposure (7 April–19 May 2001)

Open Exhibition (25 May–16 June 2001)

Festival Exhibition, Julie Roberts, Town and Country (22 June–18 August 2001)

Sam MacDonald, Fish (25 August–6 October 2001)

Dave Harris & Kathy Pickles, Natural Studies (13 October–24 November 2001)

Christmas Exhibition (1 December–24 December 2001)

Orkney Islands Council Collection, Orkney’s Art (21 January–17 March 2000)

Richard Welsby, Vital Signs (2 April–13 May 2000)

Open Exhibition (20 May–10 June 2000)

Festival Exhibition, Callum Innes, Paintings (16 June–12 August 2000)

Spotlight on Terry Frost (National Touring Exhibitions) (19 August–16 September 2000)

*Colin Kirkpatrick, Cowtown (23 September–21 October 2000)

Christmas Exhibition (3 December–22 December 2000)

Schools Exhibition (27 February–20 March 1999)

Dalziel + Scullion, The Way Stations (27 March–8 May 1999)

Open Exhibition (15 May–12 June 1999)

*Festival Exhibition, Jock McFadyen, From Orkney and Other Places (18 June–31 July 1999)

20 Years of the Pier Arts Centre, Painted Field (7 August–18 September 1999)

Tracy Makenna and Edwin Janssen, Soft (30 October–27 November 1999)

Christmas Open Exhibition (4–24 December 1999)

New Additions to the Collection (17 January–14 February 1998)

Moby Dick (28 February–28 March 1998)

*Margaret Mellis (in collaberation with the Kapil Jariwala Gallery, London) (4 April–9 May 1998)

Open Exhibition (15 May–30 May 1998)

Festival Exhibition, Alan Davie (6 June–11 July 1998)

*Ross Sinclair, Dream of the Hamnavoe Free State (18 July–22 August 1998)

*Ian Hamilton Finlay, Ian Stephen & Graham Rich, Green Waters (in collaboration with Pocketbooks, Edinburgh) (29 August–26 September 1998)

Recent Graduates (3 October–31 October 1998)

Kate Whiteford, Remote Sensing (7 November–28 November 1998)

Christmas Open Exhibition (5–24 December 1998)

Kenneth Dingwall, 1990-1995 (11 January–8 February 1997)

*Come here…look at this (15 February–8 March 1997)

Eileen Lawrence (21 March–19 April 1997)

Erlend Brown/John Cumming/Alistair Peebles/Bryan Thurston, 9 Days on Foula (26 April–17 May 1997)

Open Exhibition (22 May–14 June 1997)

Resound Installations at Highland Park Distillery

Festival Exhibition, Anthony Caro & Sheila Girling (20 June–26 July 1997)

Alan Johnston/Kristjan Gudmundson/Franz Graf, Ground (2 August–13 September 1997)

*Anne Bevan, Lifting Light (20 September–18 October 1997)

*Derick Guild, Sense is Hard (25 October–22 November 1997)

Christmas Open Exhibition (29 November–24 December 1997)

Orkney Islands Council Collection (18 January–3 February 1996)

James Howie, Paintings (10 February–2 March 1996)

*Robert Shaw etchings, Human Circus (in collaboration with the Talbot Rice Gallery, Edinburgh) (16 March–13 April 1996)

*Steven Campbell, Chesterfield Dreams (20 April–18 May 1996)

Open Exhibition (24 May–8 June 1996)

Festival Exhibition, Gunnie Moberg, Retrospective (14 June–13 July 1996)

*An exhbition at The Earl's Palace, Kirkwall, New Work at the Yards (June–August 1996)

Sol Lewitt, New Wall Drawings (22 July–31 August 1996)

*Malcolm Appleby, Prints and related silverwork (7 September–28 September 1996)

Ian Howard (Peacock Printmakers, Aberdeen) (5 October–26 October 1996)

*Victoria Morton (2 November–23 November 1996)

Christmas Open Exhibition (30 November–24 December 1996)

Society of Scottish Artists Selection (14 January–4 February 1995)

Karen Forbes, Breathe (11 February–11 March 1995)

Morning Star Folios, Correspondences (25 March–22 April 1995)

Iain Stewart, Unfinished Dialogue (29 April–20 May 1995)

Open Exhibition (26 May–10 June 1995)

*Festival Exhibition, Mary Newcomb (16 June–22 July 1995)

Paragon Press, The Scottish Bestiary & Magic Reader (29 July–19 August 1995)

*Dove Bradshaw Indeterminacy & William Anastasi Works 1961-1995 (25 August–23 September 1995)

*Gary Fabian Miller, Observances (30 September–28 October 1995)

Student Show, Trailblazing (4–25 November 1995)

Christmas Open Exhibition (3–23 December 1995)

Ralph Steadman, Acid & Ink (Peacock Printmakers, Aberdeen) (15 January–12 February 1994)

*Private View – an Exhibition of Self Portraits (26 February–26 March 1994)

Dundee Printmakers (2–30 April 1994)

Open Exhibition (7–21 May 1994)

Richard Paul Wemyss (27 May–11 June 1994)

*Festival Exhibition, Richard Long (17 June–9 July 1994)

Henry Moore and the Sea (Henry Moore Foundation) (16 July–6 August 1994)

Natalie Niblack & Joan Smith (13 August–3 September 1994)

William Johnstone (Talbot Rice Gallery, Edinburgh) (10 September–1 October 1994)

Hamish Marr & Ailsa Magnus, Two Natures (8 October–29 October 1994)

*Contemporary British Knitwear, Cast in Stiches (5–26 November 1994)

Christmas Open Exhibition (3–24 December 1994)

Angus Og/Tir-nan-Og/An Lanntair (6–27 February 1993)

Graeme Todd (6 March–3 April 1993)

Open Exhibition (10–24 April 1993)

George Washington Wilson (1–15 May 1993)

Erlend Brown, Pier & Ocean (22 May–12 June 1993)

*Festival Exhibition, Jake Harvey, North (17 June–10 July 1993)

James Castle (Peacock Printmakers, Aberdeen) (16 July–7 August 1993)

Carol Dunbar, Brigitta Edwards, Hugh Lieshman, warp, weft & wood (13 August–4 September 1993)

Matt Farenholtz (11 September–2 October 1993)

Soulisquoy Printmakers – 10 years (8–30 October 1993)

In Other Lands (Highland Region) (5–27 November 1993)

Christmas Open Exhibition (3–24 December 1993)

Artist as Voyager (7–29 February 1992)

John Bellany (Highland Region) (6–28 March 1992)

Open Week (3–18 April 1992)

*North Boats (24 May–13 June 1992)

Festival Exhibition, Aboriginal Art (Rebecca Hossack Gallery, London) (18 June–11 July 1992)

*Frances Pelly, Nousts (18 July–8 August 1992)

*Sylvia Wishart (14 August–5 September 1992)

*Colin Kirkpartick, Anne Bevan and Alistair Peebles, Birdlands–Blown from the Beginning (11 September–3 October 1992)

Ian Hamilton Finlay, Evening will come… (Graeme Murray Gallery, Edinburgh) (9–31 October 1992)

Recent art graduates, Yamals (6–28 November 1992)

Christmas Open Exhibition (4–24 December 1992)

Pat Semple and Brian MacBeath

Paula Rego

Thirteenth Open Week

Tom McKendrick, Submarine

Festival Exhibition, Faroese Art

Hardanger Exhibition

*Sylvia Hays

*Matthew Hilton, Flagship for New Reaches

Frances Walker, painting and drawing

Christmas Open Exhibition

Neil Firth/Colin Johnstone/Colin Kirkpatrick, Base

Glen Onwin

James Hugonin and Joanna Greenhill

Twelfth Open Week

*5000 Years of Orkney Art

Beth Fisher (Peacock Printmakers)

*John Cumming/John Gray/Alistair Peebles, Holm

Christmas Open Exhibition

The European Cartoonist

Gwen Hardie, (Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh)

Eleventh open Week

Inuit Art

*Festival Exhibition, Sidney Nolan, Paintings 1942–1977

Callum Colvin, (Lyth Arts Centre, Wick)

Behind the Mirror, (Aberdeen Cyrenians)

*William G. Thomson, Willie O' Neven

*Alfons Bytautas and Malcom McCoig,  prints

Recent Orkney Arts Graduates, Yamals

Christmas Open Exhibition

William Daniell aquatints and 6 contemporary Scottish Artists (Peacock Printmakers), A Voyage Round the Coast of Scotland

Orkney schools response to the European Year of the Environment, Child's EYE

Joyce Cairns, Rob McCarthy, Alan Watson (369 Gallery, Edinburgh)

James Castle, Lennox Dunbar, Simon Fraser, William McArthur, Stewart MaKenzie, Ian McKenzie Smith (Artspace, Aberdeen)

Tenth Open Week

*Festival Exhibition, The Pier Gallery – The First Ten Years, Marian Ashburn, Erlend Brown, John Cumming, Colin J. Johnstone, Fiona MacInnes, Gunnie Moberg, Ian Scott, Richard Welsby, Sylvia Wishart

Christmas Open Exhibition

Charles Rennie Mackintosh (Scottish Museums Council)

The Unpainted Landscape (Scottish Arts Council)

Bob Shaw, etchings, paintings

Kathleen Lindsay, wood engravings

*Wallis/Wood/Nicholson (In collaboration with the Scottish Arts Council)

Ninth Open Week

*Festival Exhibition, Stanley Cursiter – Centenary Exhibition (In collaboration with Edinburgh College of Art and William Hardie Ltd)

Sylvia Wishart, paintings, drawings and original prints

Colin Thoms, paintings, drawings and collage

Orkney Students, Jon Fraser, Jane Glue, Susan Guthrie, Colin Kirkpatrick, Anne Russell, Teresa Swanney, Ingrid Tait, Shaun Tait, Helga Tait, Susan Thoms

*Alan Johnston (In collaboration with the Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh)

Christmas Open Exhibition 

Alchemical Windows (Collins Gallery, Glasgow)

Ba' Game (In collaboration with Tankerness House Museum)

Fiona MacInnes

Richard Welsby

*Lawrence Weiner, Above Beyond Below (In collaboration with the Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh)

France Thwaites

Eighth Open Week

Festival exhibition British Printmakers 1960-85 (Victoria and Albert Museum, London)

*Erlend Brown, John Cumming, Gunnie Moberg, Shorelines (Collins Gallery)

Christopher LeBrun (Orkney Arts Society)

Relief Printing (Scottish Arts Council)

Henri Matisse, Jazz

Children's Drawings Orkney schools

Bet Low (Third Eye Centre, Glasgow)

Christmas Open Exhibition

William Brotherston, sculpture (New 57 Gallery, Edinburgh)

Off-side, football photographs (Third Eye Centre, Glasgow) Orkney Football photographs and memorabilia

Ken Waugh/Gordon Craig, photography

A World of Textiles and Embroidery from Janet Sykes' collection

Seventh Open Week

Festival Exhibition, Ben Nicholson (Scottish Arts Council)

Photographs by Thomas Joshua Cooper, Between Dark and Dark (Graeme Murray Gallery, Edinburgh)

*Josef Herman, Robert Allison collection

Audrey Allison, hand painted silk squares

*Ian MacInnes, Retrospective Exhibition

Sculptors' Drawings (Scottish Arts Council)

Christmas Open Exhibition 

Orkney Students' Exhibition, Neil Firth, Shona McInnes, Hamish Marr, Charles Shearer, Stuart Sim

Contemporary Camera (Collins Gallery, Glasgow)

Richard Welsby, Camera Club

John Bellany, Drawings

Sixth Open week

Jim Cursiter Artist in Residence (1982), paintings and constructions

Fred Bushe, Doug Cocker, Frank Pottinger, Arthur Watson, Sculptures for a Pier (in collaboration with Richard Demarco Gallery)

Festival Exhibition, A Response to Orkney by Brian Blanchflower, Andrew Drummond and Glen Onwin, Land Art

*Leila Thomson, Sheena Watson, Gunnie Moberg, Pradip Malde, Sylvia Wishart, Erlend Brown, Terry Pickles, John Cumming, Art in Flow

W. Barns-Graham (Crawford Arts Centre)

Marian Ashburn, Australian paintings

Simon Fraser, paintings and etchings

Stromness Academy Project Work

Christmas Open Exhibition 

Students' Drawings From four Scottish Art Colleges

Kids' Stuff, Glasgow and Orkney Schools

The Scottish Craft Collection (Scottish Museums Council)

Alison Linklater, Paintings of Poland

Henry Moore, One at a Time (Scottish Arts Council)

Lillian Henderson, Embroidery (369 Gallery, Edinburgh)

*Ian Scott, Sculpture

Festival Exhibition, Art from Western Norway, Vestlandsunstillingen

Frances Walker, Artist in Residence (1981) (In collaboration Peacock Printmakers, Aberdeen)

Picasso Prints (Scottish Arts Council)

Jack Cowan

Gladys MacAvoy, Prints; Joyce Maclntyre, Weaving; Muriel MacIntyre, Ceramics

Fifth Open Week

Ken Reynolds, Photography, Bob Chaplin, Original prints

Christmas Open Exhibition 

Barlinnie Special Unit (Third Eye Centre, Glasgow)

Kids' Stuff, Loddefjord, Norway and Orkney Primary Schools

Ten North East Artists (Artspace, Aberdeen)

Marian Ashburn, Stuart Topp, Drawing & painting

*Margaret Mellis, Driftwood reliefs and painting (9–30 October in New 57 Gallery, Edinburgh)

Island Images by Bryce Wilson, Drawings

Festival Exhibition, David Hockney, Drawings & prints (31 July–28 August in Aberdeen Art Gallery)

Nicol Firth, Arent & Solvsig Grove, Pradip Malde, Photography

Sheena Watson, Screen printed fabric

Alan Watson, Watercolous

Andrew Mylius (Crawford Arts Centre, St Andrews)

Fourth Open Week

John & Janice Cartmel-Crossley, Mixed media works

Christmas Open Exhibition 

Orkney Art Students, Leila Dearness, Neil Firth, Fiona Maclnnes, Shona Mclnnes, Hamish Marr, Brenda Norquay, Charles Shearer, Margaret Stevenson

Kids' Stuff, Orkney Schools

Warner Forman, Keith Hobbs, Howard Payton, Photography

From the collection of Mr & Mrs A. Skene, Greek Embroidery

Liz Lea Marquetry; Ann Thomson, Jewellery (3–8 May Orkney Week in Bryggen Museum, Bergen)

*Sylvia Wishart, retrospective exhibition

Painting by Alexander Moffat, Seven Poets (Third Eye Centre, Glasgow)

Five Orkney Writers George, Mackay Brown, Eric Linklater, Ernest Marwick, Edwin Muir, Robert Rendall

Pradip Malde, Photography

Poster Art

Stanley William Hayter, Etchings & etched Christmas cards (31 October–21 November in Printmakers' Workshop Gallery, Edinburgh)

Christine Campbell, Ceramics; John Cumming, Sculpture; Valerie Hamilton, Painting; Bob Shaw, Etchings

Third Open Week

Gunnie Moberg, Janet Sykes, Ken Waugh, Photography

James Cowie (Scottish Arts Council)

Orkney and Disability, Hurray for Life

Christmas Open Exhibition

The Scottish Cartoonists (Glasgow Print Studio)

Seven Photographers, John Comloquoy, Janice Cartmel-Crosley, John Cartmel-Crossley, Wilfie Marr, Gunnie Moberg, Dougie Shearer, Charles Tait

Print Annual (Printmakers' Workshop, Edinburgh)

Edward Ardizzone (Scottish Arts Council)

*The Linklater Collection Works from the collection of the late Eric Linklater

Festival Exhibition, Edvard Munch and his Literary Associates (Sainsbury Centre, Norwich)

Occidental Project for Schools, Under the North Sea

Picture Rental Scheme, from the Scottish Arts Council Collection

Orkney Artists, John Cumming, Alan Greig, Dave Grieve, Valerie Hamilton, Lesley Johns, Alan Smith, Stuart Topp, Alan Watson

Screenprinting (Peacock Printmakers, Aberdeen)

*John Busby and Allan Lawson, Painting, drawing & prints

Second Open Week

Pat Douthwaite (MacRobert Arts Centre, Stirling)

Per Jolting (Peacock Printmakers, Aberdeen)

Christmas Open Exhibition 

Botanical Illustration (Scottish Arts Council)

Festival Exhibition (Printmakers' Workshop, Edinburgh)

Twenty Poems by Hugh MacDiarmid, with twenty lithographs by William Johnstone

Seven Orkney Artists, Marian Ashburn, Erlend Brown, Gary Gibson, Lesley Johns, Ian Maclnnes, Ian Scott, Sylvia Wishart

Faroese Exhibition, Sculpture, painting, drawing and prints

Vestlandet Photographs of Western Norway (Orkney/Norway Friendship Association) By Arent and Solveig Greve

Small Sculpture (Scottish Arts Council)

Orkney Art Students, Leila Dearness, Caroline Jefford, Fiona Maclnnes, Shona Mclnnes, Irene Manson, Brenda Norquay, Eileen Sclater, Charles Shearer, Stuart Sim

First Open Week

Kid's Stuff, Orkney Schools

Christmas Open Exhibition