About

OUR HISTORY

An Talla Solais arose from a need: while music has traditionally flourished in the highlands, and Ullapool is a recognised hub of musical talent and growth, no dedicated space existed for the visual arts.  West coast residents were out of easy reach of the best contemporary art shows and opportunities.

In 2003 an approach was made to Highland Councillor Jean Urquhart to ask the council if Ullapool’s redundant library building could be made available for visual art use. Highland Council then agreed to the building being used in a pilot scheme to test the water for public interest and support. When that building was given over to social housing development, Highland Council generously gave us a 25 year lease to re-home the centre in the empty building nearby, formerly the Medical Centre, on a peppercorn rent basis.

The new premises allowed us to take our work much further.  Now established as a charity, we offer classes and courses for beginners and professional artists alike; we provide studios and workshop space for artists and groups and we show a wealth of artwork with exhibitions ranging from work by internationally renowned artists to local group shows and open shows. In 2014 we installed an electric kiln to open up new scope for ceramics tuition and residencies for ceramic artists. 

From 2016 to 2021 the gallery space was housed within a local hotel but following Covid we were asked to vacate to allow them to open a restaurant. ATS embarked on a plan to refurbish our office and studios building, rented from Highland Council.

A Crowdfunder campaign raised an incredible £24K and funding from Highland Coastal Communities Fund and Ullapool Harbour Trust match funded the refurbishment project. We relaunched the Community Art Hub, incorporating multifunctional spaces, artist studios, ceramics studio and gallery in September 2022. Since reopening, our programme of creative activities has attracted over 8000 people as at March 2024.

Our work is informed by a consultation carried out just before Covid Lockdown and ongoing monitoring of our visitors and those who attend courses. The 2020 consultation report can be downloaded here Consultation Report. In all developments, we are continuously guided by our wide membership.

We are supported by Creative Scotland, Postcode Trust, Calmac, The Foyle Foundation, Ullapool Harbour Trust, Highland Third Sector Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing fund, Age Scotland, Lochbroom and Ullapool Community Benefit Fund and ongoing membership fees and personal donations from our supporters. Go to our Funders Page for more informaion

You can find us on the left of the car park area, behind Ullapool Village Hall, on Market Street - IV26 2XE

ATS PATRONS

  • Professor Will Maclean, D Litt., MBE, RSA, RSW, RGI

  • Jean Urquhart

ATS BOARD OF DIRECTORS

  • Susan Brown

  • Kate Chapman

  • Dave Falconer

  • Lorraine Thomson

  • Veronica Vossen

  • Eleanor White

ATS STAFF