A MULTI-million pound refurbishment of the Burgh Hall in Dunoon will be completed this summer, creating a hub for both established and budding artists in the area.
The re-opening of the centre and the inauguration of its new exhibition spaces will be marked with a show of work by the artist Andy Warhol. Dating back to 1874, the former municipal building was once also home to the only theatre in Argyll.
It began its life as an arts venue in 2009 when it was saved from demolition by local campaigners.
Three years later, it hosted its first major arts exhibition when a show by the acclaimed American photographer Robert Mapplethorpe was staged.
Ann Campbell, project manager for the Burgh Hall, said a total of £1.6 million was being invested in the building’s refurbishment from public funds.
She said that sum includes a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and additional money is being spent on a programme of classes and activities.
“At the moment we are working towards a March completion for the restoration, but we then have to go in and fit the building out,” Campbell told The National.
“The official opening will be marked with the launch of the Warhol exhibition in the summer.”
The centre will also include workshops, a theatre on the top floor and a café on a new ground-floor extension to be built at the back of the building.
“The project is very much about community regeneration and providing a space for local people to get involved in the arts,”
Campbell said.
“When the building closed we took on a local shop where we’ve been running classes and exhibitions and once the hall is reopened we will move that work back there.
“It’s about engaging with people who are already working in the creative arts and providing opportunities and a hub for people who are interested in the arts to come together with ideas which can be developed and taken to the next step.”
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