A new £4.5 million arts hub has officially opened its doors in Perth as tenants took the wraps off their first exhibition.
The Perth Creative Exchange at the former St John’s Primary School on Stormont Street was unveiled by Provost Dennis Melloy on Wednesday.
Artists, ranging from illustrators to jewellery makers, have taken up residence in the new venture created as a joint project between Wasps Artists’ Studios and Perth and Kinross Council.
The space also contains an new gallery, the Gannochy Project Space, where the first exhibition by the tenants, Fair Exchange, will run until Saturday March 28.
It is expected the new space will bring in 66 jobs and generate wage earnings of nearly £1 million per year.
Audrey Carlin, chief executive of Wasps, said the new space would fill a gap in Perth’s creative market, where there has been a “real-shortage” of high-quality, affordable studio and workspaces.
Ms Carlin said: “We have been overwhelmed by the enthusiasm that artists, makers and creative businesses have shown for the new Perth Creative Exchange, and it has been amazing to see this old school building come back to life.
“The official opening is the chance to mark what we hope will be the start of a new chapter in the story of the area’s cultural economy – and will also be the moment when we start to welcome in the general public, for what will be the first of many exhibitions.”
One of the new tenants, illustrator and author John Halverson, had three previous ill-fated attempts at getting his own studio space before the Creative Exchange opportunity arose.
One burnt down, one was a “death trap” with floors that flooded and blackened power sockets, and the third was in such a dodgy area that the police advised him to leave before it was relieved of all his stock and equipment.
He said: “I have been waiting for years for a space like this.”
Other new tenants include visual artist Susan Hutchison, dinosaur illustrator Jon Hoad, ceramicist Ceri White and landscape artist Libby Scott.
Provost Dennis Melloy wants the new venture to provide an economic boost to the area.
He said: “We are creating an environment which encourages creative and artistic growth, whilst retaining and attracting talent to the City of Perth.
“Not only has Perth Creative Exchange attracted resident creative people from across Scotland to the Fair City, this splendid facility is already fully let and expected to support 66 full time equivalent jobs and generate wage earnings of just under £1 million per annum across the local economy.”
“He said the creative sector was now the fastest growing sector in the UK. In 2018 it added £111 billion to the economy, an increase of just under 8% from the previous year.
“Perth and Kinross is a place where businesses thrive ,” said Mr Melloy.
“But creative people need particular support for their talent to thrive and grow.
“We have around 1,500 creative industries in our area, many of which are very small scale but have huge potential to grow.”
