Maclaurin Art Gallery

29/05/2026

Huge thanks to Visual Arts Scotland, along with their fabulous artists for taking part in the Future Folklore exhibition here at the Maclaurin. It was an “all encompassing” show and a great example of what's out there across the arts in Scotland. Well done everyone, your hard work is appreciated 👏

A reminder that you can still see ORBIT in the Patron's gallery, last couple of days. The quality works of HND graduates, Ayrshire College. Call in to view 👀 or purchase their art, to support these newly established artists 🫶

18/05/2026

We are into the final week of Visual Arts Scotland Future Folklore: The Art and Craft of Storytelling. Call in and check out the show before it goes! This has been a wonderful opportunity to bring this exhibition across and onto our doorstep here in the West. So, if you haven't been in yet, there's a superb selection of artwork available for your viewing or buying in this inspiring show.

Right now there's also a show bursting with fresh new talent in the Patrons Gallery, with the portfolio work of the HND students of Ayrshire College.

A great time to visit the galleries 🥳

11/05/2026

Another peek through the galleries at the current exhibition Visual Arts Scotland Future Folklore: The Art and Craft of Storytelling, on until 27 May. There's still time to see it...or call in again in case you missed something! 😉

08/05/2026

*A new exhibition launches this weekend in the Patrons gallery*

The Ayr Photographic Society's Awards Exhibition has ended and in its place we have the HND Art & Design students of Ayrshire College.

A chance to see the next generation of creatives and a fabulous opportunity for them to celebrate their months of hard work.

Visual Arts Scotland Future Folklore continues until 27 May and is showing in galleries 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Call in and get your art fix this weekend! Open 7 days and entry is FREE.

04/05/2026

Visual Arts Scotland's FUTURE FOLKLORE: THE ART AND CRAFT OF STORYTELLING

Folklore is never fixed. It evolves with each retelling, carried across generations through craft, song, ritual, and imagination. Ayrshire’s landscape; from its rugged coastline and selkie myths to the haunted ruins celebrated by Robert Burns, has long inspired stories that bridge the human and the otherworldly.

This exhibition brings together artists and makers who use craft as a vessel for storytelling. Weaving together the material and the mythic, they reimagine traditions and invent new narratives for the future.

From selkie legends that speak to belonging and transformation, to contemporary myths of migration, technology, and climate change, the works on display trace how stories are made tangible in clay, textile, wood, paper, sound, and performance.

Future Folklore: The Art and Craft of Storytelling celebrates the enduring power of craft to preserve, reinvent, and create tales that shape our collective identity; stories that root us in place while imagining what comes next.

We still have just over 3 weeks left of this huge exhibition! Plenty of time to call in and see the diverse range of work. There's definitely something for everyone to enjoy! 🤩

13/04/2026

If you're planning a visit, there is a lot to see right now! Check out the photography exhibition in the Patrons Gallery, as well as Visual Arts Scotland's whopper of a contemporary show in 4 of our galleries, until 27 May. Next door at Rozelle House Galleries, there is a stunning Celebration of Ayrshire Quilters exhibition 🪡

Here's a few selected artworks from the VAS show.

13/04/2026

Here's another workshop, happening soon at Rozelle ⤵️

13/04/2026

It's the season for workshops and there are a few good ones coming up in the area. This one is a little bit different 🧐 and takes place at our associate gallery, The McKechnie Institute, Girvan.

Destination South Ayrshire

🪨 Stone Identification Session at The McKechnie Institute 🔍

Explore stones from Girvan Beach with geologist Nick May, who will help identify different rock types, alongside artist-in-residence Claudia Zeiske, guiding close observation of their shapes, textures and natural beauty. 🪨

Nick began his career in North Sea oil exploration and now focuses on shorelines and waters, practising geology through careful observation and renewed connection with the Earth. 🌊

📍 McKechnie Institute, Girvan
📅 Sat 18 April 2026
⏰ 11.45am–12.15pm
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 All ages welcome (under 16s with an adult)
🎟 Free – just drop in!

♿Accessibility
There is an accessible entrance through the side gate on Ailsa Street West and through rear of the building (follow relevant signage). Lift access available for upper floor.

This project is supported through a programme of work delivered by Feral and funded by Creative Scotland. Supported by South Ayrshire Council. Feral’s outdoor arts residency programme is aimed at Scotland based artists interested in developing outdoor or site-specific performance projects responding to landscape.
Discover the shapes, textures & stories hidden in stone. 🌊

Feral Arts South Ayrshire Council Go Girvan Information Girvan Girvan Ideas and Discussions Girvan Community Council CSK Community Council Dailly CC South Ayrshire Council Girvan & it's Community Maclaurin Art Gallery

07/04/2026

Here's a great opportunity for Ayrshire senior school students. Please share and spread the word...

Ayr College

03/04/2026

Artist Jenny Matthews RSW will be running a day workshop in Rozelle House on WEDNESDAY 27 MAY. Cost is £100 and includes refreshments/light lunch. Numbers are limited. For more information or to book, contact Jenny direct (details below).


‘Flowers in Watercolour’
with

Jenny Matthews RSW

at the Art Room, Rozelle House Museum and Galleries, Ayr

on Wednesday 27 May 2026 10:30-15:30

Please contact Jenny at
[email protected] for more information.
www.jennymatthews.co.uk