Steering Group

The Highland Gallery & Museum Steering Group was formed in 2004.  It was initially convened in 2004 by the Local Enterprise Company to pursue, for the third time, an ambition to create a major visual arts gallery to serve the Highlands.  In 2005 the concept was widened to include gallery and museum collections in a fully integrated and flexibile facility.

The Steering Group is chaired by Professor Duncan Macmillan, former Professor of Art History at Edinburgh University and curator of the Talbot Rice Gallery, who is semi-retired back home in Drumnadrochit.  The Group comprises the following member organisations:

• The Highland Council
• Highlands & Islands Enterprise Inverness & East Highland
• Inverness City Partnership
• National Galleries of Scotland
• Scottish Arts Council
• HI~Arts
• UHI Millennium Institute
• Eden Court Theatre and Cinema
• Inverness Architects Association

The involvement of national partners such as the National Galleries of Scotland and the Scottish Arts Council is fundemental to achieving the ambition of bringing the finest quality collections to the Highlands, both historic and contemporary, and to attracting the widest possible audience.  It is encouraging to have the commitment and endorsement of our national and local partners.

Duncan Macmillan, Chair of Highland Gallery & Museum Steering Group

“The creation of a major gallery for the Highlands has been a long held ambition for me as for many of those involved in the project. The visual arts matter in the modern world and the people of the Highlands deserve to have access to the very best art just as much as anybody else in Scotland. The new gallery will bring the best art here, but it needs to be important nationally as well as locally. "

"The Highlands deserve that too and they deserve a modern building which, like the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao for instance, is so exciting people want to come and see it. The three sites which are the options here have been chosen because they can all accommodate a building that can fulfil these ambitions.”

Cllr Bill Fernie, Chair of Highland Council’s Education Culture & Sport Committee

"A new gallery and museum for the Highlands is of great importance to the development of the full range of cultural facilities the local community and our visitors deserve for the 21st Century."

"As such it merits a significant building in a prominent location. I warmly encourage the public to participate in this process by giving Highland Council feedback on which site is most appropriate."

James Holloway, Partnership Director National Galleries of Scotland

“The National Galleries of Scotland are wholeheartedly behind the project to create an art gallery in Inverness worthy of the Highlands. The National Galleries are already committed to sharing some of the greatest art treasures of the country with the people of the Highlands. In 2005 Titian’s Venus Rising was the centrepiece of a highly successful, small exhibition shown in Inverness. Very shortly Botticelli’s supreme Madonna and Child forms the centrepiece of Maternity which is part of the National Galleries’ contribution to Highland 2007. "

"If the Highlands are successful in creating a new gallery, then the National Galleries and Highland Council can look forward to many more ambitious and exciting projects.”

Amanda Catto, Head of Visual Arts Scottish Arts Council

“The Scottish Arts Council is committed to developing audiences for the visual arts across Scotland. The proposed Highland Gallery presents a good opportunity to engage existing and new audiences with the best historical and contemporary work, and has the potential to be a nationally and internationally significant development.”

James Gibbs Area Director at HIE Inverness and East Highland

“A strong and vibrant cultural offering is a vital component in any successful city and for attracting and retaining the necessary human talent that will drive our economy forward."

"The people of the Highlands and Islands and visitors here should be able to enjoy the full range of cultural facilities that the 21st century can offer. HIE IEH welcomes the opportunity for the public to participate in the selection of a prominent site, wherever it may eventually be in the city, for what we hope will be an outstanding project to complement the impressive re-development of Eden Court Theatre and Cinema.”

Provost Bob Wynd, Chair of Highland Council’s Inverness City Committee

“The city of Inverness is now, more than ever, competing at an international level and as such should have all the modern cultural facilities expected. We ought to be able to showcase the best quality art and heritage collections in a landmark building that sets the standard for future development in our city region.”

Since the spring of 2007 the Steering Group has been supported by a small team of officers from The Highland Council, HIE Inverness & East Highland and Inverness City Partnership tasked with progressing the project.  The next major milestone is to identify a site.