Pier Arts Centre

The Pier Arts Centre is an art gallery and museum in Stromness, Orkney, Scotland, established in 1979 to house a significant collection of fine art donated by Margaret Gardiner (1904-2005), an author, peace activist, and philanthropist. The Centre holds particular importance as a repository of British Modernism, charting the development of this movement from 1929 to the present through a collection that now exceeds 180 works. Beyond its permanent holdings, the institution maintains a year-round programme of changing exhibitions and events, serving as a cultural anchor for the Orkney Islands.

The Pier Arts Centre Trust purchased the original dwelling and pier store in 1977, and the Centre formally opened in 1979. Margaret Gardiner had first visited Orkney in the 1950s and subsequently converted the old quayside building to house her collection of modern paintings and sculpture. Born into a well-to-do family, Gardiner studied at Cambridge University and worked briefly as a teacher before becoming an activist against fascism in the 1930s and later organising an international press campaign of public figures against the Vietnam War in the 1960s. She was the author of several books, including a biography of Barbara Hepworth, and moved in literary circles that included Louis MacNeice and W. H. Auden. Gardiner assembled her collection through friendship and patronage rather than systematic acquisition, gathering works that closely chart British Modernism. The collection has grown steadily since 1979, with recent acquisitions including work by international contemporary artists such as Sean Scully, Eva Rothschild, Martin Boyce, Camilla Løw, and Olafur Eliasson. In 2025, students from primary schools across Orkney, including Stromness Primary School, contributed artwork for an exhibition at the Centre.

The collection is grouped around the central genre of Modernism, spanning the period from 1929 to the present day. Its character is defined by Gardiner's personal connections to the St Ives school and her friendships with principal figures in 20th-century British art. Through her long association with Barbara Hepworth, Gardiner came into contact with Ben Nicholson and became a key supporter of the artists who sought sanctuary in St Ives during the 1930s and 1940s. She was an early champion of the Cornish painter and seaman Alfred Wallis, and following the Second World War she encouraged a new generation of artists drawn to St Ives's reputation as a centre of innovation, including Peter Lanyon, Patrick Heron, Terry Frost, Margaret Mellis, John Wells, and Roger Hilton. The collection's expansion into contemporary practice reflects its continuing evolution beyond its historical Modernist core.

The collection contains over 180 works, with its foundation in pieces acquired through Gardiner's direct relationships with major British Modernist artists. While specific individual works are not detailed in the available sources, the holdings are notable for their concentration on the St Ives circle and the broader development of British Modernism. The collection's growth has incorporated significant contemporary international acquisitions, broadening its scope beyond its British Modernist origins while maintaining thematic continuity.

The buildings occupied by the Pier Arts Centre are deeply rooted in Orkney's mercantile history. The house fronting the street was built in the 18th century and during much of the 19th century was occupied by Edward Clouston, a prosperous merchant and Agent of the Hudson's Bay Company. On the pier behind the house, Clouston erected stores and offices. In 1872 the premises came into the possession of John Aim Shearer, whose general merchant's business lasted nearly 100 years. During the late 19th-century herring boom, Shearer established a cooperage on the pier and operated schooners for trade with Scotland's east coast. After the herring industry declined, the pier became a quiet backwater until the Second World War, when the upper part of the pier store was requisitioned by the Royal Engineers. Between 1965 and 1971 the property was divided among three owners, with the main dwelling and part of the pier building serving as a private lodging house and hostel. The Pier Arts Centre re-emerged in July 2007 following a two-year construction period, when Reiach & Hall Architects extended the original listed buildings and pier with a new structure at the harbour's edge.

The Pier Arts Centre is located in Stromness in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom. The institution is owned and operated by the Pier Arts Centre Trust, which acquired the property in 1977. Its present role encompasses the stewardship of the permanent collection alongside the curation of temporary exhibitions and events throughout the year. The Centre's harbour-edge location in the converted Hudson's Bay Company buildings provides a distinctive setting for visitors, combining historical architecture with contemporary gallery spaces. Further information about visiting hours, access, and current programming is available through the Centre's website at https://www.pierartscentre.com/.