Have An Art-Full August
Something that has always amazed me about Perthshire is the sheer amount of creativity that brims within the region. It’s no wonder that Perth is now the UK’s only designated UNESCO City of Craft and Folk Art.
Art fosters curiosity, creative and connection, all amazing things for wellbeing and development, so it’s a great thing for us all, kids and adults, to have some involvement in, whether we enjoy the process of making something ourselves, or just love experiencing what other people have done. In fact, a 2025 study by King’s College showed that just looking at art can reduce stress.
With so much creativity in the area, it’s no wonder that choices abound for workshops, exhibitions, trails and more. So if you’re looking for something to do during what remains of the summer, here are some arty ideas:
AK Bell Library Summer Crafternoons
As part of the Summer Reading Challenge, with has a theme this year of Read to the Beat! the AK Bell Library is holding music-themed crafts from 2pm to 4pm every Friday until August 21st. Celebrating the joy and power of music, these free drop-in sessions are suitable for primary aged kids.
Moulin Hall 70 Year Celebration
The Moulin Hall is holding a special day to celebrate 70 years on Saturday 22 August, which will include a coffee morning with a display of nearly 70 artworks created by local primary and secondary Pitlochry High School pupils.
Secretary of the committee, Ruth Conisbee said “We wanted to connect the hall and its history with a younger audience and set a brief to Pitlochry High School pupils to create a picture of the very hall itself. Every artwork will be on show in the hall, with the winners in 7 categories announced at 11am. There will be refreshments available and a raffle for everyone to enjoy. We are sure it will be a wonderful morning. The lucky winners will receive a goodie bag of prizes courtesy of our event sponsor, The Perthshire Gallery. Even better is that the gallery has offered to showcase the top entry in their main gallery window, located on Bonnethill Road, Pitlochry, until the end of August.”
Into the evening, there will be a Ceilidh Celebration in partnership with Confolens Ceilidh Band, who will be joined on some songs by members of the Theatre Show Choir.
Goldfinch Gallery Summer Show
Comrie’s Goldfinch Gallery Summer Show started on Saturday 11th of July and will run until August 29th featuring work from the gallery’s own artists, as well as several guest artists:
Rachel Larkins, visiting from near the New Forest, has always been drawn to objects behind glass. Sarah Lees’ latest body of work focuses on the visual language of trees and hedgerows and how they fit into the agricultural landscape. Chitra Merchant has been engaged with exploring the forest ecologies of the Western Ghats in South Indian for several years now. Victoria Wylie makes contemporary landscape paintings from her home studio in Angus.
Vennels: Perth’s Little Streets
This exhibition at Perth Museum showcases Perth’s historical narrow streets and the people who used them. Five public artworks have also been commissioned and will be added gradually over the next few months, with the first one already in place in Fleshers Vennel.
The exhibition has a distinct craft theme, and was developed in collaboration with Perth UNESCO City of Craft and Folk Art. It’s free to attend and runs until September 6th.
Big Bear’s Adventure Trail
This temporary sculpture trail has generated quite the buzz (growl?) since it started at the end of June. A whopping 30 big bears and 32 baby bears are around to find, painted by local artists and schools. If you want to do the full trail properly you can download the app, or you can just enjoy visiting the ones wherever you happen to be. The bears will be in place until 2nd September.
