Demolition commences

The first step in realising Cove Park's new Artist Centre has been taken - namely demolition! Clark Contracts made short, sharp work to raze the well loved but weary centre to the ground in 4 days.

New phone number

Our new temporary home requires a new temporary phone number. If you need to call us, do so on 01436 455063!

Looking forward to the new Artist Centre

This evening we welcomed members of our local community, funders and supporters to engage with our plans for the new Artist Centre and the potential this improved space offers to develop our residency and public programmes. 

Guests heard from Architect of the new Artist Centre, Miranda Webster of Cameron Webster, our Chair, Seona Reid and Director, Julian Forrester.

The major capital redevelopment programme, funded by Creative Scotland and a number of trusts and individuals, will allow us to significantly develop our residency programme and for the first time offer an expanded and fully integrated education and participatory programme from Summer 2016. 

At the gathering we invited people to tell us how they thought a public programme of creative activities could be developed relative to their organisation, projects or initiatives for the benefit of the region. Thus we initiated conversations we plan to continue with our local and regional community.

Goodbye armchairs

To most this is just a photograph of a couple of armchairs in a skip. However, for many who have passed through Cove Park this image signifies the end of an era as we do the final clear out of the existing centre's contents prior to its imminent demolition.

Love or hate them, the donated chintz armchairs were a comfortable, homely feature of the centre. Further, it is rumoured the printed, patterned chairs inspired photographic and drawn works by residents. If you are one of said residents, please share your artworks and indeed your memories with us! In latter years the armchairs were strictly Hamish the dog's domain for dozing the day away.

Our temporary home

Whilst the work on our new Artist Centre is carried out we have created a temporary home for Cove Park's office, the communal residents space and facilities down site in Oak Pod.

It's a cosy set up for residents, staff and visitors. All available space is being optimised, including putting staffs' desks in the Pod bedrooms - our Director Julian doesn't seem to mind one bit.

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Cove & Kilcreggan Youth Cafe pay us a visit

Wonderful weather this evening for a visit from all at Cove & Kilcreggan Youth Cafe. 

As a partner in the Argyll Youth Arts Hub we invited the Youth Cafe to explore the international arts centre they have on their doorstep, meet some of our residents and tell us more about what creative activities they would like to pursue. The BBQ on the soon to be gone decking fuelled exciting discussions about what the young people were wanting to do creatively and how Cove Park could make that happen. One thing high on their agenda was dance as proved by a group of dancers who were opportune in turning the centre, rapidly being emptied of its contents in anticipation of our move, into the perfect performance space and thus beginning our farewell to the existing building.

Its been a while since our last blog post in June 2013!! The reason for this is that our capital project has been delayed by a year, due mostly to funds.  But alot has been going on, some serious fundraising has been under way and we are due to start with the demolition of the centre building in June this year - hard hats at the ready!

As well as receiving funds from generous individuals, trusts and foundations we have also been working with ceramic artist Dawn Youll, commissioning her to make a limited edition of porcelain swallows for people to purchase and show their support. These beautiful birds return annually to Cove Park to build nests and hatch their young. Their arched silhouettes darting about the sky above the site has become a very prominent feature of the summer residency programme and so the swallow was chosen as a motif reflecting both the migrant nature of our programme of artists and visitors and also the sense of belonging that is developed which encourages people to return.

These can be purchased as a single piece or as a pair (one plain porcelain & one mother of pearl) from our website http://covepark.org/swallows or by contacting Cove Park directly on 01436 850123.

Blog updates will become more regular as the project gathers momentum and we will be recording the demolition and construction as it happens so watch this space!............

    2 of our Cove Park 'Swallows' (porcelain) Dawn Youll 2014/15