Sam J. Ntiro, Chopping Wood Credit The Argyll Collection, Copyright The Artist Estate

The Argyll Collection Reconnected

Reconnected is a CHARTS led project funded by Art Fund to review the cultural significance of the Argyll Collection - its social and educational value.

Owned by Argyll and Bute Council, the Argyll Collection is a unique group of over 170 artworks, established between 1960 and 1990, for the benefit of the young people of Argyll and Bute. Author Naomi Mitchison and art advisor and teacher Jim Tyre created the collection to enable young people to experience fine art in an area with little access to museums and galleries. Jim drove the collection around the county, taking the artworks into schools for engaging and inspiring lessons.

Naomi and Jim filled the collection with outstanding modern Scottish artists, including Joan Eardley, Alan Davie, Anne Redpath, Will McLean, Robert MacBryde, Elizabeth Blackadder, Robin Philipson, and Barbara Rae. Naomi’s travels to eastern and southern Africa are also reflected in an outstanding group of twelve African artworks from the 1960s and 70s.

Following on from the Argyll Aspires project exhibition curated by Rothesay Academy pupils at Mount Stuart, Reconnected aims to:

Undertake an inventory of the collection artworks and associated documentation
Revitalise connections between the collection and primary and secondary education throughout Argyll and Bute
Build partnerships with further education and cultural institutions nationwide
Develop sustainable community engagement across the Argyll and Bute region
Research the artworks and artists with the aim of better understanding the cultural significance of the collection
Share collections research through a varied programme of events, exhibitions, and activities
Establish working relationships between the collections and artists, both nationally and internationally
Embed the collection at the heart of CHARTS programming and planning
Raise the profile of the collection regionally, nationally, and internationally
Provide opportunities for young people to undertake meaningful training opportunities

Reconnected is delighted to work in partnership with Dr Kate Cowcher, Lecturer in Art History at the University of St Andrews; Dr Lucy Steeds, Senior Lecturer in Art at the University of Edinburgh; and Prof. Christina Young, Professor of Conservation and Technical Art History at The University of Glasgow, whose research and expertise continue to enhance and uncover incredible connections in the Collection.

Reconnected is funded by Art Fund and supported by Argyll and Bute Council and National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The Argyll Collection Reconnected

Zurich Improvisations XI Artist Alan Davie Credit Argyll Collection © The Artist’S Estate

Reconnected Staff Team

Staff from a wide range of CHARTS projects will be involved in Reconnected. Find out about the core team here. Image: Zurich Improvisations XI, Artist Alan Davie, Credit Argyll Collection © The artist’s estate

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The Argyll Collection Reconnected Rosalyn Mckenna (Project Manager) Condition Checks William Mactaggart’S Across The Bay. 2023, Credit CHARTS

The Argyll Collection Inventory

Research Manager Kirsty McNab and Project Manager Rosalyn McKenna have travelled around Argyll and Bute to carry out an inventory of the Argyll Collection stored across multiple archives, libraries and schools.

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