Scottish Arts Council welcomes Tolbooth opening

Speaking at the opening, Maud Marshall, Chair of the Scottish Arts Council's Capital Lottery Committee, said:

"The Scottish Arts Council is delighted to have worked with Stirling Council to create 'Stirling's place for music and the arts'. We've contributed over half of the costs (£3.1 million) because we believe the arts should be at the heart of the community, just as the Tolbooth is the new focus of Stirling.

"Over the last six or seven years, the Scottish Arts Council's Capital Lottery Committee has carried out a very ambitious programme. We've spent over £115 million to help create a huge range of fabulous arts buildings, right across Scotland, from large buildings, such as Dance Base in Edinburgh, CCA in Glasgow, DCA in Dundee, the Byre Theatre in St Andrews, to smaller community based projects such as Taigh Chearsabhagh in North Uist, North Edinburgh Arts, Northern Rock in Glasgow, and the Birnam Institute in Perthshire. While architecture itself is an artform, it can be more than that. Through lottery funding, beautiful, innovative and modern spaces now exist the length and breadth of the country - where artists and audiences can create and enjoy the arts.

"This building is a tribute to Stirling Council's commitment to high standards of design and to the work of Richard Murphy and his colleagues who won the architectural competition. The Tolbooth has a fascinating history: it's been a town hall, a court and jail, and even a Parliament in the reign of James VI. Richard's success has been to respect this historic building while being architecturally adventurous.

"We are also convinced that the Tolbooth is a really significant development in Scotland's music scene. It will be a cornerstone of the new touring pattern for music being developed by the Scottish Arts Council: indeed later this month, 70 people from Scotland and across the British Isles will come together to discuss ways in which music touring can be strengthened and extended across Scotland.

"I know that in the Artistic Director, Jackie Shearer, we've got a first-class and progressive promoter of all kinds of new music, particularly jazz and rock. Her forward-looking policies have contributed to successes such as Le Weekend, now in its third year, which has been a great addition to the music scene in Scotland. We are funding a variety of initiatives here at the Tolbooth and have also part-funded an officer who will develop traditional music.

"The Tolbooth will not only bring you the best of new and traditional music and other arts but, like so many other projects the Scottish Arts Council funds, will provide a focus for the community to come and participate in and enjoy the arts. I am sure that this wonderful space, and the excellent programme that will take place in it, will find a special place in the hearts of the people of Stirling. Many congratulations to everyone involved."

Contact email(s)

media.office@scottisharts.org.uk

Issued by: Scottish Arts Council