The Maclaurin Art Gallery News

Future Folklore: The Art and Craft of Storytelling

The Maclaurin Gallery • March 6, 2026

Coming Soon from VISUAL ARTS SCOTLAND

Private View: Saturday 28 March 2026 2pm. Exhibition Runs: Sunday 29 March - Wednesday 27 May

We are looking forward to presenting this exciting show on behalf of Visual Arts Scotland later in the month. It is an open call exhibition of work (applications now closed) and here’s a little more about it and a few images to give you a taste of what’s to come!

“Folklore is never fixed. It evolves with each retelling, carried across generations through craft, song, ritual, and imagination. Ayrshire’s landscape; from its rugged coastline and selkie myths to the haunted ruins celebrated by Robert Burns, has long inspired stories that bridge the human and the otherworldly.

This exhibition brings together artists and makers who use craft as a vessel for storytelling. Weaving together the material and the mythic, they reimagine traditions and invent new narratives for the future.

From selkie legends that speak to belonging and transformation, to contemporary myths of migration, technology, and climate change, the works on display trace how stories are made tangible in clay, textile, wood, paper, sound, and performance.

Future Folklore: The Art and Craft of Storytelling celebrates the enduring power of craft to preserve, reinvent, and create tales that shape our collective identity; stories that root us in place while imagining what comes next.”

From Mould to Miracle Flemings Legacy by Christina Yip

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Ayr Sketch Club – Celebrating 125 Years

By The Maclaurin Gallery • January 30, 2026

Always a popular event here at The Maclaurin, is the Annual Ayr Sketch Club exhibition and they had a busy Private Viewing last Saturday. In addition, this year they celebrate having been in continuous operation for 125 years! The exhibition covers 3 galleries, showcasing works from 47 of their exhibiting members. Whilst the show is running, the Club’s volunteers will be on duty to chat about their work. Look out for their special edition brochure, giving an interesting insight into the history of the Club, as well as inviting new members. This exhibition continues until 8 March. President of Ayr Sketch Club - Janette Coughtrie - opening the show. (Image courtesy of Ayr Sketch Club)

Some of the people taking the private view of the Peter Foyle Solo Exhibition

Private View - Peter Foyle Solo Exhibition

By The Maclaurin Gallery • November 17, 2025

Here are a few photos from the recent opening of the Peter Foyle solo exhibition. Peter is well known in the art world here in Ayrshire as well as much further afield, having hailed from Dorset and whose artwork sells internationally. The entire exhibition can be viewed on our website. It’s a beautiful collection of his latest works, heavily influenced by a Spring trip to the north of Scotland on the NC500. Do call in and see it if you can. The exhibition runs until 11 January 2026.

Winter Season 2025

By The Maclaurin Gallery • October 6, 2025

Our winter season is off to a racing start with the launch of the 31st Annual Save the Children exhibition over the weekend. We had very busy galleries and plenty of sales and interest in the huge array of hanging work on display. In addition, there is a wall of miniatures artworks for sale, a raffle prize of a dazzling abstract painting from local artist Sandra Ratcliffe, a children's competition and a silent auction for a chance to bid on a commissioned animal portrait by Lynne Johnstone. The show runs until 2 November and this year the Save the Children Committee have organised an exciting additional treat! We look forward to welcoming Ozzy the barn owl to the courtyard on SUNDAY 12 OCTOBER from noon til 3pm. This is a free family event and also an opportunity for artists to sketch from life! Ozzy will be there with some of his feathered friends and his handler, Gillian Borland of Hoots Owls and Wedding Wings. Look out for the painting of Ozzy in the exhibition!