Well Connected: The Royal Scottish Academy and The Maclaurin Collection

Saturday 20 June - Sunday 30 August 2026

Founded in 1826, the Royal Scottish Academy supports art and architecture in Scotland. It is an independent, non-governmental institution, governed by Members to operate on a charitable basis.

The RSA run a year-round programme of exhibitions, artist opportunities and events from the Mound, Edinburgh, and care for a nationally recognised collection. The RSA support artists and architects through awards, residencies, scholarships and bursaries.

In 2026 the RSA celebrate its 200th anniversary. It is marking this occasion nationwide with RSA200: Celebrating Together. This partnership project will bring hundreds of artists, partners, galleries and institutions together for an extraordinary year of exhibitions, events and performances.

The Maclaurin Galleries are delighted to be joining their celebrations by taking part in this significant milestone event and paying tribute to their special anniversary.

During this 10-week period the galleries will exhibit RSA artists’ works from the Maclaurin Trust’s permanent Collection, with the addition of other works by the same artists on loan from the RSA, for the duration of the exhibition.

In addition, Royal Scottish Academician Elect and guest artist Bronwen Sleigh will be welcomed to the exhibition with a selection of her own work.

Bronwen Sleigh RSA is a visual artist who works in printmaking, drawing and sculpture, taking inspiration from manmade structures set within a wide variety of landscapes.

Sleigh’s work asks questions about the built environment. Through drawing, she investigates attitudes to space as expressed through architecture and its relationship to the landscape. Process is integral to her practice - her drawings and sculptures inform each other, moving from 2D to 3D and back again. The labour-intensive multiple processes of making bring abstraction to the original subject. Her work explores space rather than describing it, challenging perceptions of the ordinary by presenting it in an unfamiliar way.

The Maclaurin is very much looking forward to bringing this exhibition to Ayrshire and you can keep up to date with RSA200 preparations on social media platforms (Facebook Maclaurin Art Gallery and Instagram @maclaurinart).

If that isn’t enough to be excited about(!) Rozelle House Museum and Galleries are also taking part in RSA200: CELEBRATING TOGETHER with their own exhibition of a similar concept, taken from South Ayrshire Council’s permanent Collection, with related RSA loans, including works from guest artists and Royal Scottish Academicians, Frances Walker and Ade Adesina.

These two very special exhibitions will jointly launch but please note that the end dates vary, so please check with the appropriate gallery beforehand!

Both exhibitions will highlight the relationship between our national and local collections and provide visitors a rare and exciting opportunity to view the works in a wider context.



This summer looks set to be epic for Art in Ayrshire!