Photo credit: Sam Maynard
1985 – 2025
Ceathrad obair bho cheathrad neach-ealain thar ceithir deicheadan
Forty works by forty artists over four decades of An Lanntair
Air an ochdamh latha den Mhàrt 1985 bha An Lanntair air fhosgladh gu foirmeil shuas staidhre ann an Talla-bhaile Steòrnabhaigh, leis an sgrìobhadair, ainmeil, uasal, Iain Crichton Mac a’ Ghobhainn.
Bhon uair sin, tha sruth mhòr uisge air ruith fon drochaid. Ach an àite a bhith ag ainmeachadh gach duais is buaidh, gach cnocaid is àilean, gach dùbhlan is cunntas, no gach pearsa a stèidhich, a leasaich agus a chùm sinn suas, nach fhaod sinn dìreach a ràdh gu bheil an Lanntair a-nis mar phrìomh sholas ann an speuran-farsaing ealain na h-Alba. Taigh-sholais dìreach mar a tha ar n-ainm a’ ciallachadh.
Airson comharrachadh ar turas tha an taisbeanadh seo a’ coimhead air ais agus air adhart. Cruinneachadh de dh’obair bho cheathrad neach-ealain a tha sinn air a riochdachadh is a bhrosnachadh is cuideachadh ann an dòighean diofraichte thar nan ceithir deicheadan. Tha e a’ gabhail a-steach pìosan bho chuid nach eil còmhla rinn a-nis, bho luchd-cleachdaidh seasmhach, agus feadhainn a tha tràth nan dreuchd.
Mòran taing don a h-uile neach a chuidich ‘sa ghabh pàirt.
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On the 8th of March 1985 An Lanntair was officially opened in our original upstairs premises in Stornoway Town Hall by one of the Island’s most esteemed sons, the late writer Iain Crichton Smith.
Since then, a lot of water has gone under the bridge. But rather than labour the point with a list of triumphs and awards, landmarks and watersheds, challenges and reckonings, or the luminaries who established, developed and sustained us, suffice to say that An Lanntair is now a leading light in the arts firmament of Scotland. A beacon just as our name suggests.
To mark the occasion, this exhibition is both retrospective and looks to the future. An anthology, comprised of works by 40 of the artists we have represented, encouraged and supported in various capacities over these past four decades. It includes pieces by some who are no longer with us, by established practitioners, and by others who are at an earlier stage in their practice.
Grateful thanks to all who helped and contributed.