Harbour Arts Centre, Irvine, North Ayrshire

Harbour Arts Centre is now complete and opened to the public with an Open Weekend (1-3 September).  The new Harbour Arts Centre (HAC) has two multi-purpose studio spaces, a theatre space, gallery and foyer area, as well as the Harbour Arts Centre café bar, which is to be known as the HAC Bar.

Harbour Arts Centre will support a programme of arts with a significant increase in the number of events and classes aimed at attracting audiences of all ages, interests and ability, sitting alongside productions and exhibitions from local and visiting companies and artists.

The redeveloped Harbour Arts Centre will increase its profile and visibility in the community with the addition of an attractive restaurant and café bar to serve both users of the Centre and the general public. With a glass frontage on the harbour side and an attractive ambience, the facility will be an appealing addition to the area and to the centre.

With a history of success in the provision of small scale quality theatre, both professional and amateur, the Harbour Arts Centre is loved by the inhabitants of Irvine and the wider Ayrshire community.  The re-developed centre will re-establish the Harbour Arts Centre’s historical position as a launch pad for new talent in the wider Scottish Theatre scene.

An opening programme has been launched which includes workshops in drama, painting and dance, music, including live music and talent showcases, and afternoon tea dances.  Workshops specifically aimed at children and young people have also started.  These activities will be further expanded in October with the launch of the theatre programme.

The North Ayrshire Arts team is now based at Harbour Arts Centre, headed by the Arts Development Manager, Jo Leviten, and including an exhibitions manager, audience development manager, visual arts officer, and drama officer, who are supported by technical staff in the building.

The expanded exhibition space will provide scope to increase the current programme of visual arts exhibitions and will allow for a greater range of work by both local and visiting artists to be viewed

The opening exhibition was ‘Well Kent Faces’, a series of portraits by local artist David Reid.  Local people were invited to send in photographs to the artist who then selected whose portrait he would paint.  The people that he painted were then invited along to a private viewing of their picture before the opening of the building. 

In its first month of operations the centre has seen a significant increase in the number of people using the facilities and visiting.  It is hoped that this success is built upon further with the launch of the full theatre programme from October onwards.

The building includes a light-work by Steve Hollingsworth, the colour of which will change dependent on the tide levels in the harbour.  Tim Pomeroy has produced a sculpture piece specifically commissioned for the small courtyard space.  Tim is also leading a series of sculpture workshops at the centre.

The Scottish Arts Council contributed £537,995 towards the Harbour Arts Centre project which represented 46% of the overall costs of £1,158,495.  North Ayrshire Council contributed £620,000 towards the project costs.