The regeneration of a community through art has become a recognised economic and social strategy. Examples include Margate in Kent where millions of pounds has been spent on the new Turner Gallery. Folkestone, also in Kent, has had both private and public money pumped into its ‘creative quarter’ where it is hoped that a rundown part of the seaside town will be given new life by encouraging artists to live and work there. The results of the policy have been mixed, in both places. There remains a great deal of deprivation despite the new artistic buzz.

In Unst a group of artists (five of us at present) is coming together to form a contemporary arts group which will not only promote our own work, but also promote the island community generally. 

Unst of course is not like Margate or Folkestone. It already has a strong community identity and a well established tradition of art, craft and music making. But looking ahead there are problems on the horizon which could be offset, in part, by the island making the most of its artistic potential.

Unst is on the periphery of Shetland and Shetland is on the geographic periphery of the UK. In today’s world it is a fact of life that power and wealth are being more and more centralised. In Shetland the capital Lerwick continues to expand at the expense of the outer areas. There is talk of closing the excellent small schools in the rural areas, of cutting back on ferry services and putting additional pressure on life away from the centres of population.

It is a very short-sighted policy, for should the remoter areas of Shetland continue to decline, all of Shetland will suffer. Tourism is an important industry. Few make the long journey to Shetland just to visit Lerwick – just another northern town with a Tesco! Folk come to Shetland to find the excitement and tranquillity of the natural world – to see the birds, the otters, the remote stacks and to sample, for a brief few weeks or days, a unique way of life. They come to Shetland to go to Eshaness, St Ninian’s Isle, Lunna, Jarlshof and of course the islands of the very north – Yell, Fetlar and Unst.

So it makes sense to make the most of what Unst has to offer and one of those things is its artistic heritage.

There are many examples of small places gaining worldwide reputations for artistic excellence. St Ives in Cornwall is known for its painters, Aldeburgh in Suffolk for its music, Hay on Wye for its literary festival, to give three examples.

Why not Unst in years to come, an internationally renowned centre of contemporary art?