Arts 24 July 2025

Artists and critics celebrate milestone anniversary of The Park Gallery

2025 sees Falkirk Council’s gem of a gallery celebrate 25 years of showcasing contemporary art. From the very first exhibition presented in June-August 2000, to the present day, The Park Gallery, Callendar House has delighted audiences with over 130 exhibitions from a huge range of artists.

Exhibitions Officer, Gillian Smith explained: “We have partnered with many wonderful artists over the years to make the gallery a vibrant and collaborative space where creativity is celebrated in all its forms. It is with some pride that we celebrate 25 years and are delighted that so many artists and supporters are sharing with us what The Park Gallery means to them.” 

Councillor Paul Garner, Deputy Leader Falkirk Council said: “Reaching a quarter of a century is a huge achievement for The Park Gallery and highlights just how important this small but mighty space is to our local arts community. The team has built something genuinely special, giving local talent a stage alongside national and international artists, and creating memorable exhibitions that have kept audiences coming back. 

"It’s fantastic to celebrate not only this milestone but also the creativity and dedication behind it.” 

The globally renowned Falkirk-born illustrator and author Marion Deuchars, who has created art for numerous high-profile organisations and businesses, commented: “Working with The Park Gallery was a truly memorable experience. I’m really proud to be part of its 25-year journey.” 

Rob Ryan, an internationally acclaimed London based artist and designer, whose work is used by leading brands such as John Lewis, said: “Supporting local galleries is essential – The Park Gallery is as important as Tate Modern. Personally, I would rather my work be hung on the walls of The Park Gallery and enjoyed by the people of Falkirk, than hung on the hallowed walls of any esteemed London gallery!" 

For Jacqueline Marr, one of Scotland’s finest figurative contemporary artists, the opening of The Park Gallery in 2000 was highly significant. “For me, the invitation to exhibit my paintings on home turf in the first exhibition was an important opportunity, bringing my art to a new audience out with the major cities. Across the years, as it continues to feature national and international touring exhibitions alongside local established and emerging artists, The Park Gallery plays a vital role in exhibiting exceptional and innovative art.” 

And while it may be a small public art gallery, it is a vital force in the art ecosystem of the region, consistently punching above its weight in terms of programming and audience engagement. 

“The Park Gallery has been an art oasis for visitors, offering them the opportunity to learn, be challenged, and to view world-class exhibitions staged with passion and care. It has spent 25 years staging exhibitions which consistently connect with visitors. Long may it continue,” commented Jan Patience, one of Scotland’s most well-known and respected arts journalists. 

Across its 25 years, the gallery has hosted critically acclaimed artists of national or international standing with a connection to the area, locally based artists of all types, and the work of local school pupils and young people, playing a unique and crucial role in showcasing the creativity of the area. 

Peter Scott, Art Teacher at Graeme High School, Falkirk, explained the importance of the gallery for school pupils: “The opportunity it provides as a learning space and a place to celebrate creativity, and the opportunity it’s given to our young people to showcase their talent in recent years is immeasurable in its influence and the positive impact it has had.” 

Providing visitors with opportunities to engage with exceptional contemporary art by some of the most significant artists of recent times has seen the gallery initiate and curate, or collaborate with other organisations, to bring exhibitions of globally leading artists to Falkirk, including David Hockney, Joan Eardly, Barbara Rae, Elizabeth Blackadder, and Andy Goldsworthy. 

Leading arts journalist, Teddy Jamieson, a writer for The Herald, The Sunday Post, and Nutmeg Magazine among others, commented: “When it comes to culture, cities have it easy; smaller towns, by contrast, have to put the work in. That’s why spaces like The Park Gallery are so important. They remind those of us who live outside the cities that art belongs to us too, that it can be part of our own urban fabric.” 

The Park Gallery has worked tirelessly to engage audiences and act as an advocate for artists and makers. With imagination and initiative, it has delivered exhibitions of outstanding merit, working with individuals such as Julia Donaldson, Children's Laureate at the time and author of some of the world's best-loved children's books, and Grangemouth-born Alan Davie, widely recognised as one of Europe’s most important visual artists.  

It has also sought to uncover sometimes overlooked important artists with local connections, such as George Garson, who produced some of the largest mosaic murals and stained-glass art in Britain and created the Saltire Award-winning civic mural in Grangemouth, and Fabrizio Gianni, one of the international fashion world’s most in-demand photographers who later in life made Falkirk his home. 

Artist and educator, Stewart Parker, who lives and works in New York as an Associate Professor at the Pratt Institute, commented: “Over the years the Park Gallery has contributed greatly to the cultural scene in Falkirk and Central Scotland. I enjoyed showing work my work there and it is always a pleasure to see one of its many well-curated shows.” 

Award winning Scottish illustrator, Jill Calder, who works for major clients in publishing, design and advertising, said: “It is a great honour and pleasure of mine to be on the roll-call of artists who have exhibited at The Park Gallery over the last 25 years. My retrospective there was an exciting yet daunting thing to plan, organise and execute and I could not have done it without the brilliant gallery team, particularly Gillian Smith, who made the whole process of displaying thirty plus years of my work a fun, creative endeavour.” 

Over the last 25 years, The Park Gallery has been a source of enjoyment, education, and contemplation of leading contemporary art.  

Artist Catherine King who is a former Lecturer at Forth Valley College, summed up the gallery’s impact: “I’ve used this excellent resource to introduce hundreds of art students to contemporary art. It is important that the individuals curating and researching a quarter century of exhibitions are commended: their vision has left a legacy of cultural enrichment which will journey into the next 25 years and beyond.”