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Birnam Arts
- Membership number 6616
- Charity registered in Scotland SC024975
Birnam Arts is a community-rooted arts and cultural organisation serving Dunkeld & Birnam and the wider Highland Perthshire area. We exist to ensure that high-quality cultural, creative and community experiences are accessible in a rural setting, reducing isolation and supporting wellbeing, learning and connection.
We operate a multi-purpose arts centre that functions both as a professional cultural venue and as a village hall for a small but active community. Our building hosts visual arts exhibitions, performances, talks, film screenings, workshops and learning activity, alongside a wide range of community uses including clubs, societies, funerals, public meetings, children’s activities and surgeries. In this sense, Birnam Arts is both a cultural anchor and a civic space.
Our programme supports professional artists and creative practitioners while also enabling local participation. We work with schools, community groups, volunteers and regional partners to ensure that creativity is embedded in everyday community life. As a recipient of Creative Scotland Multi-Year Funding, we contribute to the national cultural infrastructure while remaining firmly community-led in outlook and purpose.
The building also houses a café and bar, which helps to animate the space, encourage social interaction and contribute to financial sustainability. Income from hires and trading activity supports the wider charitable mission, although like many rural cultural venues we operate within tight financial margins.
Birnam Arts plays a significant role in the wellbeing of our area. Rural communities can experience isolation, limited access to arts provision and fewer opportunities for social connection. By providing a welcoming, accessible and inclusive space, we help reduce loneliness, support intergenerational engagement and create opportunities for creative expression.
We have recently completed a major community consultation process, reaffirming strong local support for the organisation and a desire to see it stabilised and strengthened for the future. In response, we are currently undertaking a period of organisational transition. This includes reviewing governance, financial systems, staffing structures and operational processes to ensure long-term sustainability.
Despite recent challenges, the organisation remains highly valued locally. The building is heavily used and is seen as an essential part of the social and cultural fabric of Dunkeld & Birnam. Our focus now is to build a resilient operational model that aligns our artistic ambition with strong governance and sound employment practice.
Birnam Arts is, in essence, a community arts centre with national funding status and local heart — a village hall on a larger scale, combining cultural excellence with deep community connection. Our priority is to ensure that this vital rural asset is supported by robust systems and fair, compliant employment practices that will enable it to thrive into the future.
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