We opened our doors just over a week ago for the very first Pentlands Open Studios (POSt) Art Trail. It was an incredible weekend! The trail brought together artists, visitors, and the local community. It was a celebration of creativity. There were bustling studios to explore and lively conversations to join. People enjoyed rickshaw rides and cups of coffee in Spylaw Park.
We want to take a moment to say a huge thank you to everyone who made it happen.
Special thanks go to:
- Colinton Village Enterprise for hosting the Pit Stop café and information centre in Spylaw Park.
- South West Edinburgh 20 Minute Neighbourhoods and Lewis Elliott, who brought smiles to many faces with rickshaw rides.
- Our wonderful venue hosts include the National Trust Scotland Malleny Garden. They also include Hub@531 in Juniper Green and Pam Millan’s studio at The Craw’s Nest in Currie.
- The local libraries for putting on displays and giving out our flyers and booklets.
- And above all, you – our visitors – for turning up, exploring, chatting, and supporting us.
What You Thought – The Feedback
We’ve been blown away by the response. Visitors gave the Art Trail an average rating of 4.45 stars. So far, 61 people have shared their thoughts through our online feedback form (and there’s still time if you’d like to add yours!).
Here are some highlights from what we’ve learned:
- We estimate 550 people visited the Art Trail across the weekend.
- Studios saw an average of 170 people each day. Considerably more on Sunday than on Saturday.
- Roughly 60% were local, meaning we welcomed about 220 new faces into the area.
- 15% of visitors joined in the prize draw by collecting stamps from studios and dropping the form back with us.
- Local businesses foresaw the boost, with some even opening on Sunday for the extra footfall.
- Around 40% of visitors bought something from an artist. This included cards, prints, or larger pieces. These purchases help our artists continue to create.
On average, visitors managed to reach six studios. Many completed all ten. Twenty of these entered their full stamp cards into the prize draw.
We’ve also learned a lot ourselves. One of the key takeaways for next year is making studios easier to find, with clearer maps and better signage.
Prize Draw Excitement
The prize draw is still open! If you’ve collected your stamps, please make sure we get your entry by Friday 12th September. The winners will be drawn that evening.
Here’s how it works:
- Entries with 9 or 10 studios visited go into the first draw for the £150 prize (to spend with an artist of your choice).
- Entries with 5–8 studios visited, plus the remaining full sets, go into the draw for £100.
- All remaining entries with at least 4 studios visited go into the draw for £50.
So far, we’ve received 75 entries, averaging seven studios visited per person. Good luck to everyone who entered!
Making it Possible
Our first Art Trail simply wouldn’t have happened without the support of so many organisations and individuals. We are incredibly grateful to:
- Currie, Balerno & District Round Table (CBDRT)
- Pentland Community Chest
- Scotmid Community Grant
- Additional generous anonymous match funding
And to those who supported us after the trail was announced so that we can continue with our mission to connect the community with artists by mounting cultural events in the area:
- Our Crowdfunder campaign donors (many of whom now own original artworks!).
- Creative Scotland National Lottery fund for match funding.
- Colinton Co-op for their community fund support.
What’s Next?
We’re not stopping here. The next Pentlands Open Studios event will be a PechaKucha night on 6th November at Baberton Golf Club. This lively evening will feature some of our founding artists talking about their work and the Art Trail experience. It’s also part of this year’s Pentlands Book Festival – so mark your calendars! All events are free, but tickets are essential to guarantee a space and will be available in early October.
✨ The inaugural Art Trail has shown us the power of community, creativity, and connection. Thank you again for walking this path with us. We can’t wait to see you at the next event. We also look forward to seeing you on next year’s Art Trail.
[Most photos by Karen Wilson]
Pentlands Open Studios 