Monday June 16th 2025
Dalkeith Arts group art session
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Liam Eunson
Dalkeith Arts is a not-for-profit voluntary organisation that offers a space for adults in Dalkeith to come and create art.
Backed by Midlothian Council, the organisation has been around in various forms for around 50 years but has grown stronger in the last eight due to new leadership. Aiming to benefit the community, Dalkeith Arts uses the medium of artistic expression to build people’s confidence and self-esteem, using the motto, “Art is our medium – Community is our purpose”.
Dalkeith Arts is community driven, welcoming anyone from the local community, being an inclusive organsiation that welcomes any adult who is looking to express themselves through art. Their charitable purpose focuses on advancing the arts, alongside providing recreational opportunities, education and community development. Despite primarily providing the service to adults, they have worked on various projects in both primary schools and secondary schools in Dalkeith.
Being supported by the council, the organisation recently moved into the Arts Centre in Dalkeith, providing them with a suitable home to continue to provide the community with a space for artistic expression.
A member of The Dalkeith Arts team, Mary Blair, explained, “The use of the Arts Centre as our regular meeting place has allowed us to create an identity right in the heart of Midlothian. Our doors are literally open every Friday for passers-by to drop in, check out what we do, and maybe decide to join us.”
Stating that their ability is to adapt and change, this is exactly what they have done over the past 10 years, recruiting new members and revamping both their principles and practices.
Developing a local group of people and artists, Dalkeith Arts, have developed a community allowing them to improve the current programme of activities they run. Setting up a Facebook page, they have been able to recruit new members from Dalkeith and the surrounding areas, having representatives at a variety of Midlothian initiatives, such as the, Woodburn Pantry, Climate Action Group and playing a large part in the 2024 Vogrie Pogrie Arts Festival at the The Scottish Mining Museum’s Careers Event.
Mary Blair, explained, “We now feel happy to call ourselves a community of creative folk and we truly are. Our community is inclusive and welcomes anyone who comes through our doors. Dalkeith Arts does not exist in a vacuum. We truly are a community group that interacts with our local community and its people.”
They have two groups, a Friday group and a weekend group. Running activities, such as workshops and painting challenges, they offer art lessons and encourage friendly competitions. Setting up ‘the newbies’ table last year, they encourage people to come and learn how to create art, playing with different mediums, subject matter and techniques.
Their weekend group offers people a chance to focus on new techniques, splitting off into smaller groups to allow people to get to know people better leading to many friendships being made.
Offering people an opportunity to preview art at exhibitions alongside field trips due to being a member of Lothian Community Transport, they offer more than group art classes. Through working with Midlothian Council’s, Percentage for Art, they have created art installations for the Aldi in Woodburn and created an art trail around Dalkeith with Woodburn Art Club Youth Project.
The organisation takes any opportunity to work with their community, working with, One Dalkeith, Art Club, MCAN, Dalkeith Guerilla Gardeners and Vogrie Pogrie. During the Covid 19 lockdown, they began their ‘Covid Project’, painting an art piece on a local building in Dalkeith.
Dalkeith Arts provides a well-needed community space for artistic expression, allowing like-minded people with similar interests in arts to create a community.
“We believe bringing like minded people together to do stuff creates a community”, Mary explained, “Having a place that you can do that is pretty essential.”
“Dalkeith now has a vibrant community of artists who benefit from spending time together. Making new friends and relationships, combating social isolation, having fun, sharing worries, all the positive advantages of being part of a group.”
With goals of continuing to be an organisation that provides people with something unique and special, they aim to continue to support their community.
“We want to continue to be an organisation that gives people something very special. We want to continue to provide an opportunity to step into a world of colour, line, scribble and make a mess. Providing something supportive, sharing and fun.”
Fro more information about Dalkieth Arts visit their website www.DalkeithArts.co.uk or look at their Facebook page HERE.
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