We at Perth Festival of Yarn are passionate about the City which we call home. Perth is Scotland’s ancient capital, the crowning place of our Kings, the Gateway to the Highlands, and 85% of the Scottish population are only a 90 minutes drive away; so we are closer than you may have thought!
Perth and it’s surrounding areas have a wealth of cultural gems for you to explore. We’re listing a few highlights to help you make the absolute best of your time with us; so why not book an extra couple of days away.
Perth Museum and Art Gallery: Sin (in partnership with the National Gallery)
https://www.culturepk.org.uk/whats-on/sin/
Perth Museum & Art Galley’s summer exhibition, Sin, organised in partnership with the National Gallery, will bring together masterpieces from the 16th century to the present day, exploring the concept of sin through visual art. Perth is the first stop – and the only stop in Scotland – on this exclusive travelling exhibition, which will tour only four venues across the UK.
Visitors will get a chance to get up close and personal with works by Rembrandt, Lucas Cranach the Elder, Jan Steen, Jan Gossaert, Tracey Emin, Ron Mueck, and more. These masterworks will sit alongside treasures from Perth Museum & Art Gallery’s own collections that reflect various aspects of sin, such as works by JD Fergusson and Giovanni Antonio Galli, and many curious items that may surprise visitors with their connection to the theme.
Perth Museum and Art Gallery: The Serpent of Capitalism
https://www.culturepk.org.uk/whats-on/the-serpent-of-capitalism-by-walker-bromwich/
This summer, Glasgow-based artists Zoe Walker and Neil Bromwich will present a new and thought-provoking art installation at Perth Museum and Art Gallery. The Serpent of Capitalism will invite audiences to think about capitalism in our society and what the alternatives might be.
To accompany the large-scale inflatable serpent sculpture, a series of drawings and photographs by Walker & Bromwich will re-imagine the shifting world around us and trace the shaping of societies, religions, ideas, and beliefs.
The exhibition will also premiere two new films; Possible Dialogues Scotland #2 and The Serpent of Capitalism; documenting events that took place in Walker & Bromwich’s expansive artwork, Encampment of Eternal Hope, during last year’s COP26, which focused on amplifying Indigenous voices at this critical time and bringing people together to collectively find ways to re-align with earth’s living systems.
The Fergusson Gallery, Perth
https://www.culturepk.org.uk/museums-and-galleries/the-fergusson-gallery/
J D Fergusson was one of the most important and influential artists in Britain in the first half of the 20th century. Born in Edinburgh, with ancestral links to Perthshire, he spent much of his career in France and is now most associated with the Scottish Colourist group. The Fergusson Gallery holds his vast collection of artwork and associated archives, along with the archive of his lifelong companion, the pioneer of modern dance, Margaret Morris.
Perthshire Artisans Open Studios, Throughout Perthshire
https://www.perthshire-artisans.scot/open-studios-september-2022
18 individual members of Perthshire Artisans are opening their studios from 8 – 11 September in collaboration with Perth Festival of Yarn. A downloadable flyer is available from their website above.
River Tay Public Art Trial, Perth
https://www.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=5cadb17abb5c41559fab426d92976cc4
The River Tay is the longest river in Scotland and the most powerful river in Britain. It flows through the City of Perth and it is to the river that the city owes its existence – having grown up in the Middle Ages around the lowest point that the river could be bridged.
Alongside the river are placed thought–provoking sculptures which draw their inspiration from the river and its wildlife, the city, its history, its poets and its life.
Together these sculptures form the River Tay Public Art Trail which, consisting of outstanding artworks positioned in some of the most beautiful settings in the City of Perth, recalls the artistic, historical and natural heritage of the City of Perth and its river.
Raise the Roof Art Trail (destinations throughout Perth City Centre)
https://www.perthcity.co.uk/section/raise-the-roof-2022
Comprising of 20 wire statues designed by Vanessa Lawrence celebrating the stories and achievements of Perthshire’s most inspirational women.
Perth Cathedral, St Ninian’s
Perth Cathedral, St Ninian’s was the first to be built in Britain after the Reformation and was consecrated in 1850. It stands on ground that originally formed part of the Blackfriars Monastery and is dedicated to St. Ninian, the first name we know in the Christian history of Scotland.
Perth Cathedral was designed by the London architect, William Butterfield, and is an A listed building. In the year he designed St Ninian’s he also designed Adelaide Cathedral in Australia and Frederichton in Canada. (Butterfield also designed All Saints, Margaret Street, London; Keble College, Oxford; and St Augustine’s College, Canterbury.) The Butterfield design was completed in two phases in 1850 and 1890. Another London architect, John L Pearson designed the Lady Chapel and the Chapter House around 1900; these additions were carried out by his son, Frank Pearson.
St. John’s Kirk of Perth
https://www.visitscotland.com/info/see-do/st-johns-kirk-of-perth-p1022141
St. John’s Kirk of Perth is one of Scotland’s most important burgh churches. It is Perth’s most ancient building, and sits at the very centre of the old Royal Burgh. Its unique broach spire has dominated Perth for over 500 years
The Fair Maid’s House, Perth
https://www.visitscotland.com/info/see-do/the-fair-maids-house-p953211
The Royal Scottish Geographical Society’s visitor and education centre in the Fair Maid’s House is a geographical delight housed in the oldest secular building in Perth, parts of which date from 1475.
The Black Watch Castle and Museum, Perth
Perth Theatre: The Comedy of Errors
https://www.horsecross.co.uk/whats-on/the-comedy-of-errors-180802
Twin brothers and their identical servants are separated by a shipwreck. Years later, unknown to each other, they end up on the same island. A series of wild mishaps follows – including baffling encounters, false accusations, wrongful arrests, and finally a cheering family reunion!
Packed full of slapstick humour and feel-good fun, this 5-star production from the Citizens Theatre celebrates the joy of storytelling.
Scone Palace, Scone (near Perth)
https://www.scone-palace.co.uk/
The Crowning Place of Scottish Kings and the original home of the Stone of Scone.
Birnam Arts and the Beatrix Potter Garden, Birnam and Dunkeld
V&A Dundee: Various Exhibitions
https://www.vam.ac.uk/dundee/whatson/2022/09/01/month
For general Tourist Information services and further inspiration please visit: https://www.visitscotland.com/destinations-maps/perth/see-do/