A NEW HOME IN POLAND and PAPPLE
"Richard Demarco is without doubt a remarkable man, an Italian Scot, a founder of the Traverse Theatre, a man who is an artist, a writer, a philosopher. He is a man who has brought contemporary visual arts to the Edinburgh Festival. He has been involved in more than 50 Edinburgh Festivals and has brought great artists like Joseph Beuys and Kantor to thousands of people. He has also brought the visual arts from other parts of the world, from Eastern Europe, long before other people were interested. And he has inspired us all…"
Sir Nicholas Serota (Director, Tate Gallery, 1999)
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The Demarco Archive is Richard’s living artwork, an unparalleled art collection and academic resource, reflecting Richard’s deep connection with Scotland and Edinburgh through his lifelong involvement in The Edinburgh Festival and Fringe, as well as his support for and premotion of Eastern European art and artists. For the past decade the collection has occupied 13 rooms in Summerhall Arts Centre. However, changes in ownership at Summerhall have necessitated a move for the collection.
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A New Home in Poland
In keeping with Richard’s vision for a Europe united through the arts, and the deep and long-established connection between Scotland and Poland, we are thrilled to announce that the majority of the archive is moving to Muzeum Sztuki in Poland: https://msl.org.pl/en/museum . The museum is refurbishing a new space to house the collection and create a tailor-made space for exhibition and study. The museum will also undertake the process of digitising the bulk of the collection, making this invaluable work available to scholars worldwide.
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Papple Steading
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Additionally, a part of the archive will remain in Scotland to be housed and displayed at Paple Steading, a farm in East Lothian which has been refurbished through the vision of George and Eri Mackintosh. https://papple.com This exhibit will celebrate the life and achievements of Richard Demarco, one of Scotland’s great artistic visionaries. This new home for part of the collection also reflects Richard’s strong and long-standing connection to environmental issues, best expressed through his vision of the Road to Meikle Seggie.
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A New Identity and Direction
In keeping with these exciting changes, The Demarco Archive Trust is re-directing and re-branding itself as The Richard Demarco Foundation. As such, we are re-invigorating our fundraising appeal with a singular focus on education. It is our intention to make scholarships and bursaries available to those undertaking archive studies at university, making the best use of our collection as a teaching tool. While training, these students would provide much needed archive and cataloguing expertise to the Demarco Archive Trust, ultimately allowing us to make the archive available digitally to scholars around the world.
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The Demarco Archive Trust Needs Your Support
We receive no public funding and have always depended on the generosity of those who share our vision for the preservation and continued growth of this important artistic, cultural and social resource for Edinburgh, Scotland and Europe. Our scholarship programme will seek out and find the best and brightest candidates through our long-standing connection with British and European universities.
You can provide your support to the Demarco Archive Trust by bank transfer to:
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Demarco Archive Trust Ltd.
Sort Code 80-22-60
Account number: 21720064
(stating as reference the name of the donor)
Or by cheque payable to ‘Demarco Archive Trust Ltd.’ and sent to the following address:
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Demarco Archive Trust Ltd.
Stroma,
Wellbank,
Beauly,
Inverness IV4 7EX
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We hope that you will look favourably on this move and new direction and that you will continue to take an interest and support us in these exciting times.