Named after the Gaelic word for the River Tay and the Sanskrit term for a sense of being, Tatha gallery offers visitors a unique and enchanting space to celebrate art in Scotland. With its abundant natural light, breathtaking views, and distinct gallery layout, Tatha creates an atmosphere that is both serene and inviting and we chat to owner Lindsay about how she achieved this.
Could you introduce yourself to our readers and let them know a bit about who you are and what you do.
Hello I’m Lindsay Bennett, owner and director of Tatha Gallery. After spending 30+ years in financial services a career change was needed and the opportunity to pursue my love of art arose. Nine years on and I still love all aspects of running an art gallery.
Take us back to where it all began, and tell us about the journey that led to you opening Tatha.
The area surrounding around Newport on Tay holds a vast amount of artistic talent and with a constant flow of emerging talent from Duncan of Jordanstone, on the opposite side of the river, along with the other Scottish art colleges, it made sense to open the gallery here to celebrate the wealth of Scottish talent, allowing local people to the joy of viewing and buying great art on their doorstep and thanks to our online presence we now have a worldwide client base.
Housed in The Newport, which incorporates The Newport restaurant & rooms and Newport Chiropractor clinic, we have a strong sense of health and wellbeing. The gallery is a unique space with wonderful light and amazing views all working together to create a calm and inviting environment. Many visitors remark that it is the most beautiful gallery in Scotland.
We know you exhibit a lot of work from up and coming artists, particularly students and graduates of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, why is this important to you?
We feel that hosting graduate shows is an important and vital part of our exhibition programme. Allowing new emerging talent, possibly for the first time, the opportunity to showcase their work in our amazing gallery, while giving them an understanding of the business aspects of exhibiting work in a commercial gallery, sometimes this comes as a shock to some graduates. The world of art can be a tough environment for any artist so providing support and advice to graduates is also vital to ensure we continue seeing new talent staying within the art world.
Could you tell us about any stand-out or favourite exhibitions you’ve shown at Tatha.
Each exhibition holds a special place for me. It feels like Christmas opening up new work to hang in shows and working with graduates is always fun as they bring a burst of energy and excitement to the gallery. My standout exhibition is Passion, Vision & Spirt by Norman Gilbert, we first meet back in 2018 when he was 91 years young. His highly coloured extraordinary work depicts people, plants and patterns and those who view them fall in love. Norman’s story touches the hearts of many and the short film created by BBC Loop
can testify to this with 7.5 million people enjoying a glimpse into Norman’s life and his wonderful art. People do truly connect to people. Having hosted 3 subsequent exhibitions of his work he continues to be a favourite in my heart. Sadly, Norman died in 2019 however his work lives on and we still have access to his few remains works.
Can you tell us a bit about where you’re based in Newport-On-Tay and are there any neighbouring businesses we should know about?
We have many amazing local businesses creating a buzz in the community and here are just a few to whet our appetite. If you are looking for incredible food with amazing views across the Tay, come to The Newport Restaurant, which is part of The Newport where you will find our wonderful art gallery. The Newport Bakery can supply all your baking needs from breads to great cakes. Fig & Fromage: great coffee, great bagels and very tasty cheeses with good music thrown in for good measure. The Urban Grocery is always full of delights with a fabulous selection of fruit and veg. Sutherlands Hair and Beauty will provide all your pampering needs. So looking for a great day out, great art, great food and great views you know where to head…. Newport on Tay!
When you’re not engrossed in the many aspects of gallery life, what could we find you doing?
It’s a joy to say that art takes up a lot of my life, and when I’m not sitting in the gallery enjoying both the views inside and outside, over the river Tay across to the V&A, Dundee, you will find me wandering around exhibitions throughout the UK and every overseas holiday will include trips to devour art. I love the outdoors and when not engrossed in art I’m out walking, soaking up nature. I love being by the water so living near the River Tay is a perfect spot to hang out. My other love is music of many genres and you can may find me moshing at live gigs throughout the year.
What’s coming up at Tatha that we need to know about?
We never sit still for very long in the gallery as we host around eights exhibitions each year. Art is for everyone, it does make a difference in our lives and we never want people to feel jaded about our exhibitions, so we ensure there is always something new, different and exciting on view with an eclectic and changing programme of Painting, Printmaking, Sculpture and Applied Art. This year is no exception so keep an eye on our website to see what’s on.
Where can we find you online?
Website: www.tathagallery.com
Instagram: @tathagallery
Facebook: tathagallery
INTERVIEW BY Eryn Inglis
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