The architectural award-winning visitor centre for the Great Tapestry of Scotland in Galashiels in the Scottish Borders is home not only to the permanent display of its famous story-telling centrepiece, but to a programme of exhibitions and events throughout 2026.
These include Scabby Knees – a year-round programme of diverse kids’ creative workshops, with ‘Bookbug’ sessions, block printmaking, collage, clay making and even filmmaking, offering something for everyone. The next workshop is scheduled for July.
In October, Melrose-based textile artist Andrea Orduna, will present Ñuke Mapu: Threads of Identity – a large-scale installation honouring the ancestral textile practices and cosmology of the Mapuche people of Chile, bringing together 30 suspended textile works and 10 sculptural pieces that explore themes of territory, memory and poetic resistance. Andrea’s work reflects on cultural identity and the strong connections between land, heritage and storytelling, inspired by traditional Mapuche weaving practices, and inviting visitors to consider how textiles can carry history, meaning and resilience across generations.
To round-off the year, in December, Breath of Colour is an exhibition of woven wall hangings by textile artist Eta Ingham Lawrie, whose work is pictured at top, created on upright tapestry looms and inspired by the changing colours and moods of the seasons, and the sounds of nature such as birdsong, reflecting a strong connection to the natural world. The works are comprised primarily from local sheep’s wool, carefully sorted, washed and dyed using traditional plant and mineral dyes. Alongside some large felted pieces, Eta spins and incorporates multicoloured yarns, natural materials and found objects to create a rich variety of textures, employing techniques such as crochet and knitting, exploring a range of themes through colour, texture and craft.
The brainchild of author Alexander McCall Smith, the Centre’s central display, The Great Tapestry of Scotland, tells the people’s true story of Scotland from millions of years BC to the present day. One of the world’s largest community arts projects, it was hand-stitched by a team of 1,000 stitchers from across the country, using 160 linen panels and over 300 miles of wool – enough to stretch the entire length of Scotland from the border with England to the tip of Shetland. The panels were designed by artist Andrew Crummy, based on a narrative written by Scottish Borders-based award-winning writer and historian Alistair Moffat.
