Hauser & Wirth has announced a new three-year partnership with Robert Gordon University and Gray’s School of Art to expand its Mobile Art School programme across rural communities in northeast Scotland — taking creative education directly to places where access to the arts can be limited.
Launching on 12th March, the travelling school begins its 2026 programme in Braemar, joining forces with Hauser & Wirth artist Thomas J Price for workshops at Braemar Primary School, St. Margaret’s Church and Braemar Kirk. The initiative transforms a custom-built vehicle into a fully equipped studio on wheels, bringing contemporary art practice into classrooms, community spaces and village halls.
Designed as an outreach project, the Mobile Art School aims not only to introduce participants to creative careers but to position art as a tool for confidence, expression and community connection. Under the new partnership, Gray’s School of Art will expand the programme’s reach while involving practicing artists, faculty, students and recent graduates in hands-on workshops that foreground making, experimentation and dialogue.
Inside the vehicle is an impressive portable toolkit: VR headsets, laser-cutting and 3D-scanning equipment, mobile darkroom facilities, printmaking presses, ceramics tools, screen-printing setups, model-making gear, and more — effectively compressing the infrastructure of an art school into a single transportable unit.
Rather than bringing communities to the institution, the project flips the model, delivering resources, expertise and creative opportunity directly to local people. The ambition is long-term: to nurture curiosity, broaden understanding of the creative industries, and inspire future generations of artists far beyond metropolitan centres.
As Daniel Sutherland, Associate Dean for Economic, Social and Cultural Development at Gray’s School of Art, notes, the partnership allows the school to take its practices “outside their traditional settings and into the communities on our doorstep” — positioning creative learning as not just professional training, but a transformative part of everyday life.
About
Gray’s School of Art is a multidisciplinary art school that has been leading and defining creative culture
and development for 140 years. It is ranked the leading higher education institution in Scotland for
teaching quality in Art and Design (The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026), offering
undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral and short courses. The Mobile Art School will pop up in a broad
range of events throughout spring/summer 2026 across the Aberdeen region, the Highlands and Islands.
Please visit www.rgu.ac.uk and search for Mobile Art School to find out more.
Since 2014, Hauser & Wirth has been committed to inclusive Learning programs that instigate a dialogue between art, artists and diverse audiences with a focus on first-hand experience. The gallery’s dedication to supporting public programs across the UK follows recent and active partnerships with: Arts University Bournemouth, Bath Spa University, Bold Tendencies, Bristol Old Vic Youth Theatre, Dartington Arts School, Drawing Matter, Hospital Rooms, Royal Drawing School, South London Gallery, Spike Island
and Whitechapel Gallery. Our ongoing global projects are centred on three core pillars: to engage with
communities, enrich academic programs, and foster better access to art careers through a series of
meaningful partnerships.
Thomas J Price lives and works in London. He studied at Chelsea College of Art and the Royal College of
Art, London. Price was commissioned by Hackney Council to create the first permanent public sculptures
to celebrate the contribution of the Windrush generation and their descendants in the UK, unveiled in
June 2022 as part of a wider community engagement project. From 2024-25 Price’s work has been on
view at the National Portrait Gallery, London; V&A South Kensington, London; Kunsthalle Krems; Kunsthal
Rotterdam; Musée Rodin, Paris; Times Square, New York; National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. Price’s
solo exhibitions at Hauser & Wirth New York (2025) and Hauser & Wirth Downtown Los Angeles (2023)
included artist-led sessions with local partners, schools and youth groups.
Iwan and Manuela Wirth opened The Fife Arms in Braemar with a vision to bring together Scottish heritage, craftsmanship and culture with world-class contemporary art. The hotel team have previously collaborated with Fashion & Textiles students from Gray’s School of Art as part of the annual Fife Arms Festival of Fashion, celebrating fashion’s past, present and most importantly, future with key industry voices from Dame Anya Hindmarch and Christopher Kane to Giles Deacon. Wider cultural initiatives have included the Braemar Literary Festival, artist residencies and continued support of St Margaret’s and Braemar Kirk. Iwan and Manuela Wirth were awarded honorary degrees from Robert Gordon University in 2024 in recognition of the cultural and charitable contributions they have made to northeast Scotland.
