We’ve reached 100%! Help our hidden gem in the Highlands shine even brighter!

Wasps is thrilled and hugely grateful for the support our ‘shine a light’ campaign has received to date – and we can’t quite believe we’ve exceeded our target for the centrepiece lighting with 11 days to go! Thank you!

We’ve loved the chance to tell you more about the creative community currently working behind the scenes at Inverness Creative Academy, the history of the 125 year old Midmills buildings, and our plans to give them a new creative future.

Thanks to everyone who has supported so far, we know we can complete the spectacular lighting in the even more spectacular assembly hall, but there’s still more we can do to secure the future of this project. Every extra pound we raise will ensure we can finish the complete restoration of this beautiful space to the highest standard possible, keeping the public spaces free and accessible, and illuminating great art in the Highlands today, accented by the historic features of the grand assembly hall.

Like many arts organisations the past year has posed a number of challenges for Wasps. The biggest challenge was working out how to support our 1,000 artist tenants across Scotland through a two month closure of all buildings, and subsequently re-opening safely, still unable to offer public exhibitions or workshops until this week. A very close second to that has been keeping works at Inverness Creative Academy on track. Wasps’ primary focus will always be nurturing creative talent in Scotland, and establishing sustainable buildings helps us achieve this.

The transformation of the Midmills buildings is six years in the making, and we’ve climbed a few mountains to get to this point. Delays on site due to Covid-19, inflated material prices and the discovery of unexpected rot works made this last year our most challenging yet. When we finally open the doors of Inverness Creative Academy, and the beautiful assembly hall to the public, we don’t want to have to cut back on our full vision to return this space to its original glory. Any additional funding we can raise between now and 7th June will go towards achieving this goal, and, in lighting up great art in the Highlands, open up this hidden gem of a space for everyone to enjoy.

There’s an incredible community of artists and art lovers who’ve already found a home at Inverness Creative Academy, and we want more people to be part of it. By spreading the word and encouraging others to donate before 7th June, you’ll help us bring Midmills back to life with extra sparkle - and don’t forget, by donating to one of our beautiful artists rewards you can take a little bit of this wonderful new creative community home, and support these artists by sharing their work too.

Thanks once more to everyone who has come together to #IlluminateHighlands so far, we are thrilled by your support and generosity, and can’t wait to welcome you to visit. Help our hidden gem shine even brighter by sharing our campaign.