Project of the week

The former Inverness Royal Academy was built in 1895 by Ross and Macbeth and was the first purpose-built large secondary school in the Highlands, where it remained at the centre of educational life for over a century.

Thanks to Wasps Studios - the UK’s largest provider of creative workspace – the former Inverness Royal Academy has now embarked on a new chapter. Phase 1 of this project saw the restoration of the 1913 Arts and Science extension to accommodate 30 new studio spaces for artists and makers. Phase 2, completed in late 2021, transformed the original 1895 Inverness Royal Academy Building into a ‘creative industries’ wing, converting 15 classrooms and the former double-height Assembly Hall into 80+ workspaces, meeting rooms, a café, a reception, and a gallery.

Today, Inverness Creative Academy serves as the first major creative hub in The Highlands, providing a central home for collaboration, production and opportunity within this beautifully restored former school.

“I’ve been an artist renting studio space at Inverness Creative Academy since the building reopened, and in that time I’ve watched it grow into a vibrant, thriving creative community. It’s not only a hub for tenants, but a welcoming space for art students, workshop participants, and the wider public, offering access to exhibitions and working studios alike.

"Working alongside such passionate and talented artists in a beautifully managed environment - with its airy, thoughtfully designed space - has been both inspiring and transformative. ICA has supported my development in meaningful ways, giving me the freedom to grow as an artist and the opportunity to exhibit my work in what is undoubtedly one of the finest exhibition spaces in the Highlands, if not all of Scotland.”

Ian Whyte, Tenant