Down to a fine art

A WEST Lothian sculpture garden is celebrating the start of its eleventh season on a high, after securing one of the highest quality assurance accolades from the national tourism organisation VisitScotland.

Jupiter Artland, set within the picturesque 100-acre estate of Bonnington House ten miles outside of Edinburgh, has been achieved the prestigious 5-star Visitor Attraction award from VisitScotland as it prepares to open for another season.

The brainchild of Nicky and Robert Wilson, the grounds are home to around 35 permanent artworks and the location is also used for tours, events, exhibitions and live performances. VisitScotland Chairman Lord John Thurso recently visited the attraction to present the award.

Lord Thurso said: “Congratulations to Jupiter Artland on this fantastic achievement, a fitting start to what is sure to be a successful season for the attraction.

“Jupiter Artland is a truly unique and beautiful asset to the tourism offering in West Lothian and I am delighted that the hard work and commitment of the team is being recognised with this award.

“Our Quality Assurance scheme helps businesses to reach their full potential and truly shine. The scheme is about more than just the ‘stars’ on the door - it’s about the entire visitor experience, about investing in your business, driving-up quality and creating jobs.

“Delivering a quality experience that meets, and exceeds, visitor expectations is crucial in making Scotland a must-visit, must-return destination.”

Highlights of Jupiter Artland 2019 artistic programme include a new commission The Negative Years by Daniel Lie,as part of Jupiter’s ongoing ecological research (18 May – 14 July 2019), the unveiling of Joana Vasconcelos’ highly anticipated permanent commission Gateway, an intricately designed pool will hand-painted and Portuguese glazed tiles (27 July – 29 September 2019)andthe staging of Trisha Brown’s most ambitious site-specific choreography and first UK retrospective(27 July – 29 September 2019), which marks Jupiter’s first collaboration with Edinburgh International Festival. The 2019 season culminates with JUPITER RISING, a new outdoor festival that brings together artists, musicians, performers and thinkers for a weekend-long celebration across Jupiter’s iconic landscape (23–25 August 2019).

Nicky Wilson, Founding Director of Jupiter Artland Foundation commented “We are thrilled that the hard work and dedication of our loyal Jupiter Artland team has been recognised by VisitScotland and we are incredibly proud of our 5-star status. We pride ourselves on creating a space where contemporary art and sculpture can be discovered beyond the gallery walls and we look forward to welcoming visitors for our 2019 season from 18 May”

VisitScotland’s Quality Assurance schemes can open the door to new customers. It is a powerful marketing tool and works well with online review sites in using an independent perspective to measure visitor experience against tried and tested criteria, so visitors know exactly what to expect.

For more information on VisitScotland’s Quality Assurance scheme, please visit www.visitscotland.org/quality_assurance.aspx