A REGENERATION project that has transformed Dunoon Burgh Hall may offer a blueprint for other town across Scotland, according to the people behind it.

A unique exhibition of Andy Warhol’s work is currently on show at the hall, courtesy of Mayfair art dealer, collector and curator Anthony d’Offay, and it has certainly put the town on the arts map.

The hall was designed by Ayrshire architect Robert Bryden and opened in 1874, but fell into disrepair after its closure in the 1970s.

Its new lease of life began just six weeks ago after a 10-year community-led project run by more than 70 volunteers saw it being reinvented as a vibrant arts centre and a catalyst for the rejuvenation of the town.

Jenny Hunter, the arts and heritage programme co-ordinator at the hall, told The National: “One of the really exciting things is we opened the building with the Warhol show and I regularly see people standing looking at it and going ‘wow’. People are amazed by all the spaces.

“So many people have had a connection with Dunoon over the years, like the Americans with the naval base at the Holy Loch for 20 years.

“It’s been a key destination for ‘doon the watter’ voyages and coach trip from down south and the like.

“Dunoon still looks like the past – a lot has changed but not a lot has changed. The Victorian pier, for instance, is the best example of its type in the UK.

“We’re doing a lot of work training other volunteers here to be tour guides and gallery invigilators, and they’re building sets and installations and the like. I call them my angels because my colleague Ann Campbell and I couldn’t facilitate all the stuff we do on our own. We know we can call on certain people to help us with the film festival and all our exhibitions, including Andy Warhol’s.”

Warhol, who died in 1987, was a leading light of pop art, the postwar movement which featured images from popular culture and adverts. His works covered visual art, film, music and photography, as well as self-portraiture, and he was as recognisable as some of his most famous subjects, along with his oft-quoted phrase: “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.”

The team at Dunoon Burgh Hall don’t simply foist exhibits upon the town but involve local people. Hunter says this was key to its success, and an example for other areas.

“I think it’s all down to our tiered approach involving the community in everything we do, involving young people, making sure the ownership of what happens is felt by everyone so we’re not creating a programme of exhibits and performances that aren’t relevant,” she said.

“Anne and I have worked really hard to make sure that we involve people in our programming – they help support us and we help support them. John McAslan’s family trust has helped bring us opportunities, like the Andy Warhol show, which we just wouldn’t have had room for before.”

Hunter says the team are keen local artists are given space to show work, alongside more established artists.

“It’s a cultural centre and a hub where we want to nurture our local artists and filmmakers as well as working with our younger groups, so it’s a long-term project – the Burgh Hall’s been here for over 140 years and I don’t think it’s going anywhere soon.”