The Shetland Contemporary Art Collection consists of art works purchased in June 2004 with funding from the Scottish Arts Council and Scottish Executive. Its intention is to bring a wider appreciation, enjoyment and understanding of contemporary art to people in Shetland, especially young people. With this in view, the paintings are loaned to participating schools and businesses, with the aim that they should be displayed on a rotational basis, changing every term.

The collection, which consists of paintings, prints, photographs and sculpture, is the work of sixteen young artists who come from all over Scotland and who graduated from Edinburgh College of Art and Glasgow School of Art in 2004. They include Rachael MacArthur, Lisa Mellis, Tian Miller and James Stuart Newman.