Anniversary Collections Conference

Join us at Inverness Town House Grand Hall on Friday 13^th November for a joint Anniversary Collections Conference hosted by Inverness Museum & Art Gallery and the Highland Folk Museum.

Celebrating 201 years since the founding of the museum in Inverness and 90 years since Dr Isabel F Grant established the Highland Folk Museum, the conference will focus on all that makes the museums' Highland collections unique.

The day will be hosted by the ‘Highland Historian’, Andrew Grant McKenzie, and feature four guest speakers who have carried out research on our collections. Our speakers are Dr Rhona Ramsay, Jennifer Morag Henderson, Lyndsay M^cGill (R.L. Christie Works of Art) and Nysa Loudon.

Arrivals are welcome at the Town House from 9.30am and welcome speeches will begin at 10am. The conference will conclude at 4.30pm followed by a reception at Inverness Museum & Art Gallery to view the latest exhibition plus a special display of some of the objects featured during the talks.

Lunch is included in the ticket price with vegetarian and non-vegetarian options but please email us on inverness.museum@highlifehighland.com by 12pm on the 4th November if you have any specific dietary requirements or allergies.

Tickets will be on sale until Wednesday 4th November. We will also be releasing a digital access only ticket on Tuesday 13th October – check our social media channels for more information.

Accessibility information: please note that accessing the front entrance to Inverness Town House involves a flight of stairs, and the Grand Hall is on the first floor. An accessible entrance and lift can be accessed from the door on the Castle Street side of the Town House.

Parking and Public Transport: Inverness Town House is a short walk from Inverness Bus and Train Stations and there is paid parking at Castle Street, Rose Street and Eastgate Centre car parks. If you have any questions about parking or accessibility, please email us on inverness.museum@highlifehighland.com.

The conference is supported by Museums and Galleries Scotland Small Grants Fund and the Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund administered by the Museums Association.

Conference Schedule

09.30 – 10.00 Arrivals including tea and coffee

10.00 – 10.45 Introduction

10.45 – 11.45 Talk by Jennifer Morag Henderson, "The Gin Heiress and the Maharajah: Inverness Museum's Jacobite Collections"

11.45 – 12.00 Comfort break

12.00 – 13.00 Talk by Dr Rhona Ramsay, “‘Scrappies, rag and bone, and back door small tradings’: how Travellers helped develop the collections of the Highland Folk Museum”

13.00 – 13.45 Lunch

13.45 – 14.00 Presentation by Young Curators

14.00 – 15.00 Talk by Lyndsay McGill, R.L. Christie Works of Art, “Inverness Silver: Makers, Masterpieces and the Museum’s Story”

15.00 – 15.15 Comfort break

15.15 – 16.15 Talk by Nysa N. Loudon, PhD Candidate, University of Glasgow, “The materials, ecology, and sensations of wild plant use in Scottish vernacular cordage and basketry at the Highland Folk Museum Collection”

16.15 – 16.30 Closing remarks

16.30 – 18.30 Exhibition reception at Inverness Museum and Art Gallery