This workshop will look at how to access your social media analytics, how to report them to High Life Highland and how your museum can use this information to further develop your social media strategies.
HighLife Highland’s Service Level Agreement with Highland Museums requires quarterly reporting on all online ‘hits’. In recent years this has caused both confusion and inaccurate reporting. This workshop has been specifically designed to clarify what information is being requested and to help museums gain the skills to accurately report on their online data. It will also explore the benefits of conducting such audits in terms of building social media strategies and campaigns to help streamline your work in this area.
Training will be delivered by Siobhan Beatson (Manager/Curator at Ullapool Museum and MHH board member ) and Joe Derry Setch (Marketing and Communications Officer at MGS and MHH board member)
This workshop will provide an introduction to working with Gaelic in museums and heritage settings. The session will look at specific examples of where and how Gaelic can fit within museums, covering some dos and don’ts and how to advocate for the language and culture. Anna MacQuarrie currently works as Gaelic Museum Development Officer with four independent Highland museums. Her previous museum experience has included wide-ranging curatorial work, community engagement and contemporary collecting.
Do you have any niggling worries about your collection? Has something changed and you’re not sure if it’s a problem? Received a new object and wondering how to care for it? Planning a new exhibition or changing things in your store? Whatever your questions or thoughts, we invite you to join us for a collections care get-together! In the morning Jeanette Pearson, Conservation Officer at High Life Highland, will lead a session focusing on physical objects in our collections. In the afternoon Richard Aitken, Senior Conservator with Highlife Highland, will lead a session focusing on paper and archival materials.
Who should attend?
This session is suitable for anyone, paid or volunteer, who works with a museum collection.
What will you learn?
Jeanette Pearson will host a session in the morning (10am – 12pm) on object care and conversation. The session will:
Provide some examples and information on the types of conservation issues that she has experienced that are common to most museum collections. Aim to highlight and discuss the possible solutions and treatments. Discuss the practicality of treatment and collections care and pose a few important questions that you should always consider. Provide some practical advice on care of objects brought in by partcipants (please email nicola.henderson@museumsandheritagehighland.org.uk in advance if you would like to bring along a specific object)
Richard Aitken will lead a session in the afternoon (1pm – 3pm) on the care of paper and archival materials. The session will:
Provide some examples regarding handling documents, with some practical experience. Carry out a cleaning workshop, using conservation cleaning products. Show various forms of packaging ideas for documents, books & photographs. Examples and discussion on how to deal with insects. Provide some practical advice on care of objects brought in by participants. (please email nicola.henderson@museumsandheritagehighland.org.uk in advance if you would like to bring along a specific object)
About the trainers:
Jeanette Pearson ACR Conservation Officer, Inverness Museum & Art Gallery and The Highland Folk Museum. ‘My specialisation and training is in Archaeological Conservation, but I have always worked as a museum objects conservator providing conservation treatment and collections care for a range of materials and objects ranging from archaeology, natural sciences, decorative arts and social history. A lot of my work involves active treatments assessing and stabilising newly acquired material as well as preventive conservation, which involves managing and monitoring the environmental, biological and physical factors that will influence the stability of collections in store and on display.’ Richard Aitken ACR, Senior Conservator, High Life Highland Archive Service
‘My training began with bookbinding, studying Fine Bookbinding and Conservation at Guildford College. I went on to study archive conservation on the Archives & Records Association (ARA) Certificate in Archive Conservation, whilst working at West Yorkshire Archives in Wakefield. I began working for the Highland Archive Service in 2009. In 2010 I was awarded accreditation status, became an instructor on the ARA Conservation Training Scheme on map & plan conservation and in 2013 I completed a Masters in Preventive Conservation with Northumbria University. I thoroughly enjoy my job at the Highland Archive Service helping look after an extensive collection covering the whole of the Highland region.’
How to book
The workshop will take place at the Highland Archive Centre and you can book your tickets here –
We are looking for three Climate Ambassadors to work with us on supporting the museum community in the Highlands to implement environmentally sustainable practices.
Our Highland museums often tell us that environmental sustainability is a priority for them, but that they can find the topic too big and a little overwhelming at times. ‘Please just tell me what I need to do,’ is a statement we often hear. After exploring some ideas as a group, we believe that the best way to meet this challenge head on is to upskill three passionate individuals in environmentally sustainable practices that are specific to our region and context. And to do this we will work closely with Ki Futures – an international coaching and training network, connecting cultural practitioners across the world with real, sustainable action.
Our MHH climate ambassadors will be invited to join the Ki Futures program for a tailored 6-month program to learn about sustainability and how to support member museums in implementing their climate, energy, and waste goals. This innovative partnership is tailored specifically for our climate ambassadors program and has been designed in collaboration with MHH and Ki Futures.
This is a 6 month, paid role, giving each ambassador the time for training, study and work without it impacting on their other commitments. The full brief for the role is below and please do get in touch with any questions you may have.
This project is supported by the Museums and Galleries Scotland Forum’s Fund with thanks to National Lottery Players.
From uncovering Cromarty’s historic links to the Transatlantic slave trade to following a blue plaque walking tour revealing the individuals that made Stromness the town it is today, an incredible range of unique Highland history is now available worldwide.
Made possible thanks to a unique partnership between XpoNorth Digital, Highlands and Islands Enterprise’s specialist digital support programme for the creative and heritage sectors, and Smartify, the world’s most downloaded museum app, six Highland museums are now live on the global stage.
Selected earlier this year to take part in the initiative, the chosen six have been busy preparing to digitise either parts of their collection or unique experiences since then. The process has transformed their ability to use digital tools and is also expected to result in employment opportunities and increased income generation in the future.
Now, after six months and an incredible effort from local teams and partners, audiences around the world can access the treasure trove of their offering through the Smartify app, and engage with archives, artifacts, tours and memories from across Scotland’s north.
These include the opportunity to explore Cromarty Courthouse Museum’s Building on Slavery walking tour, with the help of an audio guide that takes visitors around Cromarty and uncovers the town’s historic links to the Transatlantic slave trade, featuring authors David Alston and Nicole Bontemps. Visit Cromarty Courthouse Museum on Smartify here.
Those interested in tracing the lives of the individuals and stories that defined the town of Stromness will be able to enjoy Stromness Museum’s ‘Blue Plaque’ walking tour, following it to discover local buildings and the people who lived in them. Surgeon John Rae, for example, is put under the spotlight as a prolific explorer who navigated the Arctic in the 1800s, while poet and dramatist George Mackay Brown is featured as an eminent writer whose work was distinctly Orcadian in character.
Gareth Squire, Administrator at Stromness Museum said: “The opportunity to bring the stories associated with our collections to a worldwide audience and the ability for Smartify users to enrich their visit using the app, will help raise the Museum’s profile as a ‘must visit’ destination in the Highlands and Islands. The unique ability to engage with our audience with the Blue Plaque Trail through Stromness, which links directly to our collections, is a further positive benefit to our integration with the app and it is hoped this will further increase our visitor numbers and profile”. Visit Stromness Museum on Smartify here.
Meanwhile, the Highlanders’ Museum has shone a light on their collection’s little discussed colonial past by producing a ‘Hidden Histories’ audio guide. Freya Samuel, Digital Engagement Curator at the Highlanders’ Museum, said: “For small, independent museums, physical space can be a limitation which impacts the stories that we are able to tell. Smartify lets us share extra content in a really seamless and accessible way, and it’s also easy to create and share new content, that encourages our visitors to come back again and again. Highland history is now being showcased alongside a world-class selection of museums, and is given an equal presence on the platform. The app really champions small museums and values the stories they have to tell, and we’re excited about sharing our heritage with the world.” Visit The Highlanders’ Museum on Smartify here.
Visitors can also use an audio guide to delve into the eclectic local collection at Brora Heritage Centre, which has showcased their highlights ranging from mining tools and medals to ice skates and bricks. Visit Brora Heritage Centre on Smartify here.
Gairloch Museum has produced a series of ten mini videos that will be showcased on the Smartify platform and shared on social media, that tell the story of the local landscape and its connection to the museum. Visit Gairloch Museum on Smartify here.
An unmissable experience has also been created by Inverness Museum and Art Gallery, who have developed an audio tour to guide visitors around the star objects of the collection including ‘rondello’, a round fiddle invented by Highland-born musician Alexander Grant. Visit Inverness Museum and Art Gallery on Smartify here.
Nicola Henderson, Digital Heritage Specialist at XpoNorth Digital, added: “Months of hard work on the part of the six museums involved has culminated in a milestone moment as the museums’ offerings go live. This partnership with Smartify is not only an example of XpoNorth Digital’s commitment to facilitating innovative ways of working for creative organisations in the region, but also demonstrates the huge potential of digital methods, in terms of both amplifying the area’s history around the globe but also forming networks closer to home. Smartify will help the region’s museums to unravel further layers of the stories held within their collections and give them a newfound appeal to audiences both new and old.”
Thanos Kokkiniotis, Director and Co-Founder of Smartify said: “We are delighted to be working with XpoNorth Digital and the museums on this important and ground-breaking project. One of the reasons we started Smartify was to make the kinds of digital tools that were once previously only available to the very biggest institutions accessible for all. It’s great to see that happening here in Scotland with organisations that are so passionate about Scottish heritage and culture.”
Smartify is available on iOS and Android from the App Store and Google Play respectively. It’s also available on the web via app.smartify.org. For more information on XpoNorth Digital’s work to support creative businesses in the Highlands and Islands, visit www.xponorth.co.uk.
Katie Murray, project officer for ‘The Coast that Shaped the World’ project, reflects on its legacy and how it can continue to serve the west coast heritage and tourism sectors.
Attendees of the ‘Sealladh’ conference in April will remember that COAST is a UHI-led project that uses stories to encourage travel to less well-visited sites across the west coast and islands of Scotland.
The project employed a team of local story gatherers, from Wester Ross and Lewis in the north to Arran and Kintyre in the south, to uncover stories deeply rooted in place and of significance to locals. This was supplemented by opportunities for the wider public to share stories, through an online survey and during a series of digital workshops organised by region or theme.
The result was a bank of over 1300 stories celebrating the communities, heritage, culture and environment of the west coast and islands of Scotland. Almost 400 of these were curated, mapped and published on a website and app. The stories were also used in four small pop-up exhibitions that toured heritage and community venues and ferry terminals throughout 2022.
The stories are intended to encourage users to find out more about the subject and the area they come from. Where relevant we include the source of the story, or direct readers to books, websites or local heritage institutions where they could find out more. For example, those interested in delving deeper into the story of the ambush at Highbridge, the first armed conflict of the 1745 Jacobite uprising, are directed to a blog published by West Highland Museum. A story about open-air preaching site ‘An Cos’ references the wooden pulpit box used during services on display in Gairloch Museum.
One aim was to help alleviate overtourism at some of the busier sites, encouraging visitors to explore other places that have a rich heritage but which have remained off the beaten track. One of the most important ways we have done this is by seeking out stories that are not widely known, and geotagging these to a relevant site, monument or memorial. This is published in the form of a digital map available on both our website and in the app. We hope the stories will spur the curiosity of visitors and motivate them to see the sites where events happened for themselves.
All of the stories are published on the website. They can easily be found and accessed from here- as well as the digital map, they are also sorted by theme or subject matter such as ‘Jacobites’, ‘Shipwrecks’, and ‘Archaeology.’ This is also the best place to share stories from if you want to use them on your own social media to alert your followers about other local heritage sites.
In contrast, the app is specifically designed for users to experience and explore the stories while out and about. As well as the digital map, there is a ‘Find Nearby Stories’ function to allow for the easy discovery of content while on the move. Some of the stories have also been recorded by professional storytellers. It makes for an atmospheric outing, to read or hear a story being recounted while standing on site, or at a memorial or heritage centre.
While we will be winding down our digital presence, our Facebook and Instagram pages will remain live and represent an awareness raising campaign promoting stories and place spanning almost two years. Around a third of the stories were also published here and can still be searched and shared directly. We have also co-curated a series of COAST themed trails, on Arran, in Lochaber and in Wester Ross, which have been published by ‘Spirit of the Highlands.’
While the main exhibitions have been dismantled, individual panels containing the text of stories are being distributed throughout the west coast and islands for display in public, community and heritage venues so that visitors will continue to discover them while on the move. As far as possible we have sent the stories ‘home’ to their community of origin, for the benefit of locals and so that visitors can learn more about the area. Look out for these in, amongst other places, on Canna, in Glencoe, on Islay, on Skye and on Lewis. The website also hosts a virtual exhibition replicating the original displays for people to explore from home.
The contribution of the heritage sector has always been integral to the project, to showing support through the application phases to working with story gatherers and providing information and images. This is one reason why we were delighted to get such a positive response when we presented the final outputs during the Sealladh conference back in April. It’s been an eventful few years since the project began in 2019 and we are slightly in shock that this stage is coming to an end. We hope that COAST leaves a strong legacy and the west coast heritage sector will continue to be served by what the project has created. The website and app will be live until at least 2030. The stories are still there to be discovered and enjoyed- and ideally utilised to help visitors access and understand our rich west coast heritage, and to promote both the sites featured and the wider areas they belong to.
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COAST has been part-funded by the ERDF Natural and Cultural Heritage Fund administered by NatureScot, with match funding from Calmac and UHI West Highland. The project is managed by UHI. Rural Dimensions and Lateral North were contracted as project coordinators, and Lateral North created the exhibitions. Whereverly were contracted to develop the website and app. The project ran in conjunction with Visit Scotland’s 2020 Year of Coast and Waters and the 2022 Scotland’s Year of Stories.
A year ago, when starting to consult Highland teachers on priority areas in their work, ‘pathways to the workplace’ and ‘careers education’ were raised frequently in these conversations. In this blog, Rosie Barrett (digital education specialist) discusses our approach to integrating these priorities into our object based learning model for Museum of the Highlands.
Supporting young learners to access future employment features in many school development plans for the region. The Scottish education system has long been committed to providing a comprehensive and well-rounded education for young people. A crucial element of the Curriculum for Excellence, known as Planning for Choices, focuses on equipping students with the necessary skills and knowledge to make informed decisions about their future career paths. At a basic level, most of us would agree that preparing young people for their future is what teaching is all about.
We worked hard on this as a project team throughout, constantly pushing ourselves to develop activities that helped with the skills and qualities that young people need in the 21st century, including critical thinking, creativity and empathy. However, I was also intrigued about whether we could take this even further.
Selecting a starting point
All the objects found on Museum of the Highlands are divided into one of five chosen themes. From the initial teacher consultation, it was clear one of these themes should focus on employment – we call it ‘World of Work’.
Deciding to create a section on the website dedicated to the world of work meant when staff and volunteers across the fifteen participating museums were selecting objects for the project they included objects that could support this theme and tell of how Highlanders made a living over the centuries and what the working world looks like today.
In this theme a focus on the Ballachulish slate quarry is drawn out. A pair of leather quarry-workers boots may look unassuming at first, but the metal inserts on the toes and heel produced an unusual ‘tack’ sound when walking and they were referred to as tackity boots – a term still used today.
Once objects were selected we could be quite playful with them. Staff at Glencoe Folk Museum recorded this unusual ‘tack’ sound for us for the activity ‘What’s that Noise’. Now, teachers can play the recording for their class and guess what is making the strange sound. For a moment, you’re right back, hearing sounds that the people of the past heard. It’s a great way for pupils to learn about local industry and the life of quarry workers. It’s also a route into discussing other issues about the workplace, such as health and safety, what other features working boots have to protect the wearers, or even design features of footwear today.
A series of fun quizzes also allows younger children to be introduced to a range of historic jobs by asking ‘Could You Survive?’ These activities explore topics such as working in a coal mine, as a lighthouse keeper or in the fishing industry.
Raising aspirations through expertise
We were keen to address raising aspirations for Highland learners. We wanted to showcase some amazing career opportunities while supporting schools to fulfil the Curriculum for Excellence. One element stood out for us – “Effective teaching harnesses the experience and expertise of different professions to make specialist contributions.”
A really exciting part of the project was a set of careers videos, called ‘In Their Hands’ – the clue is in the name. We were very privileged to work with experts in their fields, men and women with fascinating careers who were able to offer some unique insights into the historical objects in the museum collections. We literally placed the objects in their hands to see what they made of them.
The resulting videos challenged those of us in the museum sector to see these objects in different ways, but also genuinely support by highlighting careers through our video content. By setting careers within a clear historical context, we were able to look to how they might develop in the future, too.
When we asked a judge to explore items from a historic courtroom, we also discovered why and how the Law evolves. When an anaesthetist explored the transformative role of chloroform in surgery, he was able to provide insights into the workings of the medical profession, and the principles and priorities that underpin careers in that sector. Other professionals included an archaeologist discussing an archaeology technique from the past that went wrong, a geologist talking about famous Highland geologist Hugh Miller based on a carving he made, and an award-winning writer exploring how she was inspired by a Highland glen.
We hope the videos will be inspiring for young learners – and we hope they’ll be well used. We worked with a class of young people from Ullapool High School to find out what they wanted to know about careers. They were keen to find out how hard it is to get published as a writer. They wanted to know how many people a judge had sent to prison and what the worst conditions a geologist had ever worked in. If you’re intrigued, you can find the answers in the ‘In Their Hands’ section of the website.
The stories we tell.
Good career guidance can also help students to overcome barriers and stereotypes that may hinder choices, including those based on gender or socio-economic background. In response to this, we included stories of real historic Highlanders from a range of fascinating backgrounds and careers.
Visitors to the Museum of the Highlands website can explore the inspirational story of Megan Boyd. Known to many through the 2013 film Kiss the Water, Megan was an expert salmon fly-tyer, much in demand including by royalty. She challenged gender stereotypes within her lifetime but also worked very long hours. We were able to explore her story and open up discussions about the working world today – the difference between a job or a vocation, for example, the importance of being ourselves, and healthy attitudes to work-life balance.
Another inspirational female featured is Red Cross Nurse Janet Adams. We focused on just one aspect of her long and varied career, when she supported in the aftermath of Hurricane Janet during the 1950s. Another story shares the unusual mountaineering career of Hamish MacInnes, inventor of an ice axe known to have saved many lives. This story poignantly explores the impact of old age on this famous Highland character.
A lot of my work as an education consultant is based around how we can move passive learning experiences (like reading a story), into more active ones (engaging with a story at a deeper level). We were able to do that through Museum of the Highland by making the stories interactive, incorporating a range of questions into the text. We tried to make these fun, engaging and thought-provoking. Crucially, in many cases there are no right or wrong answers to the questions, just lots of opportunities for young people to decide how they feel about the topics.
What is crucial about all these reflections on careers is that they give young people the chance to decide how they feel about their own attitudes to work, whilst opening up a world of possibilities of careers in the region through museum objects.
The Museum of the Highlands project was funded by Art Fund and Museums Galleries Scotland and is sponsored by Ilum Studio
Decolonising is an important topic for museums and for schools. Recently, teachers from across the Highlands have contacted their local museums seeking support with the process of decolonising the school curriculum. Rosie Barrett, one of our education specialists, talks through our approach to decolonisation on the Museum of the Highlands platform.
A little over a year ago, when I started a consultation process with Highland teachers to inform the development of Museum of the Highlands, teachers were at various stages of their work with themes of anti-racism, Empire and slavery.
Many were following guidance in the report, ‘Promoting and Developing Race Equality and Anti-Racist Education’ published by Education Scotland. This report focuses on ensuring young people can grow up in an inclusive and supportive Scotland. As part of this, there is a clear awareness of the need to interrogate the past.
When I met with staff and volunteers from the fifteen museums that formed Museum of the Highlands, it was clear we wanted to seek, self-consciously, to share underrepresented voices, celebrate diversity and hold ourselves to the highest standards. We knew we couldn’t provide all the answers, but by sharing Highland collections responsibly we could provide stimuli for healthy debate around difficult topics.
The complex interconnections of objects in museum collections with colonialism, and how to approach this in our work, was not something we took lightly – as a project team we spent more time discussing and debating this element of our work than was spent on the other themes together. In this blog, I explain our approach in more detail.
Same objects, different views
A key partner museum in the project for this theme was The Highlanders’ Museum at Fort George. This museum holds the largest military collection outside Edinburgh, including many of the objects represented in the section ‘Colonialism and Conflict‘ on Museum of the Highlands website.
For example, a bugle that once belonged to Drummer John Alcorn of the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders. Bugles have been used by the military throughout history for communication and to unite troops. This particular instrument was used to sound the Advance for the Highland Brigade to charge at the Battle of Tel-el-Kebir. During this conflict, British forces intervened in Egyptian affairs in what is now interpreted as an attempt to secure British interest in the Suez Canal.
It was an important object for us to share. A key aspect cited in the report on promoting race equality in schools is the need for “questioning the source of content and the viewpoints represented”. By looking anew at objects like the bugle, we were able to see beyond the traditional narrative; it wasn’t a case of changing the story, but of looking at a more rounded picture.
Our description of the bugle now directly references two viewpoints – “To the regiment, this instrument may be a symbol of military success, but to the Egyptian people it is more likely to signify the loss of independence and the start of 71 years of colonisation.”
As with so many of the stories and objects, we saw this as a starting point to reassess some of these moments from the colonial past. Visitors to the website can explore a range of colonial objects up close too, through the activity ‘Object in Focus’ which shows objects from different angles and invites viewers to speculate about what they might be.
Colonial objects in surprising places
The inclusion on the Museum of the Highlands website of The Highlanders’ Museum opened up this theme for us. However, we also found objects in many less obvious collections – across the Highlands some objects had been collected in the colonies in unclear circumstances, objects that had contributed to Scotland’s involvement in the slave trade, and even toys exploring the Empire within the collection of the Highland Museum of Childhood.
The board game ‘Ups and Downs in India’ is definitely ‘of its time’, and a strong reminder of Britain’s colonial presence in India during the 1930s. It was produced by Homeland Training College in 1930, most likely for the children of people relocating to India for work. Players would move around the board, landing on squares featuring activities such as ‘preaching to the people’ and bible translation, as well as challenges in the form of monsoons and uprisings.
By including objects like this in the project, we wanted to demonstrate the way that colonial history was intertwined with so many aspects of Highland life – in fact, the more we looked, the more it became clear that the theme of colonialism and Empire could be found pretty much everywhere.
The issue of looting.
Many objects currently in British museums are known to have been acquired in circumstances that would not be acceptable today, this includes some objects in Highland collections. Currently, the museum sector is asking questions about how we share these objects, and, in some cases, how we can repatriate them. In our work, we needed to ask an obvious and uncomfortable question – should we include looted objects on the Museum of the Highlands website?
Objects and their descriptions allowed us to be open and upfront about ethical questions around sharing looted objects, and the difficulties we encounter interpreting them. The wording in the object descriptions is chosen to clearly explain the difficulties.
The inclusion of a shield originally belonging to an unknown Abyssinian soldier (from present-day Ethiopia) engages directly with the issue of looting. After the looting of Maqdala by British forces, several objects from the palace made their way to Britain’s shores. Through an interactive story, website users are encouraged to think about the circumstances in which the shield was taken, explore how the news from Maqdala was received in Britain at the time, and question the fate of the object today. High school learners using the website are encouraged to consider a range of issues surrounding this object and form their own opinions.
Slavery and Reflection
The guidance published by Education Scotland is very clear: “To understand the full complexity of decolonising, it is important to remember that racism is rooted in colonialism when Western countries justified the enslavement of people.” Acknowledging the legacies of slavery is an important part of our work on this project. Young people can take part in a range of activities on the website which address colonialism across Highland museum collections.
When developing Museum of the Highlands, we knew there would be lots of stories to celebrate, but also some, such as those involving slavery, that would be heavy with tragedy.
One activity I’m proud of is called ‘On Reflection’ – these PDF activity sheets provide ways for schools to explore different, sometimes difficult, topics. They include discussion questions as well as the opportunity to design or create a memorial as part of the reflection process. Having the time to think and reflect is so important to young people’s development – sometimes we can be in such a rush to learn that we forget that thinking and processing what we have heard can take time, especially with sensitive history.
Several of the ‘On Reflection’ activity sheets explore colonial themes. One celebrates Harlem Renaissance poet Claude Mackay – his Scottish surname is very revealing, shockingly given to his enslaved grandparents by their owner. Another ‘On Reflection’ directly commemorates the victims of the Transatlantic slave trade, supported by an interactive story exploring the Transatlantic crossing, based on the lives of workers on a plantation owned by Highlander James Fowler. Born in Rosemarkie around 1762, James emigrated to Jamaica at the end of the century when the island was a major centre for the production of coffee and sugar. Back in the Highlands, James was presented with a beautifully-engraved snuff box from the East Ross Volunteers – he had been their First Lieutenant after returning from Jamaica.
The story of the snuff-box, now in Groam House Museum, is a painful example of how individual primary sources do not give us a full picture of a person’s life. By sharing the lives of the plantation workers too, we’re able to give more of the story and question how people like James were able to take part in the slave trade.
We hope these activities support young people to form their own opinions about difficult, sensitive and, at times, controversial issues.
Over the last eighteen months, Museums & Heritage Highland have been part of an innovative project looking at the role heritage and culture can play in supporting social prescribing for people in the Highlands.
Social prescribing, sometimes referred to as community referral is a means of enabling GPs , nurses and other health and care professionals to refer people to a range of local, non-clinical services. It is an approach that connects people to activities, groups, and services in their community to meet the practical, social and emotional needs that affect their health and wellbeing.
Museums & Heritage Highland partnered with Highlife Highland to work with University of the Highlands & Islands leading the research, funded by UKRI (UK Research and Innovation). It was shaped by a project first devised and run in Edinburgh by Ruthanne Baxter, Museum Services Manager at Edinburgh University Museums. Her initiative, Prescribe Culture, was a heritage-based, non-clinical pilot project with the aim of supporting students at Edinburgh University with mental health difficulties. By working with Ruthanne and her expertise, Prescribe Heritage Highland aimed to look at whether, and how, this approach could be scaled up in rural areas to support people across the Highlands. Five of our museums, Groam House Museum, Wick Heritage, West Highland Museum, Clyne Heritage Society and Highland Museum of Childhood were project partners, working alongside Highlife Highland Museums, Archives & Rangers Services. Each museum devised a programme of activity designed over six weeks for participants to attend.
From a research perspective, the project has been really interesting. The project faced challenges around perceptions of what ‘social prescribing’ means and its value to patients. The referral process and how GPs actually signposted their patients into the museums’ activity programmes was also highlighted as a barrier to participation.
We know that our museums in the Highlands deliver what would be defined as ‘social prescribing’ on micro levels all the time. From the volunteers who work in our museums benefiting from making social connections, to people engaging with our events, activities and projects that encourage meeting new people and improving wellbeing, our museums really are communities of care.
This project has allowed us to begin to find ways of measuring the impact our museums have in our local communities and show the difference they make to peoples’ lives. We hope that a further phase of funding will allow the findings of this project to be developed into new community collaborative initiatives. A short film was made, exploring the successes and challenges of delivering social prescribing in rural environments.
Museum of the Highlands is a new website offering novel and exciting ways to delve into the rich history of the Scottish Highlands. From archaeology and ancient stones to paintings, crofting tools, and complex colonial histories, incredible stories of the historic Highlands and its people are ready to be discovered.
The dynamic learning hub centres around an interactive timeline, allowing users to discover over 350 fascinating objects from 3 billion BC to present day. High-quality photographs along with detailed descriptions provide up close analysis of each object. Available to anyone interested in the history of the Scottish Highlands, 200 free resources, from fun games to in-depth learning aids, invite a deeper dig into the past. A Gaelic version of the website will be complete in the Autumn.
Fifteen diverse museums from across the Highlands collaborated to create the website, with project management by the heritage network organisation Museums and Heritage Highland. The project has been supported by Art Fund through its Reimagine programme and Museums Galleries Scotland.
Innovation and Network Manager at Museums Heritage Highland, Nicola Henderson, said:
“When the country went into lockdown in 2020, museums across the Highlands, like museums everywhere, looked for new ways to engage with people. Collectively, our network of museums developed the idea of an online digital learning hub sharing collections from across the Highlands. Thanks to funding from Art Fund and Museums Galleries Scotland, this spark of an idea has become Museum of the Highlands.
“We have created an engaging, fun and, most importantly, user-friendly website that supports individuals, families, schools and museums to engage meaningfully with museum collections at home or in the classroom.”
Museum of the Highlands learning resources have been developed in partnership with teachers and young people to support teachers to engage students and help them learn in innovative and creative ways, not just in history lessons. Object-based learning enhances engagement with many topics to suit our 21st-century Scottish curriculum.
Rosie Barrett, Digital Learning and Interpretation Specialist who worked on the project, said:
“For anyone new to object-based learning, the concept is simple. The term refers to using physical objects as a teaching aid. We can see, touch, and even smell things our ancestors held and used to learn about the past. This project challenged us to capture and convey these physical attributes for a digital platform.
“My work is focused on exploring objects in ways that help us to grow and develop, including cognitively. I am interested in the untapped potential of using historical artefacts in cross-curricular ways and supporting the whole learner and how we think. Objects from the past can help us make sense of the present and work towards the future. Throughout the project, we share objects in ways that stimulate curiosity and develop thinking.
“One learning resources is the set of debating activities. We consulted schools to find out what issues young people were interested in, then built the activities around objects from the fifteen museum collections. We have scaffolded discussions around questions of importance today. For example, a prehistoric harpoon features in a debate on animal rights, as we ask, ‘Should animals have rights like humans?’. This debate builds on students learning about their human rights and the democratic processes in Scotland. It also widens the topic to contemporary issues like choosing vegan and vegetarian lifestyles.”
An additional feature of the website encourages users to contact museums directly to find out more about their collections. Schools and other groups can also arrange virtually or in person visits.
While researching objects selected for the project, Museums discovered links to colonial history and the Transatlantic slave trade that they had not previously considered and uncovered complex colonial histories.
Freya Samuel, Digital Learning and Interpretation Specialist who also worked on the project, explains:
“Links to slavery and colonialism are prevalent in museums across the UK – the Highlands are no exception. Throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, it was common for wealthy Highlanders to be involved in colonial trade. The expansion of the British empire opened up new opportunities for pioneering Highlanders to make their fortunes, from military postings in the colonies, working for East India or Hudson Bay Companies, to livelihoods made as merchants or overseers profiting from the slave trade. These often-lucrative opportunities were particularly appealing to those facing hardship following the Highland clearances.
“It is important that we engage openly with this aspect of Highland history. We encouraged museums to think critically about their collections. Uncovering these links is not intended to villainize individuals or judge the ethics of the past by todays standards. It acknowledges these histories by including the voices and stories of the people exploited by the British Empire.”
Colonial themes presented through the website include the transatlantic slave trade, colonial collecting from Africa, Asia, North America, and Oceania, the Opium trade, colonial and post-colonial military battles, loot and the work of missionaries. Interpretation across the digital learning hub aims to take an informative yet balanced approach.
Museum of the Highlands is online now and free to access. It is supported by the Art Fund and Museums Galleries Scotland and is sponsored by Ilum Studio to help it grow and thrive post-launch.
