‘Recent Acquisitions’ on Show at the Orkney Museum

Next Saturday (3 February) sees a new exhibition opening at the Orkney Museum, Tankerness House, Kirkwall.

‘What’s New? Recent Acquisitions at the Orkney Museum’ highlights some of the artefacts that have been donated to the museum and is the first exhibition of new acquisitions in several years.

Gail Drinkall (Archaeology Curator) and Rachel Boak (Social History Curator), who themselves are recent additions to the museum, have explored the stores and selected exciting objects to show to visitors.

Rachel Boak said: “Curators at the Orkney Museum are acquiring objects for the collections all the time, mostly generous donations by members of the public in Orkney and further afield. The special exhibition at the Orkney Museum for February and March 2018 will showcase the breadth of the collections, from paintings and works on paper, to historic and contemporary textiles.

“A highlight of the exhibition will be ‘Earth on Fire’, a beautiful textile panel donated to the Orkney Museum by the Lutterworth Embroiderers’ Guild in Leicestershire. Inspired by photographs taken in Orkney, we plan to put this work of art on display when the Scapa Flow Visitor Centre and Museum project is complete.”

Among the artefacts on show are textiles, needlework boxes and paintings. Orkney artists featured include Stanley Cursiter, Sylvia Wishart and Jim Baikie. Sheila Scott is also remembered with miniature models of croft house interiors, peat cutting and a box-bed. A table and shelves belonging to film-maker Margaret Tait, which appeared in her films, are also on show. An etching of the German Fleet in Scapa Flow by the World War I artist, W.L. Wyllie, hangs alongside a beautiful Alpine scene, pained by Domenico Chiocchetti, the artist behind the Italian Chapel.

‘What’s New? Recent Acquisitions at the Orkney Museum’ runs from the 3 February until 2 April. The Orkney Museum is open Monday to Saturday, 10.30 until 12.30 and then 13.30 until 17.00. Admission is free.