Coming Home is a travelling exhibition and events programme developed by High Life Highland in collaboration with the Highland Museums Forum to commemorate the end of the First World War in the Highlands. It is the culmination of a four year programme of World War One events and activities delivered by High Life Highland museums, libraries and archives including the Am Baile Great War Newspaper Digitisation project, WWI Heritage Collection drop-in days at the Highland Archive Centre and the Next of Kin exhibition at Inverness Museum and Art Gallery.
At the heart of the Coming Home exhibition are poignant individual experiences explored through documents, objects and photographs held in Highland museums, libraries and archives. From Highland women who broke the mould as doctors, nurses and dispatch riders to the international legacy of Norwegian loggers, prisoners of war and the American Navy, the exhibition reflects the wider social and economic changes taking place at the time. To find out more visit the exhibition as it tours Highland museums, archives and libraries in 2018 and 2019.
Children and community groups have delved deeply into the themes of the exhibition with the help of local museums and three artists. Led by artist Robyn Woolston with Cat Meighan and Henry Cruickshank, participants created visual artworks, animations and contributed to the design of a mini mobile museum which will form part of the travelling exhibition. The project researcher, Kerry Duncan has gathered new material for the exhibition from museums, archives, community groups and individuals across the Highlands.
Artist led workshops were held at Cromarty Courthouse, Grantown Museum, The Highland Folk Museum, Nairn Museum and the Museum of the Isles on Skye, with participants using family photographs, newspaper clippings, scrap books and letters to explore First World War stories held in Highland museums and archives. Keep up-to-date with what’s happening through the project’s blog.
Alongside the travelling exhibition, museum archives and library staff have created a suitcase of ideas and learning materials to accompany the exhibition at every venue.
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Banner Image: Cocoa time at Cullicudden Primary School, Black Isle, c. 1918
Courtesy of Audrey Paterson
