Locals urged to contribute to Inverness Museum and Art Gallery Homecoming Scotland exhibition.

To celebrate Homecoming Scotland 2009, Inverness Museum and Art Gallery (IMAG) is creating an exhibition which will portray the experiences of local emigrants and immigrants.

Titled, “Leaving Home” the exhibition will be shown in September and October 2009 at IMAG. The museum plans to tell the stories of local people and Highland Council’s Museum Curator Catharine Niven is encouraging people to come forward with their tales of emigration or immigration to share with the museum. Some of the stories will be incorporated into the exhibition and others will be recorded by the museum.

Catharine Niven said: “We are looking for tales from the 1890s, 1930s and 1960s - although we would love to hear any interesting story. Also, if anyone has any photographs or objects associated with their story, we would love to see these.

Katey Boal Highland Council’s Assistant Curator (Learning and Access) said: “The exhibition that we are intending to create is for all of the people of Inverness and we want to make sure their stories are told.”

Anyone wishing to share their story can send their contact details, story and copies of images to Inverness Museum and Art Gallery, Castle Wynd Inverness IV2 3EB, or they can email the museum at inverness.museum@highland.gov.uk with their contact details, story and any images that might be relevant.

Leaving Home will be an exciting, interactive exploration of emigration and immigration from and to the Highlands during the late 1800s, after the First World War, in the 1960s, and today.
 
Curated by Highland Council museums, the exhibition will celebrate the diversity of stories of Highland home-coming.  It will take a historical perspective, exploring what people left behind when they left their homes in the Highlands, and what they considered important enough to carry with them for their new lives abroad.  It will also look at some of the propaganda produced to encourage migration. 

Some items will be available for closer examination or handling, and a loans box  will be created for use in schools, creating a long-lasting legacy from the exhibition.
 
A complementary exhibition, shown in tandem, will explore contemporary stories of people who have come to the Highlands to work and create a home.

Leaving Home will run from the 19 September – 31 October 2009 in Inverness Museum and Art Gallery. For further information about Homecoming Scotland 2009 events and activities throughout the year contact IMAG on tel: 01463 237114 or visit the museum’s website at www.inverness.highland.museum/