'Co-roinn | Glean: Early 20th Century women filmmakers and photographers in Scotland' took place at Museum nan Eilean
Sgoil Lionacleit, Lionacleit, Isle of Benbecula, Scotland, running 5 October – 9 December 2023.
‘Co-roinn | Glean’ (Sharing Glean), is a new iteration of ‘Glean: Early 20th century women photographers in Scotland’, which ran at City Art Centre, Edinburgh (14 Nov 2022 – 14 March 2023). ‘Co-roinn | Glean’ shared the work of seven women, who recorded life in Highlands and Islands Scotland, between 1905 and 1940. The women are: Violet Banks (1886-1985), MEM Donaldson (1876-1958), Beatrice Garvie (1872-1959), Jenny Gilbertson (1902-1990), Johanna Kissling (1875-1961), Isabell Burton MacKenzie (1872-1958), and Margaret Fay Shaw (1903-2004).
The women presented a different narrative of Scotland, one where disappearing ways of traditional life are shown alongside modern-day life. Ranging from life in Benbecula, South Uist, St Kilda, Orkney and Shetland, themes included landscape and nature, recording communities, school life and working the land. The exhibition contained 62 framed works and 13 further related artefacts. This included 11 new photographs I selected from further archival research that directly related to the location of Benbecula and the context of the museum which was part of a community hub which includes Sgiol Lionacleit high school.
I also took the opportunity to develop further some of the existing themes for this location, including ‘work and labour’ which shared the type of work such as seaweed gathering and craft, paralleled in the cultural heritage of Benbecula and South Uist; ‘traditional and modern’ which references a different narrative of Scotland (portrayed by male peers as ‘Romantic’ and ‘remote’ by only emphasizing traditional ways of life) that these women were telling by including references to modern day life; and ‘school’ which references the loss of Gaelic in teaching following the 1872 Education Act.
From rural Scotland, work included a portrait of Shetland from Jenny Gilbertson; Margaret Fay Shaw’s portraits of sisters Màiri and Peigi MacRae and their life in the small village of North Glendale, South Uist; to the wanderings of M.E.M. Donaldson in her walks with her camera across the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Examples of some cottages in Benbecula by Violet Banks were selected, with three photographs of Lionacleit, where Museum nan Eilean is located. A series of photographs from Isabell Burton MacKenzie's travel diary were part of the exhibition, along with her original travel diary. Isabell Burton MacKenzie was The Highlands Home Industry travelling organiser from 1911-14. Using a Kodak Vest Pocket camera as an aide memoire, she visited the homes of Scottish islanders involved in craft, to encourage them to sell their work directly through exhibitions on the mainland through The Highlands Home Industry initiatives. A selection of studies of seaweed work and children by Dr Beatrice Garvie were part of 'Co-Roinn | Glean'. Dr Garvie was the medical doctor for North Ronaldsay, Orkney, for 15 years, recorded the work and significant community events in the island.
‘Co-roinn | Glean’ (Sharing Glean), is an exhibition which was a partnership between The Glasgow School of Art’s Exhibitions Director Jenny Brownrigg (curator) and Vanishing Scotland Archive. Vanishing Scotland was one of the original lenders to 'Glean: Early 20th century women filmmakers and photographers in Scotland' at City Art Centre, Edinburgh. Vanishing Scotland is a small, rural, ethnological archive, in Moniaive, Dumfriesshire, which is the life’s work of its Director Alyne E Jones. It is a network organisation which promotes the understanding of Scottish Cultural Traditions.
There was a programme of events accompanying ‘Co-roinn | Glean’ at Museum nan Eilean (Lionacleit) including two drop in sessions led by Alyne E Jones, Director of Vanishing Scotland who was available to share stories about the Highland Home Industries and Isabell Burton MacKenzie’s 1912 diary.
The exhibition was supported by Storas Uibhist, The Glasgow School of Art, Vanishing Scotland Archive and Museum nan Eilean & Comhairle nan Eilean Siar.
Lenders included Dumfries Museum, The National Trust for Scotland, Historic Environment Scotland, Comann Eachdraidh Uibhist a Tuath, Shetland Museum & Archive, Inverness Museum & Art Gallery and National Library of Scotland.
