National Museums Scotland is collaborating with museums across Scotland on a touring project about Scottish families during the First World War. The programme consists of an exhibition display, digital app and learning handling box that will travel to nine venues across Scotland, starting in Dumfries in 2015 and ending in Orkney in 2017.
The exhibition reveals the personal stories of separation and loss experienced by Scottish families during the Great War. It features keepsakes treasured by families as a way or remembering loved ones lost on the fighting fronts, including letters and postcards sent home, medals sent by the government to next of kin and unique artefacts collected by troops as souvenirs.
As the exhibition travels, partner museums will add First World War family stories to the display based on their own collections. These stories will also be collected in an digital interactive, and school and community groups from local areas will be able to make their own responses to the topic through handling objects in a portable learning resource.
Venues for the exhibition tour include:
- Grampian Transport Museum, Alford – 7 April to 31 August 2016
- Inverness Museum and Art Gallery – 17 September to 5 November 2016
- Perth Museum and Art Gallery and The Black Watch Castle and Museum – 11 November 2016 to 6 February 2017
- Orkney Museum – 18 February to 20 May 2017
For full details of the tour schedule, learning activities and resources visit the Next of Kin Touring Project website.
The Next of Kin blog provides updates on the touring project as well as behind the scenes developments through guest posts from museum partners.
