Q&A with Fiona Carmichael
The first curator of art at the Scottish Maritime Museum discusses her new role
How has the transition to being curator of art for the Scottish Maritime Museum (SMM) been?
It has been refreshing to work on a completely new and exciting project that will make a positive and long-lasting impact. As the daughter of a Clyde shipyard worker, maritime heritage is a passion of mine and close to my heart. And I also have a strong interest in the visual arts having done a degree in history of art.
I am delighted that I now have the opportunity to combine both of my interests in this new role as the first curator of art for the Scottish Maritime Museum.
Before, at The Tall Ship, I developed my interest in Scottish maritime history and was fortunate to meet many inspirational people involved in shipbuilding on the River Clyde. My role involved caring for the Clyde Maritime Trust’s collection and interpreting The Tall Ship SV Glenlee through various exhibitions.
I also led the learning and access team in welcoming many thousands of school pupils on board each year. It has been a smooth transition into this new role – within a few weeks we were well on our way to making our first acquisition, a sculpture by Benno Schotz, Figure of a Shipbuilder, and welcoming the donation of a large-scale contemporary sculptural installation by Ann Nesbit and Patricia Cain, Propping through Riverside.
What’s it like being the first curator of art there?
I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to lead such an interesting and exciting project. SMMart: Enriching the imagery of Scotland’s maritime heritage is a project that allows the museum to actively address a gap in our collection and will hopefully put us on the map as a nationally significant collection of maritime art.
What will the funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund’s (HLF) Collecting Cultures programme enable you to do?
The three-year SMMart project focuses on the acquisition of artwork that will be used to better interpret and promote our existing collection, which celebrates and remembers Scotland’s maritime culture. Over the next three years, we will research and acquire artworks to create a synergy between the museum’s existing maritime and industrial collection.
This will allow us to engage with our audiences in new and exciting ways, bringing static objects to life using artistic mediums. The funding will also enable the museum to develop a complementary SMMart engagement programme that aims to make the new art collection accessible to all through exhibitions, events and a lifelong learning programme.
Where are you looking to acquire artworks from?
We are seeking works in various ways, but so far it has mostly been through auction houses and directly from individual artists or their estates. We have also been meeting with private art dealers and members of the public who have art works that they wish to donate.
Indeed, although we have funds from HLF to acquire works through purchase, we are also keen to accept any appropriate donations of artwork that individuals may wish to make to the museum. The HLF Collecting Cultures grant enables us to acquire works that are 10 years or older, so we are particularly keen to acquire contemporary art through other means to address this gap in the collection.
What are your aims for the SMM?
The addition of art to the SMM will complement and add further opportunities for interpretation of our current Recognised collection of maritime and industrial objects. Art will enable us to add a human element to the stories of these objects.
It is intended that our art collection will attract new visitors to engage with both the works and the wider museum collection through a range of varied interpretation and engaging events. The project will culminate in an exhibition and catalogue of the works we have acquired, though I am keen to ensure any new acquisitions are made accessible to our visitors as soon as possible.
Some of our new sculptures will be appearing on public view at the museum over the next few months.
How do your expertise in learning and interpretation feed into your new role?
To complement our works of art, I will be working with our learning and access officer to develop a full learning and access programme. This will include sessions for schools, specialised tours and engaging activities for families and groups.
I think it is important to use this opportunity to ensure our new art collection is made as accessible as possible, so we will be working closely with training organisations to seek advice on interpreting the collection for visitors who have access requirements, such as people with visual impairments.
It has been refreshing to work on a completely new and exciting project that will make a positive and long-lasting impact. As the daughter of a Clyde shipyard worker, maritime heritage is a passion of mine and close to my heart. And I also have a strong interest in the visual arts having done a degree in history of art.
I am delighted that I now have the opportunity to combine both of my interests in this new role as the first curator of art for the Scottish Maritime Museum.
Before, at The Tall Ship, I developed my interest in Scottish maritime history and was fortunate to meet many inspirational people involved in shipbuilding on the River Clyde. My role involved caring for the Clyde Maritime Trust’s collection and interpreting The Tall Ship SV Glenlee through various exhibitions.
I also led the learning and access team in welcoming many thousands of school pupils on board each year. It has been a smooth transition into this new role – within a few weeks we were well on our way to making our first acquisition, a sculpture by Benno Schotz, Figure of a Shipbuilder, and welcoming the donation of a large-scale contemporary sculptural installation by Ann Nesbit and Patricia Cain, Propping through Riverside.
What’s it like being the first curator of art there?
I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to lead such an interesting and exciting project. SMMart: Enriching the imagery of Scotland’s maritime heritage is a project that allows the museum to actively address a gap in our collection and will hopefully put us on the map as a nationally significant collection of maritime art.
What will the funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund’s (HLF) Collecting Cultures programme enable you to do?
The three-year SMMart project focuses on the acquisition of artwork that will be used to better interpret and promote our existing collection, which celebrates and remembers Scotland’s maritime culture. Over the next three years, we will research and acquire artworks to create a synergy between the museum’s existing maritime and industrial collection.
This will allow us to engage with our audiences in new and exciting ways, bringing static objects to life using artistic mediums. The funding will also enable the museum to develop a complementary SMMart engagement programme that aims to make the new art collection accessible to all through exhibitions, events and a lifelong learning programme.
Where are you looking to acquire artworks from?
We are seeking works in various ways, but so far it has mostly been through auction houses and directly from individual artists or their estates. We have also been meeting with private art dealers and members of the public who have art works that they wish to donate.
Indeed, although we have funds from HLF to acquire works through purchase, we are also keen to accept any appropriate donations of artwork that individuals may wish to make to the museum. The HLF Collecting Cultures grant enables us to acquire works that are 10 years or older, so we are particularly keen to acquire contemporary art through other means to address this gap in the collection.
What are your aims for the SMM?
The addition of art to the SMM will complement and add further opportunities for interpretation of our current Recognised collection of maritime and industrial objects. Art will enable us to add a human element to the stories of these objects.
It is intended that our art collection will attract new visitors to engage with both the works and the wider museum collection through a range of varied interpretation and engaging events. The project will culminate in an exhibition and catalogue of the works we have acquired, though I am keen to ensure any new acquisitions are made accessible to our visitors as soon as possible.
Some of our new sculptures will be appearing on public view at the museum over the next few months.
How do your expertise in learning and interpretation feed into your new role?
To complement our works of art, I will be working with our learning and access officer to develop a full learning and access programme. This will include sessions for schools, specialised tours and engaging activities for families and groups.
I think it is important to use this opportunity to ensure our new art collection is made as accessible as possible, so we will be working closely with training organisations to seek advice on interpreting the collection for visitors who have access requirements, such as people with visual impairments.