Coming soon: An evening with Craig Easton, Fisherwomen and Friends

Shetland Museum and Archives are hosting a special social evening to celebrate herring, heritage and art to coincide with the ‘Fisherwomen’ exhibition by award-winning social documentary photographer Craig Easton which is currently on display in Da Gadderie.

The event, which will take place on Saturday 10 June, is an opportunity to hear Craig talk about his work whilst learning more about the former Shetland ‘herring lasses’, some of whom will be there on the night.

Craig will explore the history of women working in the fishing industry and speak about the process of documenting the stories and photographs for the Fisherwomen exhibition. Guests will include some of his subjects for the portraits, including Rita McNab and women who worked in the industry from Burra, Scalloway and Whalsay who will speak about their experiences in the herring industry.

Hazel Sutherland, chief executive of Shetland Amenity Trust said: “We are thrilled that Craig will be joining us in Shetland, the place that effectively brings the touring exhibition ‘home’. The event will be a wonderful opportunity for folk to meet with Craig and find out more about his award-winning work as well as hear from former ‘herring lasses’ and listen to their stories about what life was like and the valuable contribution they made to Shetland’s fishing industry.

“Enjoy a glass of wine, view the ‘Fisherwomen’ exhibition, and hear some of the traditional herring songs. There will also be an opportunity to browse through old photographs of the industry and watch a demonstration of how the herring was gutted and packed. Donald Murray will also provide a reading from his book ‘Herring Tales’.”

Whilst Craig Easton is in Shetland he will be giving an Artist Talk 'The Making of Fisherwomen' on Saturday 10 June at the Shetland Museum from 2 – 5pm, exploring the concepts and practical skills behind the photography exhibition. He will be joined by photographer Lottie Davies and together they will discuss their lives and careers within the photography industry. There will be the opportunity to explore practical photography skills too and view the exhibition.

Fisherwomen is a collaboration between Shetland Amenity Trust and Shetland Arts and is currently on display in Da Gadderie at the Shetland Museum. It has been extended until 30 July to coincide with the Tall Ships event in the summer.

The exhibition includes large-format photographic portraits and audio interviews of long-retired gutters from Shetland alongside similarly large-scale portraits of women working in the fish processing industry today. It is presented in three parts: ‘Fisherwomen’ - contemporary portraits of women working in the fish processing industry; ‘Heritage’ - a photographic study of the hands and faces of the ‘herring lassies’; and ‘Journey’ - evocative black and white landscapes of former herring stations along the east cost of Britain mirroring the route that the fisherwomen took by land travelling from port-to-port gutting and packing the herring.

The herring social evening will take place at Shetland Museum on Saturday 10 June from 7pm – 9.30pm.

Booking is essential and tickets for both the social evening and the workshop can be bought via the Shetland Museum Box Office.

A special portfolio book accompanies the exhibition, available in the Shetland Museum and Mareel shops.