Exhibitions
There are a number of exhibition spaces and feature display areas throughout the Museum and Archives building. The artefacts and works on display change regularly and details of our current shows are listed here.
The Museum and Archives is managed by the Shetland Amenity Trust, a small charity caring for Shetland's natural and cultural heritage. It is free to visit the Museum and Archives and to view our ever changing and exciting exhibitions. Donations are welcomed to help the Trust care for the collections and our heritage both now and in the future.
The main exhibition space is Da Gadderie. Shows on display here can be by individual artists, or curated by the Museum's own Exhibitions Officer based on Museum and Archive artefacts, or including touring exhibitions from other musuems, galleries or institutions. Details of some of the previous high profile shows are included on the Our Own Shows Archive page.
Any artist who would like to display work in the building should contact the Exhibitions Officer to discuss.
Current Exhibitions
Lynne McPeake – Shetland. August 1971
Briggiestanes, Shetland Museum & Archives
In August 1971, Lynne McPeake travelled from Manchester to Lerwick for a diving trip with two friends, which resulted in a memorable walking and camping holiday in Shetland. Lynne, a keen photographer, enjoyed watching and photographing the men loading the sheep on to the boats in Lerwick Harbour, the results of which is a series of photographs of the era, taken with a Pentax Spotmatic camera on Kodak Tri-X black and white film and developed by hand by Lynne McPeake.
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Ebbe and Flow
Da Gadderie, Shetland Museum and Archives
A celebration of our cultural and maritime connections with Scandinavia through the work of Scottish and Norwegian artists with 'Ebbe and Flow', a travelling exhibition that reinforces the importance of sea and travel, language, and culture. The exhibition will culminate with the consignment of artwork setting sail from Shetland Museum to Gulating in Bergen to its destination, the site of a Viking ting/parliament in Norway.
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UHI Shetland Exhibitions
Pier Store, Shetland Museum
This June we are delighted to support the work of UHI Shetland creative industries students, and are currently hosting a varied and interesting selection of the work produced over the past year.
ViewForthcoming Exhibitions
Twenty Shades of Blue - Shetland's weather by Sam Davies
Da Gadderie, Shetland Museum and Archives
Local artist Sam Davies will explore through oils on canvas the weather's effect on the sea, land and inhabitants.
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Chris Morphet, ALLOVER
Da Gadderie, SHETLAND MUSEUM AND ARCHIVES
Chris Morphet is a freelance, world famous videographer and photographer who started his career in Shetland in 1970 by taking photographs of Shetlanders wearing Fair Isle garments. An exhibition of these remarkable portraits are displayed in Da Gadderie with examples of knitwear from Shetland Museum's Collection correlating with the images in time and place.
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“The Road to the Isles” - 100 Years of Jamieson’s Transport
Briggiestanes, Shetland Museum & Archives
Jamieson’s Buses have been in operation since 1922 and have delivered lifeline transportation services, connecting the North Isles to the mainland of Shetland by carrying passengers, mail, and vital supplies for over a century. The value of this service is celebrated with a focus exhibition to showcase the development of Jamieson’s Transport, chronicling the journey from the early days to the well-embedded company it is today.
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State of the Art : Cullivoe School Bairns
Briggiestanes, Shetland Museum & Archives
Inspired by a visit to Mike McDonnell’s “Logical Confusion” exhibition, the bairns from Cullivoe School embarked on a project of their own, sourcing found objects, flotsam and jetsam from the local beaches and ditches to create their own unique art. After several weeks of enthusiastic creativity, supported by able volunteers in the community, the result is an inspiring installation showing their fearless creativity in delightfully unique sculptural assemblages.
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