Our Own Shows
Some of our past exhibitions have been curated by Shetland Museum and Archives staff, or have been on loan for special display from national or international institutions.
We are proud to have a facility capable of exhibiting high profile, exiting shows which gives people in Shetland the opportunity to see, firsthand, iconic artefacts and items which, although may not be specific to Shetland's heritage, are nonetheless very important - and popular. Exhibitions on local subjects curated by our staff are also very popular and well visited. Examples of these are below.
View Full Size40 Years of Art at Shetland Museum
View Full SizeArmada Cannon
View Full SizeFocus display of merchant bottles
View Full SizeFrom Old Rock to New Life - Emigration Show
View Full SizeThe Lewis Chessmen
View Full SizeHigh Seas and High Teas - an exhibition of tea trading
View Full SizeSkaill Hoard
View Full SizeTaatit Rugs
View Full SizeTriceratops skull from the Hunterian Museum
View Full SizeWriting the North partnership exhibition
Gunnister Man, in partnership with National Museums Scotland. September 2009.
Gayer-Anderson Cat, loaned from The British Museum. September 2012.
Skaill Hoard exhibition, in partnership with National Museums Scotland. July 2013.
Gentle Giant, dinosaur exhibition in parternship with The Hunterian Museum,University of Glasgow. September 2013.
Writing the North exhibition, in partnership with the Arts & Humanities Research Council, University of Edunburgh and Orkney Library. March 2014.
Blockade: 1914-1918. Self -curated exhibition on Shetlanders during WW1. August 2014.
Don McCullin Exhibition, in partnership with Shetland Arts, Artists Rooms, Tate and National Galleries Scotland. November 2014.
James Robertson map exhibition, in partnership with the National Library of Scotland. September 2015.
At Sea and Ashore
Da Gadderie
‘At Sea and Ashore’, is a showcase of four Shetland fishermen's own photographs.
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Berenice Carrington
Shetland Museum and Archive
Berenice graduated from Chelsea School of Art in 1983 with a 1st class hons degree in Sculpture, and in 1984 with an MA in Fine Art. In 1997 she gained a PhD in Anthropology, Women’s Studies and History from The Australian National University in Canberra.
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Anniversary Exhibitions
Foyer
40 years of Archives and 50 years of Museum artefacts in celebration of our anniversaries.
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Hjaltibonhoga – Shetland Fiddlers of The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo
Upper Foyer
This exhibition displays a small selection of the many gifts given to Hjaltibonhoga by fellow performers at the Tattoo and other international events. Also in the display are costumes and commemorative photographs.
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Miserabiles Personae - the Poor in Society
Da Gadderie
An exhibition showing how children and the poor existed in medieval Norway and Shetland, and how King Magnus Lawmender's new law code of 1274 affected society.
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Plastic: A never-ending story
Pier Store
Grioghair McCord and Claire Davenport invite you to a shopping experience you won't forget in a hurry!
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The Eagle's Last Stronghold
Upper Foyer, Shetland Museum & Archives
This exhibition highlights the story of the white-tailed ‘sea’ eagle in Shetland. Shetland was home to some of the last white-tailed eagles in Britain before they were hunted to extinction. The exhibition will open on 22nd June and will be a key part of the upcoming Shetland Nature Festival.
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Karl Manson Focus Display
Upper Gallery
Highlighting the life of World War One soldier, Private Karl Manson
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From this Day Forward, Shetland Weddings 1769-2006
Da Gadderie
See Shetland Museum and Archives’ remarkable collection of wedding attire chronicling 250 years of social change, reflected in the people who wore them.
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James Robertson - The Shetlander who mapped Jamaica
In a joint project with the National Library of Scotland, and supported by Museums Galleries Scotland, Shetland Museum and Archives staff will explore the life and work of James Robertson, a Shetlander who made the first detailed map of Jamaica.
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