Treasured Places Exhibition : Information

Edinburgh's Community Connections to National Touring Exhibition 3 Dec 2008 Young people, residents and visitors in Edinburgh will be able to discover more about Scotland's rich built heritage, thanks to a dynamic touring exhibition showcasing community artworks inspired by one of Scotland's National Collections. Treasured Places: Creative Connections arrives in the capital on 22 December and will be on display in the main foyer at the Omni Centre until 14 January. The exhibition will be open to the public daily from 9am until 1am the following morning. Treasured Places: Creative Connections features animation, expressive art, poetry and photography specially created by community groups across the country during workshops organised by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS). The exhibition which is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Scottish Government, was launched in August 2008 and will run until May 2009 touring eleven venues across Scotland, close to the communities that participated in the original workshops. The creative outcomes from the workshops are showcased alongside reproductions of the archive material that inspired them. Led by local artists and RCAHMS specialists, the creative workshops were based around a significant local place or relevant topic, such as maritime heritage in the Orkney Isles and the Waverley Line in the Borders. Participants were encouraged to interpret the extensive public archive of drawings and photographs held by RCAHMS in a new and creative way, drawing on their own responses and experiences, to produce a variety of different art works. A range of different audiences have taken part in the workshops, from primary school children learning about the architecture of religious buildings through model making, to war veterans who explored the role of war memorials through poetry. The War veterans from Edinburgh and Lothians took part in a workshop at Edinburgh Castle where they worked with poet Ken Cockburn on a series of creative writings based on their own memories and experiences from RCAHMS archive material held on local war memorials. Recordings of the poetry, the creative writings and sketchbooks are on display. RCAHMS staff also worked with a group of local scouts in which they explored engineering principles of the Forth Bridges through model bridge building. The exhibition features sketchbooks outlining the workshop with images and archive material on bridges in Scotland and a model of a bridge copied from the winning bridge as created by a group of Scouts who took part. Siobhan McConnachie, Treasured Places Project Manager, said: "It was wonderful to see our collections being used in such an exciting way. The workshops were a lot of fun for everyone and, as can be seen through our Creative Connections exhibition, the work that was produced is of such a high standard and really inspiring." Treasured Places: Creative Connections forms part of a diverse programme of events launched by RCAHMS to celebrate 100 years of creating Scotland's collection of architecture, archaeology and industry. It complements a major exhibition at the City Art Centre which opened in October and will run until 18 January. Treasured Places: 100 Years of RCAHMS comprises over 180 exhibits from the RCAHMS collections, often for the first time, including drawings, photographs, prints as well as new media. Also featuring in the exhibition are Scotland's top ten 'Treasured Places' as voted by the public in the online vote allowing the wonderful drawings and photographs to be experienced first hand. The exhibition includes activities for families, an education area and a public events programme. Treasured Places: Creative Connections information received 031208 Treasured Places: Creative Connections 22 Dec 2008 - 14 Jan 2009 Daily, 9am-1am FREE Omni Centre, Edinburgh RCAHMS is the national record of Scotland's built environment, whose mission is to identify, survey and interpret the archaeological, architectural and historical environment of Scotland, to preserve and add to the collection, and to promote public understanding and enjoyment of items in the collection. Treasured Places was set up by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) to help celebrate its centenary in 2008. The project launched in September 2007 with an online vote to find the nation's most Treasured Place. Over 20,000 votes were cast via the Treasured Places website, with the Lady Victoria Colliery, Newtongrange winning the coveted title. A major exhibition of Scotland's 'Treasured Places' is currently showing at the City Art Centre, Edinburgh from 25 October 2008 to 18 January 2009. The exhibition showcases, often for the first time, original items including drawings, photographs, prints as well as new media, from the extensive collections of RCAHMS. Also featuring in the exhibition are Scotland's top ten 'Treasured Places' as voted by the public in the online vote allowing the wonderful drawings and photographs to be experienced first hand. The exhibition includes activities for families, an education area and a small public events programme. The Treasured Places project is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Scottish Government, and run by RCAHMS. Treasured Places: Creative Connections Tour Diary Adam Smith Theatre, Kirkcaldy 7 Aug -3 Sep 2008 Cromarty Courthouse Museum, Cromarty 6-27 Sep 2008 Benbecula Airport, Balivanich, Isle of Benbecula 3-29 Oct 2008 Lanark Library, Lanark 4 -29 Nov 2008 The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, 16 Bernard Terrace, Edinburgh 2-12 Dec 2008 Omni Centre, Edinburgh 22 Dec 2008 -14 Jan 2009 Dundee Central Library, Dundee 16 Jan - 14 Feb 2009 Tweeddale Museum and Gallery, Peebles 17 Feb - 21 Mar 2009 The Mall Shopping Centre, Falkirk 24 Mar - 8 Apr 2009 Moray Art Centre, Findhorn 10 - 29 Apr 2009 The Pier Arts Centre, Stromness, Orkney 3 - 18 May 2009 Museum of Scotland