Blog

Placements

It’s six months since Heritage Horizons began and nine young people are now undertaking work experience placements across Argyll. In Argyll South, Iona Tytler is working at Castle House Museum, Dunoon, gaining valuable skills in visitor experience and curating a display from the museum’s beautiful costume collections. This new display will be unveiled when the museum reopens to visitors in Spring 2022.

Also in Dunoon, Thomas Brunton, Yeliz Altin, and Ella Langton, are taking part in a nine week placement to create zines inspired by the history and heritage of Dunoon Burgh Hall. We’re currently advertising for an Exhibition Assistant with The Argyll Collection (Argyll & Bute Council) and are keeping the research position open at Historic Kilmun for any young person looking for heritage-based work experience. Earlier in November, 73 S3 pupils from Dunoon Grammar visited Castle House Museum, Dunoon, as part of their local history module. To see what they got up to visit our blog post 'From Celts to Victorians Dunoon Grammar School visit Castle House Museum'. The Heritage Horizons team is working with Derek Darkins, Head of Humanities at Dunoon Grammar School, to support these pupils to achieve their Archaeology Scotland Heritage Heroes Award.

We are also working in partnership with Tacit Tacit, the Dunoon CARS project, and Dunoon Grammar School, on the CHARTS funded We are Building a Beach Hut project. Pupils across different subject areas such as geography, and design technology, will work on the project to learn about the heritage of beach huts in Dunoon, to think about the impact of climate change on the town’s beach front, and contribute to the build of the hut using traditional building methods. On Bute, the team is working closely with the Rothesay Town Heritage Initiative to create a four day workshop series at Easter focussing on the importance of built heritage and the traditional methods required to preserve the historic built environment.

Meanwhile, in Argyll North, we have a wide range of different placements underway. On Tiree, local folk musician Jamie MacDonald is working with Screen Argyll to create music inspired by the island’s Hynish Centre. In Oban, Neerja Sutaria is working across the different teams at Dunollie Museum, Castle & Grounds, in order to gain a solid introduction to all aspects of museum management. Samuel-McManus Shanks has taken up the position at Historic Kilbride and is currently developing a web-based self-led tour for visitors to the site. On the Isle of Ulva, Abbie McFadyen and Anna Taylor are working with Storas Ulbha on the repurposing of Ulva House, and with archaeologist Andrew Primrose. And on the nearby Isle of Mull, Beata Szeleczki has begun her placement with Mull Museum, Tobermory, to create a new exhibition for 2022.

You can find out more about the placement experience in our Love Heritage webinar (17 February 2022).

We also are working in conjunction with Museums and Galleries Scotland. Kirsten Millar is working to complete a Modern Apprenticeship in Digital Marketing and began working with us in September 2021. She is an artist living and working on the West Coast of Scotland who has recently completed a Postgraduate degree in Contemporary Art Practice from Edinburgh College of Art.

'In September I began a year-long Modern Apprentice in Marketing for CHARTS. This is an amazing opportunity for me to break into the workforce and learn new skills through vocational training. This has also given me the opportunity to get paid experience in the cultural sector. One thing of the key things I am wanting to build on is how we can use digital media and art as a way to aid community outreach and make heritage accessible to young people.’