New scheme aims to send sewing machines abroad
23/06/10
A new partnership scheme which will see duplicate objects from museums across Scotland recycled for use by artisan communities in Africa, will be highlighted at a drop-in session from 11am to 3pm on Thursday 24 June at Aberdeen's Cowdray Hall, Schoolhill.
Old Tools, New Uses is part of a Museums Association Effective Collections Project, run by the Scottish Transport and Industry Collection and Knowledge Network (STICK), in partnership with National Museums Scotland.
The project will encourage museums across Scotland to learn more about their domestic technology collections; highlight the treasures of their collections and send spares such as woodworking, blacksmith and cobblers' tools, sewing machines and typewriters to communities in Africa. Museums can then also acquire the crafts which are created by these communities as a result.
Scotland's 433 registered museums are all invited to take part in the project, which will be carried out in partnership with the charity Tools for Self Reliance. Old Tools, New Uses will also include a series of drop-in workshops for museum professionals, a toolkit for reviewing collections and support for museums in preparing individual learning resources for schools.
Rowan Brown, Senior Curator of Technology, National Museums Scotland, said: "This project will allow us, for the first time, to build a national picture of 'domestic technology' collections across Scotland. Some of these overlooked items, which range from sewing machines to working tools, may be unrecognised treasures, whilst others may be in common supply across museums and could be more valuable if returned to practical use.
"As storage space in museums is always at a premium, this project will provide museums with advice and support in assessing what they need and what they can usefully pass on to free up valuable space."
David Woodcock, Subject Specialist Adviser for the project, said: "This is a fantastic opportunity for museums across Scotland, small and large, to take advantage of free professional advice and to contribute towards a national catalogue of technology collections which will have a legacy beyond the timescale of the project and support the development of artisan communities in Africa."
Culture Minister Fiona Hyslop said: "This is a fantastic example of activity and collaboration. The project will stir the imagination and pride of people in Scotland. It is a story of creativity and collaboration -a good benchmark for future projects."
If you have any queries regarding this, or any other news story, please contact Aberdeen City Council on: 08456 080910.
