MUSEUM NEWS

Visitors to the Macpherson Electronic Museum (MEM) may now view two new exhibitions that have been completed and displayed in the museum over the closed season. These will be open to the public when the museum reopens on the 1 April.

To see the displays, visit the MEM via the Clan website and you will find them under Section A: Panel 70: The subject of the display is Mrs Allan Macpherson of Blairgowrie (Emma Blake) 1833-1916 - Cluny’s great-grandmother. The display includes copies of three of her paintings in Australia in 1856-1857 together with contemporary pictures of the same scenes for comparative purposes. The assistance of John L. Macpherson, Australian Branch Representative, in taking ‘today’s’ pictures is appreciated. The original album and paintings are stored at the State Library of New South Wales and permission was granted by that organisation to display them in the museum and on the MEM. Copies of the other Australian paintings by Emma that are not on display on Panel 70 are available for the visitor at the museum to view in a folder accompanying the exhibition. This is the first exhibition in the 56 year history of the museum that has been devoted entirely to a Macpherson woman.

Panel 71: This panel features Douglas Macpherson, the watercolour artist who was present at the opening of the Tomb of King Tutankhamen. The artist’s only surviving offspring of three daughters, Mrs Sheila Naylor, aged 95, in company with other members of her family, will be visiting the museum in early May, when she will officially open the exhibition. A photograph of the artist, family pictures and copies of his work including ‘The Royal Shrine’ and ‘The Great Sarcophagus’ are included in the exhibition. There is a King Tutankhamen Exhibition at The Dome in London currently being held over a period of several months and it is a sell-out - we hope that our own little display will entice a few extra visitors through our doors.

On 22 January, the Macpherson Museum Staff were feted at a luncheon to celebrate Christmas, New Year's Day and most importantly, the Museum being awarded it's fourth star. Whilst the celebration was a bit late on all three counts, it did not diminish the good time enjoyed by all as demonstrated by this slide-show.

A fundamental part of the exhibition in the Clan Museum is the oil paintings, with each portrait helping to describe an important part of clan history. Most of the 12 oil paintings that are on 'permanent' display have been in the possession of the Clan Macpherson Museum Trust for many years, with several having been purchased from the Cluny Castle sale in 1943.

All of the paintings have been examined by Owen Davison and Sally Cheyne, accredited conservators of oil paintings with 'The Conservation Studio' in Leith, Edinburgh. The amount of work and cost varies for each picture, from as low as £193 to as much as £1762, with the total cost being almost £10,000.

A major objective of the Clan Macpherson Museum Trust is "to conserve, restore, repair, reconstruct and preserve any specimen in the collection". The Trustees are determined that over the next few years they will fulfil their obligation of properly caring for the treasures in order that they may be enjoyed by future generations. Caring for the museum collection is also one of the main objectives of being a fully registered and accredited museum.

The Canadian Branch and England & Wales Branch of the Clan Association are most generously sponsoring the conservation work to be carried out on the portrait of Dr Cluny Macpherson, the inventor of the first effective gas mask during WWI and the portrait of Surgeon General Duncan Macpherson, MD., respectively. Both of these paintings are on display in the main part of the museum and come within the category of the less expensive to be restored.

Project 1 includes the conservation treatment to the portrait of Lachlan of Cluny, the most urgent and costly portrait to require conservation treatment. Work is also being carried out on the portraits of Albert of Cluny and Dr. Cluny. The Scottish Museums Council has awarded a grant towards the work to be carried out. However, the Museum Trust is expected to contribute substantially.

If you would like to assist with this project by contributing to the funds to carry out the conservation treatment, please contact Ewen S.L. MacPherson at ewenie@yahoo.co.uk or the Curator at the Clan Museum. Financial assistance may be given in several ways, including in memory of a friend or relative and this will be recognised on the display panel.

A slide-show of pictures showing some of the "action" involved in the process of conservation is provided below.

The Trustees of the Museum are delighted to announce that a meeting will take place in the Duke of Gordon Hotel from 2-4pm on Friday 1st August at which the Trustees' response to the 'Museum Vision exercise' will be discussed. All Association members will be made most welcome. Any questions, please contact Trust Chairman, Bruce Macpherson - brucemacpherson@btconnect.com.

The Scottish Tourist Board has announced that the Clan Macpherson Museum in Newtonmore is to be awarded a fourth star, the Board's second highest rating and an accolade held by only 47 museums across Scotland and eight in the Highlands. The news comes at the end of a season in which the Museum has seen the third highest number of visitors in almost twenty years and also the award of a silver plaque under the Tourist Board's Green Business Scheme. Museum Trust Chairman, Bruce Macpherson, paid tribute to Curator Morag Hunter-Carsh and the rest of the team at the Museum for their dedication - Bert Cooper, Davy Holt and Christine McIntyre, his predecessor Ewen McPherson for his work in driving the Museum towards achieving this rating and to the many others who do so much in and around the Museum.

Newtonmore’s Clan Macpherson Museum will be welcoming visitors to the sound of the bagpipes for the next two months!

After 54 years, the Clan Museum is hosting its first ever student intern, Bowen Gillie, aged 20 and a member of the Clan Macpherson Association from Rhode Island in the USA. Bowen is on a two-month internship from Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts. Bo, as he is known, is an active participant in Scottish events back home in the States and is the Clan Village Co-ordinator for the Rhode Island Scottish Festival and Games. He is also a member of the Mystic Highland Pipe Band (Mystic, Connecticut).His band recently entertained Scotland’s First Minister, Jack McConnel and Sir Sean Connery, on stage during the New York Tartan Day celebrations. Bo, who is a student of Anthropology, is intensely interested in the study of human behaviour and customs. He has dedicated a great deal of his life to promoting Scottish culture in New England and sees the internship as a unique opportunity to experience Highland life at first hand. Museum Curator, Mrs Morag Hunter-Carsch said, “The Museum team are delighted to have Bo as our first intern. This is a wonderful opportunity for him to learn more about the history of the Clan and the Badenoch area. During his time with us and he will also spend several days on attachment to other organisations such as the Highland Folk Museum and the College of Piping in Glasgow. He will be an fine ambassador for the Clan Macpherson Museum and the clan itself. He will also be a wonderful support for the museum during this year’s extra large Clan Gathering at the beginning of August. This is the diamond anniversary of the Clan Association and well over three hundred members have already registered to attend. Such numbers, visiting for a longer period than usual, will do much to boost the local economy. I am very pleased to have Bo on hand to assist.”