Finding our Past

Magical Letters with Pamela Grace

Come along and join us as we design and print in the traditional way a range of colourful letters. Decorate them and you will have the start of your own illuminated manuscript!

Mystical Beasts with Anne Arrington

Anne will tell captivating tales of exotic and distant lands and the strange beasts that inhabit them.  Afterwards you can try your hand at creating and decorating face masks of the animals in her stories.

The National Library of Scotland’s touring exhibition, “A Publisher and His Friends: Exploring the John Murray Archive”, opens at Dumfries Museum on Saturday 13 September and will run until Saturday 1 November 2008.

To celebrate Scottish Archaeology Month, Nat Edwards, the John Murray Archive Project Manager at the National Library of Scotland, will give a talk at Dumfries Museum on the archive, and the archaeologists whose work it contains.

The talk will take place at 2.30 pm on Saturday 20 September 2008.  Admission is free. Booking is not required but as places are limited visitors may prefer to telephone 01387 253374 to reserve one.

SOUTH BY SOUTH WEST - THE STORY OF ART IN SOUTH WEST SCOTLAND opens its doors for the first time on Saturday 31st May. Split over three venues and covering over 200 years of artistic activity, each exhibition charts the importance of the region in Scottish artistic innovation.

Saturday 2 February - Saturday 8 March 2008
Open 10 - 1, 2 - 5 Tuesday - Saturday.
Curated by the historian Frances Wilkins, this exhibition tells the story of the expedition undertaken by Prince Charles and his troops from James Maxwell’s perspective.

Paintings by John Halliday from his own and private collections, illustrating his creative career of over 50 years, are on show at the Maclaurin Galleries until 12th January 2008. We are pleased to have the opportunity to show the range of Halliday 's work at Rozelle, which he knew as a private house, and welcome his return to a familiar place. Over 100 works are on display – many on loan from private collectors, while others are offered for sale.

Follow the St Andrew’s Holiday Trail around the galleries, test your knowledge of Scotland with quizzes and puzzles,  find out more about Dumfries and Galloway with our drawing and colouring challenges and try your hand at Christmas crafts with a Victorian theme.

The Children of Sputnik
Tuesday 2 October 2007 at 7.30pm

Alex Wilson "in-residence", Saturday 22 September 2007
11 am – 1 pm and 2 pm – 4 pm

Alex Wilson, the foremost authority on Mauchline box ware will be “in residence” at Dumfries Museum for the day. He will have a selection of examples from his own collection with particular relevance to Dumfries to show. There will also be an opportunity to view Dumfries Museum’s reserve collection of Mauchline box ware.

The Search for the Bonhomme Richard
A lecture by Bob Neyland, Head of Underwater Archaeology, US Naval Historical Cen
7.30pm Friday 7 September 2007

Excavation at John Paul Jones Cottage, Arbigland

During the  first week of September Dr Julie Schablitsky of the University of Oregan and Dr Robert Neyland of the American Navy Historical Centre will carry out preliminary archaeological investigations around the 18th century childhood home of John Paul Jones, founder of the American Navy.

7.30pm Saturday 1 September 2007 at Dumfries Museum.

A lecture by Frances Wilkins, and a chance to view The Slave Trade exhibtition.

Stylish, young and vibrant, Scotland's flagship classical music group bring you an intimate afternoon of familiar favourites on Sunday 5th August.  Enjoy a free glass of sparkling wine on arrival and soak up the magical atmosphere that makes Dean Castle a premier venue for outdoor events.

The archaeology collection cared for by Dumfries and Galloway Museum Service has recently been judged to be one of the first ten museum collections recognised as significant to the nation. It is the only collection in the care of a local authority to achieve this status.

Knotting, Netting and Knitting at Dumfries Museum

with The Feral Choir
Saturday 14 July 2007

Come along and discover everything to do with rope, twine and yarn!

Saturday 9 June 2007, 2.30 - 4.00pm.  At Dumfries Museum & Camera Obscura, The Observatory, Rotchell Road, Dumfries DG2 7SW.

A masterclass with Kirkpatrick Dobie on Scottish provincial silver of the 18th and 19th centuries. The focus for this fascinating afternoon will be the new exhibition of the work of Dumfries silversmiths at the museum.

The 10th of May sees the anniversary of one of the most important battles in Scottish History - The victory of Robert the Bruce over the English at Loudoun Hill in Ayrshire in 1307.  This battle marked the start of Bruce's campaign which would ultimately deliver Scottish Independance from the hands of the English Crown. 

The new exhibition at Stranraer Museum looks at the work of the remarkable Scottish artist Joan Eardley. Eardley is one of Scotland’s best loved artists and her paintings and drawings are held in many major collections, including those of the Scottish National Galleries, Edinburgh City Arts Centre and Glasgow Museums.

To tie in with East Ayrshire's Moving Image season, a new exhibition which runs from the 14th of April to the 16th of June will be on display at the Doon Valley Museum, Dalmellington, showcasing objects from East Ayrshire's collections which are linked with capturing and playing images including televisions, cameras, film, even magic lanterns.

Clay Day @ the Baird is taking place on Saturday 5th May from 12-4pm at the Baird Institute in Cumnock.  This drop in day will give participants the chance to make small objects out of clay and also learn the techniques behind tile painting.  Come along and discover your creative side.

At Dumfries Museum and Camera Obscura
7pm - 9pm Thursday 12 April 2007

Here We Go! These were the words spoken by Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin on 12 April 1961 as he embarked on his historic first manned space flight. Twenty years later on 12 April 1981, the USA sent the first shuttle into space. 

At Dumfries Museum & Camera Obscura
Until January 2008

This year’s foyer exhibition at Dumfries Museum and Camera Obscura is about its home territory of the burgh of Maxwelltown and the parish of Troqueer. 

Dumfries Museum & Camera Obscura, Saturday 31 March - Saturday 12 May 2007.

The first Future Museum touring exhibition opens at Dumfries Museum and Camera Obscura on 31 March 2007. 

An exhibition of White on White Embroidery from the collections of East and South Ayrshire Council Museums - featuring the collection and work of Mrs Agnes (Bunty) Bryson of Fenwick - who revived this beautiful 19th century craft.

Presented by Ali Burns’ Feral Choir
At Dumfries Museum and Camera Obscura
5pm Sunday 17 December 2006

Following a year of events to mark the anniversary of the killing of the Red Comyn but Robert the Bruce, there is a final chance to reflect on this momentous period in Scottish history.

The killing took place in February 1306. Robert the Bruce was crowned King of Scots in March but by November of the same year he was forced to go into hiding. Find out more at Dumfries Museum.

Part of Amplify '06, Eyepoppers is a chance to see works by some of art's big names at the Dick Institute.

Tuesday 3 October - Saturday 16 December 2006

If there is one week in the year that will inspire a new generation of knitters, it's got to be National Knitting Week! Knitting needles will be clacking all over Britain and the Click Talk knitting and crochet group are inviting folks to drop in to Dumfries Museum on Tuesday 17 October any time between 2pm and 6pm.

The Solway smugglers of olden days are described in the Dumfries Museum’s latest exhibition created by historian Frances Wilkins. A cargo of activities are planned for the October school holidays exploring smuggling and the work of the excisemen in the time of Robert Burns. Lots of fun new quizzes, challenges and activities.

Now open at the McKechnie Institute in Girvan is an exhibition that will bring back many memories!  Covering fashion, music, toys, transport and, of course, events this exhibition has something for everyone.  The exhibition runs until the 25th of November.

The McKechnie is open Tue, Thur, Fri 1 - 4pm; Wed 1.30 - 4.30pm; Sat 10.30am - 4pm

The new exhibition at Stranraer Museum brings together over 150 original small Victorian photographs known as cartes de visites. The exhibition runs until 14 October and admission is free.

At Dumfries Museum & Camera Obscura
Saturday 2 September – Saturday 28 October 2006

29th June - 23 September 2006: Doon Valley Museum, Dalmellington 
30th September - 16th December 2006: Rozelle House, Ayr

The Legacy is a photographic exhibition documenting the legacy of mining in the south west of Scotland. The work explores the people and landscapes of the region connected with the mining industry past and present. El Dorado explores the history of mining in the south west of Scotland.

A new £500,000 web based project, entitled Future Museum has received funding from the Regional Development Challenge Fund to create web based access to south west Scotland’s museum collections. The project is a collaboration between museum services of the south-west of Scotland. It aims to maximise access to collections and deepen people’s understanding of the rich history of the region.