Annual Review 2018

Review 2018 Visitors enjoy Rip It Up: The Story of Scottish Pop, the summer exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland. © Chris Scott Reaching further With over 3.1 million visits across all our museums, and nearly 2.2 million visitors to the National Museum of Scotland, we have enhanced our position as one of the most popular museum groups in the world. © Neil Hanna The past year has been an extremely We are very proud that through our Work continues on time and on busy and productive one. Our drive to National Strategy we have continued budget to complete the fourth and improve and diversify the experience to build upon and grow our successful final phase of our £80 million, 15 for our visitors, share our collections as collaborations with museums across year redevelopment of the National widely as possible and to expand our Scotland. The range of support that we Museum of Scotland. During the knowledge of the objects in our care offer them, from sharing our collections course of this transformation, the is visible through the many facets of to supporting outreach activity and Museum has more than trebled its our work: capital projects, acquisitions, building skills and expertise, has audience and has achieved national exhibitions, learning activities, public been enhanced through funding and international recognition, being programming, digital innovation, from a number of sources. In 2018 voted the top UK museum outside national reach and academic research. this included the national tour of London by TripAdvisor users, and in the the exhibition Scotland’s Early Silver, Top Twenty in Europe. The opening in Following last year’s acquisition of the supported by The Glenmorangie February 2019 of three final galleries Galloway Hoard, we were delighted Company, to Lews Castle in Stornoway focusing on our world-class collections to further strengthen the national and the newly opened Kirkcudbright from ancient Egypt and East Asia and collections with the acquisition of a Galleries in Dumfries and Galloway. of the Art of Ceramics will be a fitting British Aerospace Hawk T1A, previously finale to this hugely successful project. flown by the Royal Air Force (RAF) We were also pleased to agree a Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows. long term partnership with Dumfries Achieving our ambitions would This iconic aircraft, now on display at and Galloway Council to display simply not be possible without the the National Museum of Flight, was some of the Galloway Hoard in the generous support of our many donors, donated by the Ministry of Defence Kirkcudbright Galleries. This will allow supporters, partners and volunteers. through RAF Heritage as part of the this exceptional Viking-age Hoard, We are enormously grateful for their RAF100 anniversary and, as the only which was acquired by National continued and much valued support. Red Arrow Hawk T1A on public display Museums Scotland last year with the Finally, we would like to thank our staff in the UK, has unique appeal for visitors help of many supporters and donors, for all of their hard work, energy and to the Museum. to be enjoyed by the local community passion. Without their commitment for many years to come. We welcomed European Space and enthusiasm, none of this would Agency Astronaut Tim Peake to the Further afield, our first major ever be possible. National Museum of Scotland to unveil international touring exhibition, the display of the Soyuz spacecraft Monkeys! A Primate Story, has now which he used to return to Earth as opened at the Queensland Museum Bruce Minto OBE, Chairman part the Principia Mission to the in Brisbane, Australia following a Dr Gordon Rintoul CBE, Director International Space Station in 2016. hugely successful run at the Royal The Museum was the only Scottish Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences venue of a UK tour. in Brussels. European Space Agency Astronaut, Tim Peake at the unveiling of his Soyuz spacecraft display at the National Museum of Scotland. 663,295 61,837 digitised school and objects group visits 4,437 objects loaned to 128 venues 283,528 participants in learning activities © Neil Hanna © Chris Scott © Andy Catlin 3,141,442 visits 2,223,484 website visits 173,000 social media followers © Andy Catlin New for 2018 Dunfermline band Dancing on Tables perform in the Energise gallery at the National Museum of Scotland as part of a project with Napier University to engage with young audiences alongside Rip It Up: The Story of Scottish Pop. Asoltanei Stefan © Theodor Increasing visitor attendance Engaging exhibitions We once again achieved significant The centenary of the end of the First Art of Glass examined the diverse work year on year growth in visits, reaching World War was marked by the opening of 15 established and emerging glass our highest ever combined total across of The Poppy: A Symbol of artists. Presented in partnership with our four museums – over 3.14 million. Remembrance at the National War The National Centre for Craft & Design, The National Museum of Scotland, Museum. Featuring loans from Poppy the exhibition explored how artists are the National War Museum and the Scotland and the Lady Haig Poppy embracing the medium of glass in National Museum of Rural Life all saw Factory, the exhibition explores the innovative ways, challenging the their highest ever attendance. The origins of the symbolism of the poppy perception of it as merely a material for National Museum of Scotland from the famous poem, In Flanders creating functional objects. The artists welcomed over 2.18 million visits, taking Fields by John McCrae and its adoption featured in the exhibition are based it to the top spot as the most visited as a symbol of remembrance. The around the UK, from isolated rural attraction in the UK outside London. exhibition includes examples from 1921, studios to busy urban locations and The National Museum of Flight when the first ‘poppy day’ took place in their work uses glass in a wide variety achieved nearly 78,000 visits. The Britain, and from 1926, when the first of ways, from neon to stained glass. National War Museum attracted over poppies were made in Scotland at the The first major exhibition on the subject, 770,000 visits and the National poppy factory established in Edinburgh Rip It Up: The Story of Scottish Pop Museum of Rural Life enjoyed success by Lady Haig. brought together nearly 500 objects, with just under 102,000 visits. On loan from London’s Natural History many on loan from some of the biggest Museum, the world-renowned Wildlife names in Scottish pop, and featuring Photographer of the Year exhibition the voices of the artists and their music. celebrated the diversity of the natural Rip It Up also heralded a major world, from intimate animal portraits to partnership with BBC Scotland, which astonishing wild landscapes. The saw the creation of accompanying TV exhibition is the result of the most and radio series. The results have been prestigious photography event of its a resounding critical and reputational kind, providing a global platform that success, with UK national print and showcases the natural world’s most broadcast coverage, four and five star astonishing and challenging sights. reviews and ringing endorsements from many high-profile contributors to the exhibition. 1 1 Pilgrim, the Bald Eagle, and his handler visit the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition, as part of a special viewing © Neil Hanna for the media. Glenmorangie partnership Really enjoyed visiting Festival focus @NtlMuseumsScot today The continuation this year of our The National Museum of Scotland longstanding partnership with The and seeing the amazing partnered with the variety of Festivals Glenmorangie Company has enabled ‘Art of Glass’ and on offer in the city. We celebrated the us to create the exhibition Scotland’s ‘Modernist Jewellery’ 30th year of the Edinburgh Early Silver and take it on a national International Science Festival in April tour. The exhibition showcases the exhibitions. with interactive activities, workshops, latest fruits of our innovative ten-year There was also an shows and talks. A highlight was Event research partnership with Horizon, an enormous balloon Glenmorangie. It shows both recent enormous balloon installation in the Grand Gallery by discoveries and new research into vortex...(Always a plus) renowned artist Jason Hackenwerth. existing collections, tracing the history The Museum also hosted the opening @Xefortanzo of silver as the premier metal of status weekend of the Edinburgh from its use along the Roman frontier International Children’s Festival in May. and its reuse through to the coming of In August, visitors enjoyed three weeks the Vikings. The exhibition has toured of Free Fringe Music themed around to Lews Castle, Stornoway, the newly our summer exhibition, Rip It Up: The opened Kirkcudbright Galleries in Story of Scottish Pop. Musicians from Dumfries and Galloway and to Duff our regular partner Live Music Now House in Banff, Aberdeenshire where it were joined by students and graduates will be on display until March 2019. from Edinburgh Napier University’s Popular Music Course to present a varied mix of Scottish pop, traditional Scottish songs and instrumental sets. The Museum After Hours events were again all sold out, showcasing 39 Fringe acts across three consecutive Friday nights, ranging from gravity-defying acrobatics to the six singing wives of Henry VIII performing for us before 1 heading off to London’s West End. Our successful relationship with fringe producers Gilded Balloon presented 27 days of inspiring and diverse programming at the Museum, showcasing the very best in comedy, theatre and children’s shows. 1 Dr Adrian Maldonado, the Glenmorangie Research Fellow at the opening of the Scotland’s Early Silver exhibition at Kirkcudbright Galleries in Dumfries and Galloway.

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