The Westland - Captain Thomas Wood

Thanks to Jim Atkins from Colorado for making contact with this photo of the Captain of the Westland ship, Capt. Thomas Wood. 

Jim writes:

"....Thomas Wood, Master of the Westland was also, prior to that, Master of the Woodlark – another Shaw Savill vessel, married my great-great-great-great aunt Mary Margaret Atkins in Auckland NZ on 21 June 1873. Mary Margaret had only weeks before arrived in Auckland aboard the Woodlark with her family from Selkirk Scotland. Her parents consented to the marriage only upon the promise that she would live with Wood’s parents upon their return to Montrose until she reached the age of majority (she was only 17 when they married).

Any information you may have on Wood, or additional leads to him and his family, would be greatly appreciated...."


This blog has helped connect a few long lost relations, and now I've connected relations of the Westlands crew in touch with relations of the captain!!

Peat Papers - accepted for juried exhibition in Germany

".....we received 232 applications from 23 countries for our announcement “Paper Global”.

The jury selected 78 participants. It is our great pleasure to inform you that the jury has accepted your application...."

 19th of May until 16th of September 2012

Das Handwerksmuseum - Germany

Peat paper jacket (adult size) and 5 peat paper books were accepted.

Surprise Visit

Had two lovely visitors today - Jan and Rob from the Morven Gallery. Here's Jan and I outside my workshop in Portobello with a piece of your work Joanne!

"This is art with a purpose and it is rare.." Last chance to see.....'Westland' exhibition on now in Ullapool at An Talla Solais ends 31st July.

This exhibition has been on tour since 2009 when it opened in Caithness Horizons with a parallel exhibition at the Anchorage Art Gallery in New Zealand the same month. Now in Ullapool, this is the last venue.  This is what Mandy Haggith had to say about it:

"...I particularly enjoyed the layer upon layer of history and response in Joanne and Lynn’s work. A story from the ship unravels through a string horse and five bottles of whisky. Three aprons (one to protect a dress, the next to protect the first apron, and a third, made out of sacking, to protect the other two) emerge from Lynn’s log book and are given physical form by Joanne. Seeing such an integrated body of work it is incredible to discover that the two artists have never actually met..."  Click here to read her review in full.

I'll give the last few words to George Gunn  "This is art with a purpose and it is rare.."   an extract from his review, to read it in full click here.

 

An Talla Solais Ullapool - fibre paper artists books cyanotypes string - 'Westland' exhibition July 2011

www.antallasolais.org

Westland exhibition - next venue An Talla Solais Art Centre, Ullapool 8th - 31st July 2011

8th - 31st July

An Talla Solais Art Centre, Ullapool.

http://www.antallasolais.org/

Grimsay - Westland is very much at home in Kallin old school on the Western Isles this week

Our exhibition 'The Westland' has now been touring since Sept 2009. 

This week I have been working in the Western Isles with the Horse and Bamboo Theatre company on the development of their new production about Angus McPhee Weaver of grass - lots of pictures on their blog about what we were up to! http://www.angusmcphee.blogspot.com/

It was also a chance of me to catch up with our exhibition as it opened at Kallin community centre, an old wooden school, in Grimsay.  This was the first time I'd seen our work since it was in Stornoway museum over a year ago........so I was expecting anything...........

What a fantastic surprise.  Our exhibition looked very much at home here - was this the perfect venue? 

 It looked like it had always been here, and just dusted down for the public to see this week.  This is all thanks to Mary Norton and her friends who worked with Norman MacLeod and Taigh Chearsabhagh art centre (where the Westland last docked) and Caitriona McCuish from the Western Isles Museums department based in Benbecula (the Westland has also docked here!).

The Westland is in Kallin for one week only.

I was very impressed, as this tiny room had to also function as the venue for Grimsay Fun Day - the weather has been terrible all week - so stalls moved indoors and the pipe band played just outside under whatever cover they could find. My photos were taken 30 minutes before it opened to the public, the room was soon packed out - I had a captive audience for my short intro to the exhibition!! 

We were on a ferry back to the mainland a few hours later, but that evening, the peat fire was lit and the exhibition room became the venue for the ceilidh.

Is it possible to fit any more into one room??!

'The Westland' will next dock at An Talla Solais in Ullapool opening on Friday 8th July.

http://www.antallasolais.org

Click here to read what playwright and poet, George Gunn thought of the exhibition when it first opened in Caithness.

Port Chalmers Rowing Club Fundraising Auction

Nice work - have just heard that one of your copies of 'Maiden Voyage' from the Westland project sold for $120 NZ at the Port Chalmers Rowing Club Fundraising Auction!  Must have been a popular item. Thank you.

Taigh Chearsabhagh Art Centre and Museum

The 'Westland' has docked in Lochmaddy for a while and is now being exhibited in Taigh Chearsabhabh museum and art centre  Lochmaddy..........

http://www.taigh-chearsabhagh.org/

Me in lochmaddy a  few years ago........ wearing my favouite Shetland handknit hat.......lost somewhere in the open seas!

Westland seminar in Dunedin, New Zealand

The Logbook: Historical Journeying between Scotland and New Zealand

Art Seminar: Lynn Taylor

Location: P152 Lecture Theatre @ Dunedin School of Art

Time: ‎12:00PM Thursday, March 17th

It seems the Westland is still afloat in New Zealand too!  I will be talking about our project this Thursday in the Masters Seminar Programme.  Joanne and I had some wonderful outcomes from this project so I want to share some of our processes, how the blog was essential for communication and how fun it was building up our research network etc. 

Joanne's Westland log book to be exhibited at VAS in the Royal Scottish Academy

Visual Arts Scotland  juried exhibition ".....The Annual Exhibition, held in the Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh continues to show a diverse cross section of the best in Scottish art in a nationally esteemed venue...."

My Westland Log book has been selected !! 
Over 800 applicants with only 303 selected.

Sat 5th February – Thurs 3rd March

 Royal Scottish Academy - Upper Galleries,

The Mound,

 Edinburgh,

Monday – Saturday 10am – 5pm, Sunday 12pm – 5pm

http://www.visualartsscotland.org/

http://www.royalscottishacademy.org/pages/menu_page.asp

The "Westland" on now in the Western Isles - Benbecula

On Now

Museum nan Eilean, Sgoil Lionacleit, Benbecula, Western Isles.

November 2010 - Early 2011.



Photos from the exhibition taken by Ashley Ferrier for Stornoway museum.

It was in Museum nan Eilean in Stornoway from the 23rd June - 30th September 2010

Francis Street, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis.

Bakers - Botanists - Whalers

Click here to go to my current research blog.

About this blog: One area of interest is Robert Dick, Baker & Botanist of Thurso, Caithness (1811-1866). His pressed herbarium is now stored in Caithness Horizons. Dunnet Head was one of his favourite places to walk and collect plants. One plant of interest is the Magellan Daisy/Ragwort (senecio Smithii DC), it grows near my house. A native flower of Chile & Argentina it is thought to have been brought to Caithness by whalers.

Follow me as I research these bakers, botanists and whalers ....... and start to explore seaweeds from the local shoreline and plants growing in my own field........for making string, basket making, papermaking - experimenting .........inspired by history.........

love boats - the paper kind!

Click on the image to read all about how our paper boat fundraiser brought Marlis and Peter to Mary-Ann's Cottage. Newspaper article is from the Caithness Courier 16th June.

10 days left - Westland exhibition at Morven gallery in Western Isles.

The Westland exhibition is on at the Morven gallery in the Western Isles until Saturday 19th June..........only 10 days left to see it here!  I'll be taking it down the next day and moving it to the next venue..........news soon ..........!

Mary-Ann's cottage is Now open for the 2010 Season. 7 Days a week 2pm - 4.30pm

30th May peat experience day - a collaboration with Mary-Ann's cottage  and Castletown Heritage Centre at Castlehill. Volunteers dig more peat, stack it and bring  back the dry peats which were dug on the 1st May. First load arrives at Mary-Ann's Cottage and we start to build a peat stack. About 10 more load to be delivered over the next few weeks. 

  

Postcard

Thanks Joanne for the postcard showing me how gorgeous the Western Isles are. I can imagine myself walking round those hills!

Peat Experience Day 30th May!!

30th May event: The moorland walk is now fully subscribed. Those wishing to take part in the hands on peat bank work are advised that this event is likely to be very popular so early registration is recommended. For more inof and to book your place visit:   http://www.castletownheritage.co.uk/

Peats were dug a few weeks ago by volunteers who signed up with Castletown Heritage Centre to learn traditional skills. The result will be a new peat stack for Mary-Ann's cottage, a living history museum - the peat fire in the living room is lit during the summer season for visitors to get the full experience. I walked to the peat bank to check if they were drying. Getting crispy on one side. Volunteers will gather again on the 30th May to stack more, and load a trailor full. So I can't claim to have done all this work!!

Westland exhibition dates.

Watch this space...........more dates and venues for the Westland exhibition in 2010!

Brough Bay Association

Brough Bay Association Beach clean up & BBQ

10.30am - 12.30pm

Now on Sunday 25th  April 2010.
(rain stopped play yesterday!)

Here's a few of them in action last year - this featured in my 2009 Westland Log Book.

The others are all eating burgers behind me!

They were delicious!

CraftScotland - Papermaking and Bookbinding prize draw!!

Go to the CraftScotland website where you can entre a prize draw!  The prizes are copies of 'Papermaking and Bookbinding Coastal Inspirations' by Joanne B Kaar.

http://www.craftscotland.org/News/Inside-craftscotland-April-2010.htm

Open to UK residents only.
The competition runs from 14th April 2010 until 12pm on the 19th May 2010.

Westland inspired workshops and exhibition talk by Joanne B Kaar

moira@lanntair.com                                               www.lanntair.com

www.morvengallery.com

PEAT - cut it, stack it, burn it, bake on it!

Did you see tonight's STV news at 6PM???
If not,  click here to watch !
4 mins in - the last new item STV News - peat workshops!!
watch online for the next month On Sunday 30 may, Castletown Heritage Society, in conjunction with Mary-Ann's Cottage, are organising a unique "Peat Experience Day". Participants will be able to experience the full peat life cycle - from trying their hand at cutting, setting up and stacking peats to sampling home-made bannocks baked over an open peat fire at Mary-Ann's Cottage. Experts will be on hand to to guide you through the experience and also to explain the flowers, plants and biodiversity of the local peat bogs. Again, this event is likely to be very popular so early registration is recommended. To register interest or to secure your place http://www.castletownheritage.co.uk/

And if you want more!

Castletown Heritage Society, in conjunction with Mary-Ann's Cottage is offering a "Peat Experience Workshop".
The Peat Experience Workshop will provide an opportunity for energetic, fit volunteers to learn and apply the traditional skills and techniques of peat cutting on a real local peat bank. A key output from the workshop will be to generate sufficient finished peat to support a full season of heating and cooking demonstrations at the unique Mary-Ann's Cottage visitor experience, near Dunnet. Full tuition will be provided during this hands-on event.
The programme for this workshop is flexible due to dependence on weather/ground conditions and will be confirmed nearer the time, but will take place during April or May.
As this event is likely to be very popular, early registration is recommended. To register interest or to secure your place http://www.castletownheritage.co.uk/