Strathnaver Museum
Source: https://www.strathnavermuseum.org.uk/shipshape-at-strathnaver-museum
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:14
Strathnaver Museum
Joanne B. Kaar’s Shipshape exhibition, exploring the techniques and tools used in traditional boat building, is due to open on Friday 6
th
June at Strathnaver Museum’s Annex. The exhibition is the culmination of Joanne’s 2024 Artist Residency part funded by Museums Galleries Scotland, The William Syson Foundation, the Children’s and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund, and has received £5,755 from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Joanne, a research based visual artist, was one of three Artists in Residence tasked with finding inspiration from the diverse objects in Strathnaver Museum’s Collection. Inspired by ‘Grace’, Strathnaver Museum’s community boat building project Joanne worked with the boat building team to record and preserve traditional boat building techniques and tools.
Joanne’s artwork explores the shapes and structures emerging from clinker-built boats, recording the names of tools and techniques in her work and helping to preserve the valuable intangible cultural heritage associated with boat building.
During March Joanne visited North Coast Campus and North West Sutherland Schools Group with Tim Curtis of the boat building team to share their knowledge and research. Inspired by the Japanese technique of Gyotaku, used by fishermen to record their catches, the children inked up real fish to print onto paper.
The children gained an insight into the artistic process Joanne uses, exploring her ‘accordion fold books’ detailing her research, design ideas and test prints. The accordion books and original woodblocks will be retained by the museum to use in future pop-up displays in public spaces and schools.
On the 6
th
and 7
th
June Joanne will be on site in Strathnaver Museum’s Annex to talk about her work and offer opportunities for members of the public to drop in and make their own prints using the tools and woodblocks acquired and created during her artist residency. The woodcut kits used as part of the community engagement work will be retained and available to borrow through North Sutherland Community Forest Trust’s Branching Out project.
Joanne has produced a series of prints available to purchase with all income from the prints going to the museum to support community heritage activities such as the continuation of the community boat building project.
Fiona Mackenzie, Strathnaver Museum Manager says: “There is much of our heritage, particularly around intangible cultural heritage such as traditional craftsmanship, the names of tools, and knowledge and practices relating to our natural and cultural heritage, which is in danger of being lost. We are delighted to be exhibiting Joanne’s important exhibition which helps to record and share these valuable aspects of our heritage both now and for the future. In years to come what we gather today as our contemporary heritage will be a valuable part of our archive for future researchers.”
Shipshape will run until 26
th
July and feature Joanne’s artwork and the templates used to build Grace. Debasis Biswas’s exhibition Salt to Plate, exploring the heritage and conservation of salmon fisheries, is due to open 1
st
August until 27
th
September. Will Sadler, filmmaker and podcast producer will launch the podcast ‘Highlands Reimagined’, created in collaboration with senior students at Farr High School, in early July.
UK Shared Prosperity Fund
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills.
Joanne B. Kaar’s Shipshape exhibition, exploring the techniques and tools used in traditional boat building, is due to open on Friday 6
th
June at Strathnaver Museum’s Annex. The exhibition is the culmination of Joanne’s 2024 Artist Residency part funded by Museums Galleries Scotland, The William Syson Foundation, the Children’s and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund, and has received £5,755 from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Joanne, a research based visual artist, was one of three Artists in Residence tasked with finding inspiration from the diverse objects in Strathnaver Museum’s Collection. Inspired by ‘Grace’, Strathnaver Museum’s community boat building project Joanne worked with the boat building team to record and preserve traditional boat building techniques and tools.
Joanne’s artwork explores the shapes and structures emerging from clinker-built boats, recording the names of tools and techniques in her work and helping to preserve the valuable intangible cultural heritage associated with boat building.
During March Joanne visited North Coast Campus and North West Sutherland Schools Group with Tim Curtis of the boat building team to share their knowledge and research. Inspired by the Japanese technique of Gyotaku, used by fishermen to record their catches, the children inked up real fish to print onto paper.
The children gained an insight into the artistic process Joanne uses, exploring her ‘accordion fold books’ detailing her research, design ideas and test prints. The accordion books and original woodblocks will be retained by the museum to use in future pop-up displays in public spaces and schools.
On the 6
th
and 7
th
June Joanne will be on site in Strathnaver Museum’s Annex to talk about her work and offer opportunities for members of the public to drop in and make their own prints using the tools and woodblocks acquired and created during her artist residency. The woodcut kits used as part of the community engagement work will be retained and available to borrow through North Sutherland Community Forest Trust’s Branching Out project.
Joanne has produced a series of prints available to purchase with all income from the prints going to the museum to support community heritage activities such as the continuation of the community boat building project.
Fiona Mackenzie, Strathnaver Museum Manager says: “There is much of our heritage, particularly around intangible cultural heritage such as traditional craftsmanship, the names of tools, and knowledge and practices relating to our natural and cultural heritage, which is in danger of being lost. We are delighted to be exhibiting Joanne’s important exhibition which helps to record and share these valuable aspects of our heritage both now and for the future. In years to come what we gather today as our contemporary heritage will be a valuable part of our archive for future researchers.”
Shipshape will run until 26
th
July and feature Joanne’s artwork and the templates used to build Grace. Debasis Biswas’s exhibition Salt to Plate, exploring the heritage and conservation of salmon fisheries, is due to open 1
st
August until 27
th
September. Will Sadler, filmmaker and podcast producer will launch the podcast ‘Highlands Reimagined’, created in collaboration with senior students at Farr High School, in early July.
UK Shared Prosperity Fund
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills.