To celebrate the opening of two wonderful and diverse exhibitions:
Local artist Lynne Forrester is showing her work
Bright & Beautiful - 8th - 30th April 2025 in Studio 2
A wonderful Spring and Nature themed collection of her most recent paintings.
AND
The Cree Fiddlers of James Bay - 6th April - 5th September 2025 in Studio 1
A Photographic Exhibition by Dr Frances Wilkins
Musical Traditions from The Days of The Fur Trade
An exhibition of photographs, music and videography by Skye-based ethnomusicologist Frances Wilkins. The photographs were taken in 2011, during the first of several research visits to the James Bay region of Northern Canada where she met with musicians and dancers, exploring the fiddle and dance traditions of the region and their shared histories with Scotland via the fur trade.
James Bay is directly south of Hudson Bay in the sub-arctic part of Canada, and the area retains strong historical connections to Scotland from the days of the fur trade. The cultural exchanges that took place left a lasting impression on the Cree (Eeyou) population, and one way this can be seen is through the fiddle music and dance traditions that were adopted and are still practiced by the Eeyou today. The aim of this exhibition is to explore the everyday lives of Eeyou people living in the region and highlight the cultural and historic significance of their fiddle music and dancing.
Frances Wilkins is a senior lecturer in ethnomusicology at the Elphinstone Institute, University of Aberdeen. She is also a professional musician, performing Scottish traditional music on English concertina. As a researcher, she specialises in Scottish and Northern Canadian singing and instrumental traditions and has worked on research projects in Scotland, Canada and Germany.
Refreshments and a chance to preview the two exhibitions and meet Dr Frances Wilkins. Please confirm your attendance by following the Book Now button below.