June 23rd 2008

The Heritage Lottery Fund announces a grant of £410,000 to create the first ever Women’s Archive in Scotland. A grant of £150,000 was also awarded to Culture and Sport Glasgow to purchase an oil painting by William Kennedy, one of the Glasgow Boys.

Filling 500 packing boxes, material documenting the social history of women over the last ten decades has been collected by the Glasgow Women’s Library. Thirty thousand publications, letters, drawings, recordings, film and photographs collectively illustrate women’s experiences and activism over the years including family planning, the Suffragette movement and the second wave of Feminism (1960’s – 1980’s). It also includes rare materials such as the first edition of the 1928 Lesbian novel, the Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall which, although it contained no explicit sexual references, was seen to defend homosexuality and, as such, was instantly banned, nearly all copies recalled by the publisher and subsequently figured in an obscenity trial.

The Heritage Lottery funding will be used to form a purpose-built facility to house the archive within Glasgow Women’s Library’s new premises at the Mitchell Library. An archivist will be employed to catalogue, audit and conserve the material, create an on-line catalogue, and train volunteers in how to maintain the collection.

An extensive community programme will take place throughout the development of the archive bringing women together to contribute ideas and shape its future. There will opportunities for 60 volunteers from community groups to write archive interpretation and create new oral and video histories. A programme of historical re-enactments, film, talks entitled ‘Living Heroines’, discussions, oral history and art, will culminate in an exhibition at the Mitchell Library and a road show in Dundee and Aberdeen.

Colin McLean, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in Scotland, comments “The Women’s Archive is opening up an important area of social history to many more people. Unique in Scotland, it will be a catalyst for women from very different backgrounds and with very different experiences to come together to discuss the issues that face them and to understand the issues that face others. The Heritage Lottery Fund is delighted to give its support.”

Sue John, Strategic Development Manager at Glasgow Women’s Library, said "This is an exciting development for Glasgow Women’s Library and is very timely as we look towards our relocation to the Mitchell Library. The award for this project acknowledges that our collection is of national significance in Scotland and it will enable us to provide a focus for the gathering and celebrating of women’s diverse histories and achievements".

Stirling Station
A nationally important work of art, ‘Stirling Station’ by William Kennedy, will go on display to the public for the first time thanks to a grant of £150,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund. It will initially be on view as part of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum’s Glasgow Boys collection before forming a key part of the Riverside Museum of Transport exhibition when it opens. The painting was purchased for just under £237,000. In addition to HLF funding, The Art Fund gave a grant of £35,000 with the remaining amount coming from local and museum funds.

William Kennedy was a core member of the Glasgow Boys between 1880 – 1900 and his works are typical of their style. Dating from 1888, ‘Stirling Station’ is unique in that it is thought to be the only painting of a railway station by one of the Glasgow Boys whose subjects were mostly rural labour, bourgeois domestic pursuits and landscapes, and is an excellent example of the techniques they applied to create impressive light effects.

Colin McLean comments “This is a fine painting which rightly deserves to be displayed in Scotland. Beautiful to look at, it’s also a fascinating glimpse at how the opening up of the railways helped shape the social and economic history of the Central Belt.

Bailie Liz Cameron, Chair of Culture and Sport Glasgow said "We are thrilled to be have been awarded money for the purchase of what is considered to be a key work in the history of the Glasgow boys. It is destined to form an important part of the Glasgow Boys exhibition being staged at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum and at the Royal Academy in London in 2010. It is sure to become an admired and loved addition to Glasgow's collection".

Notes to editors

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) enables communities to celebrate, look after and learn more about our diverse heritage.  From our great museums and historic buildings to local parks and beauty spots or recording and celebrating traditions, customs and history, HLF grants open up our nation’s heritage for everyone to enjoy.  To date it has invested over £480million in Scotland’s heritage.

The Art Fund is the UK’s leading independent art charity. It offers grants to help UK museums and galleries enrich their collections; campaigns on behalf of museums and their visitors; and promotes the enjoyment of art.