Last week we welcomed a group of S1 / S2 pupils from Kilmarnock Academy. This was a very special visit as the pupils were curating a display of material from their own school’s extensive archive, which is now housed in the Centre.
The display is titled ‘Robert Colquhoun and the Kilmarnock Academy Archives’. The pupils were able to include some material relating to the famous Kilmarnock artist (the subject of a major exhibition at the Dick Institute) as well as other items from the school’s history. The book above dates from c1850 when the school was located on Green Street.
Pupils split into teams to create the display – one team dealing with the collections directly, locating, scanning and printing suitable material; the other team managing the display space, planning the display, developing its themes, and installing images. They learned about storage and care of the archive in its new home at the Centre, and spoke to the Archivist about how the school archive fits into the other collections held here.
They wanted to choose material that showed the school’s rich history, while creating a display that caught the eye!
By looking at the whole range of documents, records, photographs and publications in the school archive, the pupils were able to appreciate the significance of the collection, and how it could be used as a valuable resource in future.
They also gained an understanding of the other collections and resources at the Burns Monument Centre, and how their school archive fits into the wider heritage of East Ayrshire. We also wanted them to know that lots of people would be looking at the display over the next two months. The pupils were very proud of the final product!
The display will be up during March and April – see the East Ayrshire Leisure website for more info. We’ll post more highlights from the Archive throughout March and April.
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