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John Paterson Artwork Project (SFC)

 

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The Museums, Galleries and Collections Institute (MGCI) at the University of St Andrews has been awarded a grant under the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) Innovation Voucher Scheme (Workforce Innovation) to work with the Seaboard Memorial Hall Ltd in Balintore, Easter Ross.

The project is to develop a workforce plan for a Heritage Community Centre, identifying the new skills and expertise that will be required for the successful and sustainable operation of the organisation. The centre will be based on the extensive and exceptional collection of paintings and business memorabilia of John Paterson (1872-1945) and will serve the local community and attract new tourism to the area.

Paterson was born in Rosemarkie in the Black Isle and died in Hilton of Cadboll on the Fearn Peninsula.  He was a fishing station owner and amateur artist.   Because of the restricted salmon fishing season, Paterson was able to devote winter months to his painting hobby in the studios he built on the foreshore. Over 200 paintings survive, many being portraits of local people who modelled for him. The fishing business which sustained the local community no longer exists but a wealth of related material: nets, fish boxes, fishing records, maps, and other memorabilia have been kept by the family.  These will form the core collection for the heritage centre.

The Innovation Voucher Scheme is administered, on behalf of the SFC, by Interface, which connects businesses to academics in Scotland’s universities or further education colleges to support innovation to develop a new product, process or service for the company or to develop the company’s workforce.