This year’s Wee Gaitherin (TWG) Heritage Exhibition at Stonehaven Library is a Must See! It celebrates the influential and important North-East writers of the past from 1320 to the present day. In addition to this long and rich cultural heritage, this significant and wonderful legacy exhibition offers a wide array of poetry from the output of our community engagement workshops with pupils at Mackie Academy and all age workshops held within the library, who have been hugely supportive partners in this endeavour. Other local/national present day writers and Wee Gaitherin trustees have also contributed their poetry. The iconic natural heritage of the North-East is celebrated and its inspiration reflected in the wonderful artworks therein.
The Heritage Exhibition owes its existence to the enormous amount of work generously volunteered by Gloria Potter, who initially seeded the idea with trustees and has nurtured it to fruition, by coordinating all of the other fantastic artists, writers and local history enthusiasts, including: Andrew Urquhart, Alistair Lawrie, Elaine Morrison, Judith Taylor, Mari.anne McGrellis, Bill McGrellis, Sarah Houston, Penny Frances, John Wilkinson, R. Gay Halley, Keith Stewart, Lorraine Stewart, David Potter, Jo Gilbert, Nicola Furrie Murphy and Kate Benzie.
Gloria also curated this exhibition and contributed to researching and writing the history of North-East writers and local history stories. As such, this exhibition speaks to the heart, and also to the innate value of creative and collaborative endeavour in building a thriving community. Gloria enthused, “The Wee Gaitherin is a wonderful festival bringing our North-East heritage to life. I’ve really enjoyed working with so many talented people to bring this exhibition into being.”
The Heritage Exhibition is open 2nd to 31st August 2024, at Stonehaven Library, then touring North-East venues thereafter.
TWG is eternally grateful for the generosity of all those involved and to our funders and business sponsors: National Lottery-Awards for All, Aberdeenshire Council, William Syson and Hugh Fraser Foundations, Whittaker Engineering, Macphie Ltd, FirstDrive Cars.