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Tidelines
Open Studios Hebrides is a membership organisation and community of artists and makers, living and working across the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides.
OSH was started in the Summer of 2021. It is a unique opportunity for people to follow the Art Trails, explore the beautiful Isle of Lewis, see our stunning island environment and discover the range of art produced by our skilled artists and makers. Artists and makers open their studios or workplaces over a set period of time and welcome the public to come and meet them, view their work and find out a little more about the wealth and variety of creativity produced locally.
Tidelines is an OSH group exhibition at Commun Eachdraidh Nis representing eight of our artists: Ivor Mackay, Debbie Cullis, Janis Scott, Ian Wilson, Lynne Maciver, Sandra Kennedy, Danielle Macleod, Margaret Maclean
An Tilleadh
On Tuesday 18th April, a special event was held at Comunn Eachdraidh Nis to open our latest exhibition, ‘An Tilleadh’ (The Return). Following a year of planning between CEN and The National Museum of Scotland, locally discovered Bronze Age finds have returned to Ness. In 1910, an eclectic hoard of objects was discovered while peat digging near Adabrock. This hoard dates to the Late Bronze Age (c.1000-800 BC). It contains bronze axeheads, a spearhead, three razors and other tools, as well as fragments of a decorated vessel, two whetstones and rare beads of glass, amber and gold. It is one of the most diverse hoards in Britain.
Two Late Bronze Age bronze swords were found on separate occasions while peat digging at Aird Dell in 1891 and 1892. These swords are characteristic of the period, bearing elegant ‘leaf-shaped’ blades. One sword is incomplete, whereas the other one is still complete and reasonably sharp, even after three thousand years in the ground. More remarkably, an original horn handle survives on the second sword with attachment rivets embedded in the hilt.
The Adabrock hoard is one of the most important group of materials from Bronze Age Britain. Containing tools, weapons and jewellery, it speaks to the diverse nature of Bronze Age life, as well as connections across Britain and Ireland and beyond. We are grateful to our funders: Museums Galleries Scotland, Highlands & Islands Enterprise and Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn for supporting this project and to the staff at the National Museum of Scotland for advising and guiding us through the loan process.
The exhibition will run until April 2024.