'Friday Focus' Hunterian Weekly Talk Series
Published: 1 September 2023
Fridays at 1.00pm
Join us online every Friday at 1.00pm and hear from our expert Hunterian staff, students that work with us and guest speakers from the University of Glasgow and beyond.
Jurassic Scotland
Friday 8 September
Hunterian Curator of Palaeontology Dr. Neil Clark discusses his discoveries of Middle Jurassic dinosaurs across Scotland.
Duncan Shanks's Night Garden
Friday 15 September
Hunterian Curator of French and British Art Anne Dulau Beveridge will explore the work of Scottish landscape painter Duncan Shanks and will show how his lifelong interest in the Clyde Valley and his own garden have been the subject of ongoing study.
Recataloguing the library of Dr William Hunter
Friday 22 September
Book Historian Dr. Michelle Craig from the University of Glasgow will discuss her findings from William Hunter's library and share close-up footage using the Archives and Special Collections visualiser.
Two Glasgow School Discoveries
Friday 29 September
Join Visitor Experience colleague and antique dealer Nigel Goldsmith to discuss two recent finds.
The Hunterian's Giant Galliwasp
Friday 6 October
Curator of Zoology Mike Rutherford discusses our Jamaican Giant Galliwasp, a now extinct species on display in the Hunterian Museum as part of our 'Curating Discomfort' intervention.
The Kola Nut in the Atlantic World
Friday 13 October
Dr. Shantel Geroge, historian and lecturer in Transatlantic Slavery at the University of Glasgow will chart the complex history and wide-ranging influence of the African kola nut, focusing on Nigeria, Jamaica and Scotland from 1500 to 1900.
Decolonising African Textiles
Friday 20 October
Ghanaian fashion designer, textile artist and researcher at the University of Glasgow Naa Densua Tordzro discusses her work into decolonising African textiles, in particular Ghanaian cloth and wax prints.
Chasing the Jacobite Dream
Friday 27 October
Numismatist Cameron Maclean explores Jacobite medals and how they were used as propaganda for the Jacobite cause.
Remembering the Scottish Witchcraft Trials
Friday 3 November
Social anthropologist Stephanie Shakay Tierney will discuss the Scottish witchcraft trials and how the people accused of witchcraft in the early modern period are memorialised in the landscape and through art and literature.
Previous Talks
You can watch previous talks here on our Youtube channel.
Robert Burns and Mary Queen of Scots
Friday 27 January 2023
Join Dr Rhona Brown as she explores the reception of Mary Queen of Scots and her legacy in 18th-century Scotland and her complex role in the evolution of Jacobitism, before focusing on Robert Burns’s many pronouncements and memorialisations of ‘the Unfortunate Mary.’
Dr Rhona Brown is Senior Lecturer in 18th-century Scottish Literature at the University of Glasgow.
The Coinage of Mary Queen of Scots
Friday 3 February 2023
In this talk, PhD candidate Cameron Maclean will showcase some of the coins from The Hunterian collection to illustrate the various events, controversies and changing political and religious circumstances of Mary’s tumultuous reign.
The Doctor
Friday 10 February 2023
This week's Friday Focus online talk is about one of our recent acquisitions, The Doctor. This major work by artist Alexandra Bircken was acquired for us through the Valeria Napoleone XX Contemporary Art Society (VNXXCAS) initiative.
The Art Gallery Rehang
Friday 17 February 2023
Hunterian art curator Lola Sanchez-Jauregui will be talking about the changes we're making to the Gallery and the overarching themes. Lola will share details of the new display, which will feature an incredible array of artworks from across The Hunterian's permanent collection and will challenge exisiting principles.
The Glasgow Boys and the Scottish Colourists
Friday 24 February 2023
The Hunterian houses a significant collection of Scottish art, with works by leading figures from the period 1750 to 1960. The Hunterian’s collection of Glasgow Boys and Scottish Colourists is one of the most important and extensive in a public collection. In this Friday Focus, art curator Anne Dulau Beveridge will discuss the Hunterian's collection of these works and will highlight how our new displays will look at these important collections from fresh perspectives.
UNDERFOOT
Friday 3 March 2023
This Friday Focus will be an in-conversation edition, with two members of the curatorial team for Elizabeth Price's exhibition UNDERFOOT discussing its key themes. Dr Fiona Jardine (The Glasgow School of Art) and Dr Dominic Paterson (The Hunterian) will discuss the making of UNDERFOOT, Price's new video and textile commissions for The Hunterian.
Portrait Painting in 17th Century Scotland
Friday 10 March 2023
Join art historian Carla van de Puttelaar who'll be discussing portraiture development in 17th century Scotland and how emulation and imitation played a significant role, with a specific look at the portrait series in the Hunterian Art Gallery ascribed to John Scougall.
Old Collections and New Challenges
Friday 17 March 2023
Hear from Hunterian Director Steph Scholten as he discusses The Hunterian's commitment to return human remains and other culturally significant heritage items. Within the context of the Hunterian collection Steph examines the issues, successes and complexities surrounding repatriation.
Please note: unlike our usual Friday Focus talks, this will not be live and instead will be pre-recorded.
Art Meets Science: Displaying The Hunterian's Indian Miniatures
Friday 24 March 2023
Art Curator Joseph Sharples and Michela Botticelli of Technical Art History will take a closer look at our portrait miniatures from the Mughal dynasty, exploring the history behind these objects and taking a deep dive into their composition.
New Contemporary Art Acquisitions
Friday 31 March 2023
Contemporary Art Curator Dominic Paterson looks at our recent acquisitions to our contemporary art collection.
The First Folio at the University of Glasgow
Friday 21 April 2023
2023 marks the 400th birthday of The First Folio, the first printed edition of William Shakespeare’s collected plays. Julie Gardham, Librarian at the University of Glasgow's Archives and Special Collections to find out more about the University's copy of this rare book and its significance.
Shakespeare's First Folios Across Scotland
Friday 28 April 2023
To celebrate the 400th birthday of Shakespeare's First Folio, three copies in Scottish collections will go on public display including that of the University of Glasgow, the National Library of Scotland and Mount Stuart Trust. Join The Mount Stuart Trust’s Librarian, Elizabeth Ingham and The National Library of Scotland’s Head of Rare Books, Maps and Music, Helen Vincent and find out more about their First Folios.
Restitution and Repatriation at The Hunterian
Friday 5 May 2023
Find out more about the successes and complexities surrounding restitution and repartriation within the context of the Hunterian collection. Curator of Archaeology and World Cultures Dr. Andy Mills will share some of the case studies that he is currently working on, including the return of ancestors to their communities.
Unravelling Times
Friday 12 May 2023
Our new contemporary art exhibition Unravelling Times features works by pioneering experimental filmmaker Lis Rhodes alongside work by three contemporary artists living and working in Glasgow - Anne Marie Copstake, Francis McKee and Iman Tajik. The exhibition explores ideas of migration and globalisation, bridging the gap between art and activism. Find out more from Curator of Contemporary Art Dr. Dominic Paterson.
Dutch Portraiture
Friday 19 May 2023
In the 17th-century portraiture became very prominent in the Netherlands. The Dutch middle class in particular came to affluence and wanted to show their wealth and status by having their portraits painted. Art historian Carla van de Puttelaar will discuss the development of portraiture in the Netherlands in the 17th century and why it took such flight
Protest Photography with Francis McKee
Friday 26 May 2023
Join photographer Francis McKee in conversation with Curator of Contemporary Art Dominic Paterson about his photography of protests and demonstrations from all over the world, as featured in our Unravelling Times exhibition.
Women Mineral Collectors from History
Friday 2 May 2023
Hear from the Hunterian's Curator of Mineralogy Erika Anderson about women mineral collectors in the early 19th century.
Chasing the Jacobite Dream
Friday 9 May 2023
Curator of Numismatics Jesper Ericsson discusses our latest exhibition, Chasing the Jacobite Dream and explores the legacy of medals and coins as emotive symbols of loyalty and reminders to the faithful to chase the dream of a Stuart restoration.
The Nature of Wellbeing
Friday 16 June 2023
This new exhibition explores our relationship with nature and encourages us to engage with nature through the Hunterian's art collection. Curated by students from the University of Glasgow, at this Friday Focus you can find out more about the exhibition from Exhibition Development course student Kathryn Gilmour.
What's Bugging Glasgow
Friday 1 September
Join Hunterian Curator of Entomology Jeanne Robinson to find out more about our new exhibition 'What's Bugging Glasgow' and discover some of the insects that live in our city of Glasgow and the challenges they currently face.
First published: 1 September 2023
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