Inverness Museum and Art Gallery celebrates St. Andrew’s day with Scotland’s largest midge.
Inverness Museum and Art Gallery (IMAG) will have a new addition to its collections on November 30th when it becomes home to Scotland’s largest Midge.
As part of a St Andrew’s Day Open Day at IMAG from 12noon to 4pm on Sunday a two foot long model of Scotland’s most infamous insect, the midge, will be on display.
The midge, which was designed by sculptor Anthony Bennett, will live in IMAG’s Discovery Centre - a new, family orientated, hands on learning area, which is due to open early next year.
Visitors to the museum are invited to take part in a competition to name IMAG’s new resident midge. Midge repellant is not required to take part in the competition as Catharine Niven, IMAG’s Senior Curator assures visitors: “Our midge will not bite, all the appropriate risk assessments have been made - and it fed recently before going on display. We are all really excited that this quintessentially Scottish creature is going to find its home at IMAG. You wouldn’t want to meet in on a loch but we are all thrilled that the midge has decided to come and visit.”
Councillor Bill Fernie, Chairman of The Highland Council’s Education, Culture and Sport Committee said: “This is a good chance to get up close to an insect that can be a real pest without coming to harm. Speaking as someone who reacts particularly badly to their bite I for one will be pleased to see it at close quarters without any risk of their dreaded bites. I am sure young people will find it particularly interesting and I myself have in mind the various poems written about the creature known in the north as “E Midgie”.
The £15,000 Discovery Centre, including hands-on-boxes and midge at Inverness Museum and Art Galley are part funded by Youth Bank, Museums and Galleries Scotland and Chevron (£9, 219) and The Highland Council £5,762.
During the St Andrew’s Day Open Day the Museum is opening its doors for a free behind the scenes look at its very Scottish Collections! Visitors are invited to explore their museum at the heart of Inverness and to take part in a range of special events including:
• tours of the museum stores;
• meeting a Seaforth Highlander and learning about life on the home front during WWII;
• craft making inspired by the museum collections;
• listening to storyteller Bob Pegg as he shares amazing tales of the Highlands;
• meeting and naming the new giant midge!; and
• learning how to do family histories with genealogists.
For further information please contact Inverness Museum and Art Gallery on 01463 237114.