Emotional farewell for Fife museum curator after a career spanning three decades

Gavin Grant, Collections Team Leader with cultural charity OnFife, is stepping down after many years devoted to museums and galleries.

Warm tributes were paid at an emotional farewell last week where colleagues heard how a childhood pastime became a lifelong passion and a labour of love.

Career highlights include being part of major museum refurbishments at Kirkcaldy and St Andrews, and the opening of OnFife’s Collections Centre in Glenrothes.

The giant storage facility, launched in 2017, has made it possible for thousands of artefacts to be more readily appreciated by visitors as well as improving care of the collection.

Among Gavin’s other milestones are exhibitions celebrating two of Kirkcaldy’s industries – linoleum manufacturing and furniture making.

“Both have been such a vital part of the town’s identity,” Gavin said, “so it was a privilege not just to display objects associated with them, but also to present people’s stories."

Encountering so many people associated with Fife’s diverse collection of 120,000 objects has been another memorable aspect of Gavin’s time in the Kingdom.

The career path that brought Gavin to Fife began with a history degree at the University of Strathclyde, followed by a postgraduate qualification in museum theory and practice at the University of Leicester.

Gavin started with Kirkcaldy District Council’s museums services as an assistant curator in 1990, having previously worked with Summerlee Heritage Trust in Coatbridge. Before that, he was a volunteer at Lillie Art Gallery in Milngavie, the town where he went to school.

“Coming to Kirkcaldy was something of a dream job,” recalls Gavin, “because it has such a wonderful, wide-ranging collection that is rich in art, as well as social and industrial history.

“Working with all of those different elements – and some great people – meant I quickly learned about the collection as well as the local area and its heritage.”

When Kirkcaldy Museum & Art Gallery became part of Fife Council museums service in 1996, following local government reorganisation, Gavin’s curatorial horizons widened considerably.

His absorption of all things Fife would stand him in good stead when, in 2002, he began a five-year stint at St Andrews Museum before returning to Kirkcaldy.

Gavin’s own favourites in the collection are Samuel Peploe’s painting Ben More from Iona and a remarkable cork model created by employees of linoleum manufacturer Barry, Ostlere and Shepherd.

The model of a Portuguese cork plantation that supplied the Kirkcaldy firm’s factories took 14 months to make and was displayed in the company’s offices at Forth House, next to the Galleries.

Technology has transformed the heritage sector hugely since Gavin started but the objects themselves – and the stories they tell – remain at the heart of the visitor experience.

“There have been so many technological advances that have helped us to care for our objects and share the amazing stories we have to tell,” said Gavin.

“All those changes have enabled us to open up our collections and get more people involved – I’ve really enjoyed being a part of that process with so many great colleagues.”

Retirement will allow Gavin to spend more time hillwalking, birdwatching and, perhaps unsurprisingly, visiting other museums.

Heather Stuart, OnFife Chief Executive, said: “It has been a privilege to have someone with Gavin’s professional knowledge and expertise as part of cultural services in Fife for so long.

“His passion for his subject shines though and his specialist knowledge, particularly linoleum and the heritage and history of that in relation to Kirkcaldy and Fife, is unmatched and has rightly earned Gavin significant recognition.

“He is a valued member of the OnFife team who will be sorely missed but his contribution to museums and heritage in Fife will continue for many years to come. We wish Gavin all the very best in his new adventures.”