the guide Summer 2017 | Page 16

M U S E U M S | BAI R D I N STIT U T E First opened in 1891, the Baird Institute is now Cumnock’s 4-star museum and art gallery featuring temporary and permanent museum and art displays. The Keir Hardie Room presents the life and career of the founder of the Labour Party, who spent his adult life in Cumnock. We have an interactive audio-visual screen and a large collection of his personal belongings and souvenirs of his travels. The Cumnock Room is dedicated to several aspects of the town’s history, including the religious struggles of the 17th century. Cumnock was at the heart of the Ayrshire coal industry and we have a display of mining tools and other equipment. Also on display is a selection of Cumnock Pottery. The Research Room gives you the chance to look through the collections online via Future Museum. BAIRD INSTITUTE 3 LUGAR ST, CUMNOCK KA18 1AD T: 01290 427084 THU: 12.30-4.40pm, 5pm-8pm FRI: 10am-4pm SAT: 10am-4pm The Art of Collecting UNTIL SAT 9 SEP ‘The Art of Collecting’ highlights a selection of significant objects and artworks, some with local regional relevance, which have been acquired in recent years for the East Ayrshire Collection. The exhibition offers a broad view of collection works from historical museum objects, artworks and artefacts to modern and contemporary art and sculpture. Image top: Welcome Table Plate, Timorous Beasties Image bottom: Bird Bucket Ring Tree, Simon Ward The Baird Institute is a fully accessible venue. 16 eastayrshireleisure.com