The Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum

20/08/2026

TOMORROW! 🥳

21st August
Day events: 10am-3pm
Evening Reception: 6pm-8pm

Join us for a day of talks and events hosted by The Royal Photographic Society at The Smith. RPS members can book tickets at the link here: https://events.rps.org/en/4LrdQ66/contemporary-and-documentary-groups-stirling-day-oot-aug-2026-5a2NN2B4rIj/overview?fbclid=IwY2xjawTz7m1wZG9mAWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMEZLbUdEMWZoRUphamJDM3lzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEebvVBZTJ1veKO5utPfUw-mirSOFTf0d0_LVJWBSwtO2lJvJkviw7J6FBZPCU_aem_DnS-VGUWlwDduWrBIAT4CA and non-members can get tickets on the door.

We are also excited to host an evening launch night with Stirling Photography Festival to celebrate the RPS Documentary Photography Awards Exhibition now on at The Smith. Join us from 6pm to see the new exhibition and enjoy a glass of fizz!

19/08/2026

NOW OPEN! 📸

The RPS Documentary Photography Awards
19th August - 27th September

This exhibition brings together the 9 winning photographers from the 2025 Documentary Photography Awards, hosted by The Royal Photographic Society.

The RPS, in partnership with Stirling Photography Festival, will also be hosting an open day of talks and events at The Smith on 21st August, culminating in an evening reception to celebrate the exhibition. RPS members can book tickets at the link below; non-members can make a voluntary donation on the door.

https://events.rps.org/en/4LrdQ66/contemporary-and-documentary-groups-stirling-day-oot-aug-2026-5a2NN2B4rIj/overview?fbclid=IwY2xjawTyX9dwZG9mAWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMEZLbUdEMWZoRUphamJDM3lzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeW5bqqdkatr1xhssaWuNtrb4VGtAevjnT8pQ4e8zfEbUqhr_RZKTnFgictec_aem_scwWpBwVEdvJeUp7_l1f6Q

14/08/2026

COMING SOON! 📸
The RPS Documentary Photography Awards
19th August - 27th September

This exhibition brings together the 9 winning photographers from the 2025 Documentary Photography Awards, hosted by The Royal Photographic Society.

The RPS, in partnership with Stirling Photography Festival, will also be hosting an open day of talks and events at The Smith on 21st August, culminating in an evening reception to celebrate the exhibition. RPS members can book tickets at the link below; non-members can make a voluntary donation on the door.

https://events.rps.org/en/4LrdQ66/contemporary-and-documentary-groups-stirling-day-oot-aug-2026-5a2NN2B4rIj/overview

07/08/2026

THIS SUNDAY 9TH AUGUST!

🌿Printing with Plants Workshop🌿

Are you looking for a fun, free and creative activity before the kids go back to school next week?

There are still some spaces available for our free Sunday cyanotype workshop to discover the magic of 19th-century photographic printing in our beautiful museum gardens.

Forage for interesting shapes in the garden, 🌿and learn how to use the sunshine to develop your very own photograph to take home!☀️📸

When: Sun 9th August at 11am and 12pm
Where: The Gardens @ The Stirling Smith Art Gallery & Museum
Spaces: Free workshop with all materials provided.

Spaces are limited to 12 children, plus their grown-up, so sign-up is required - workshop is suitable for primary school age children upwards!

Call on 01786 471917 or email [email protected] to book a slot - There may be spaces available on the day.

04/08/2026

✨ NEW IN THE SHOP! ✨

We are so excited to introduce these absolutely gorgeous new mosaics, handcrafted by the incredibly talented local artist, Morna Tinto at Morna's Mosaics! 🎨

Perfect for adding a splash of colour to your home or garden, these slates are now available at The Stirling Smith shop.

Come and see them in person—they're even more stunning up close!

14/07/2026

THIS SUNDAY 9TH AUGUST!

🌿Printing with Plants Workshop🌿

Free Family Fun! Please phone museum to book!

Spaces available for our free Sunday cyanotype workshop to help your wee ones discover the magic of 19th-century photographic printing in our beautiful museum gardens.

Forage for interesting shapes in the garden, 🌿and learn how to use the sunshine to develop your very own photograph to take home!☀️📸

When: Sunday 19th July & Sun 9th August at 11am and 12pm
Where: The Gardens @ The Stirling Smith Art Gallery & Museum
Spaces: Free workshop with all materials provided.

Spaces are limited to 12 children, plus their grown-up, so sign-up is required.

Call on 01786 471917 or email [email protected] to book a slot - There may be spaces available on the day.

14/07/2026

🎉 We're delighted to share that we've been awarded a Small Grant from Museums Galleries Scotland!

This funding will help us carry out audience research so we can better understand the people who visit us—and those who don't yet. By listening to our communities, we'll be able to shape future exhibitions, events and experiences that are more welcoming, relevant and enjoyable for everyone.

A huge thank you to Museums Galleries Scotland for their support, and congratulations to all the other museums and galleries across Scotland who received funding 💛

🎉We’re pleased to announce that £129,584 has been awarded to 12 museum organisations across the country through the latest round of our Small Grants Fund.

From launching a new podcast to upgrading display cases, the awarded projects aim to enhance audience engagement, education, and accessibility.

✨The awarded organisations are:
Art in Healthcare
Islay Museum
The Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum
High Life Highland
Bennie Museum
Ullapool Museum
Almond Valley Heritage Centre
Dumfries and Galloway Council
ANGUSalive
University of Dundee
Culture Perth and Kinross
East Ayrshire Leisure

🔗Find out more in our news story: https://www.museumsgalleriesscotland.org.uk/news/over-129k-awarded-through-the-small-grants-fund/

📸: Ullapool Museum. Credit: Rob McDougall.

02/07/2026

There’s no place like home!🏠

⚽ There really is no place like home — especially when home is Stirling!

The world’s oldest football has safely returned to its home at The Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum, in Stirling Council after travelling to Coral Gables Museum and Hard Rock Stadium in Miami for the FIFA World Cup match between Brazil and the Scotland National Team — which, very sadly, Scotland lost🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿😭

Dating from around 1540–1570, this remarkable object was discovered at Stirling Castle and has been part of Stirling’s story for nearly 500 years.

Now, the ball is back where it belongs, and we are celebrating with 'The Oldest Football’s Magic Summer' at The Smith — a summer of free family fun.

Come along to The Smith to see this small but mighty treasure for yourself and enjoy activities for all the family — bringing together Creative activities, Stirling’s history, Scotland’s sporting heritage, and the beautiful game.

25/06/2026

Something remarkable has been happening behind the scenes with the world’s oldest football! ⚽

The ball may not have brought Scotland quite enough luck against Brazil last night — but after nearly 500 years, perhaps it’s more of a history-maker than a goal-scorer.

Before starting its journey to Miami, the football travelled from The Smith to the University of Glasgow Advanced Research Centre, where specialist 3D content creators began carefully scanning it to create a museum-quality digital twin.

Using advanced photogrammetry and digital artistry, the University team are capturing this almost 500-year-old object in extraordinary detail — from the scuffed leather surface to the intricate stitching and repairs that help tell its story.

This exciting collaboration connects The Stirling Smith Art Gallery & Museum with the University of Glasgow’s Realities and Immersion Glasgow centre, the Museums in the Metaverse project, and the Wonder platform developed by University spin-out Infinite Muse. Together, these links show how new technology can help museums share fragile, globally significant objects with audiences in completely new ways.

We’re proud to care for this extraordinary piece of Scottish sporting heritage here in Stirling, and thrilled to see it become part of a wider story connecting local collections, world-leading research and digital innovation.

Learn more about the 3-d scanning of the Football here:

https://www.gla.ac.uk/news/headline_1279003_en.html

24/06/2026

A wee wander round the Miami exhibition featuring the World's Oldest Football at The Coral Gables Museum with BBC Sport Scotland ⚽️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿