Perth Museum is the first and only Scottish venue on this new ARTIST ROOMS tour of Isaac Julien’s (b.1960) immersive film installation Lessons of the Hour - Frederick Douglass 2019. This exhibition brings Julien’s poetic meditation on the life and legacy of Frederick Douglass into dialogue with the histories of abolition, slavery and racial justice in Perthshire and across Scotland.
Born into slavery in Maryland in 1818, Douglass became a pioneering abolitionist, writer and intellectual, playing a critical role in anti-slavery and human rights movements in the US, Britain and beyond. During his 1846 campaign against slavery across the UK and Ireland, Douglass delivered four speeches in Perth in the former City Hall building, on the very site where Perth Museum now stands. Julien’s work, and in turn this exhibition, takes its title from Douglass’ final delivered speech in 1894.
Perth Museum is a landmark cultural destination in Perthshire, home to the Stone of Destiny and a dynamic programme of exhibitions exploring Scotland’s history, culture and contemporary life. Since opening, it has welcomed more than 500,000 visitors and was the only Scottish finalist for Art Fund Museum of the Year 2025.
ARTIST ROOMS presents the work of international artists in solo exhibitions drawn from a national touring collection jointly owned by Tate and National Galleries of Scotland. Its programme reaches audiences across the UK and is developed through local partnerships. ARTIST ROOMS gives young people the chance to get involved in creative projects, to discover more about art and artists, and learn new skills.
The ARTIST ROOMS programme and collection is managed by Tate and National Galleries of Scotland with the support of Art Fund, Henry Moore Foundation and using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and Creative Scotland. Its founding collection was established through The d'Offay Donation in 2008 with the assistance of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, Art Fund and the Scottish and British Governments.
