John Muir's Birthplace

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Content updated Mon, 09 Aug 1999 15:26:56 GMT

An Infinite Storm of Beauty... [home]

An Infinite Storm of Beauty...

The Life and Achievements of John Muir

Exhibition Themes and Contents

The Life and Achievements of John Muir, a Scottish voice for the Millennium

John Muir c. 1879

"When we contemplate the whole globe as one great dewdrop, striped and dotted with continents and islands, flying through space with the other stars, all singing and shining together as one, the whole universe appears as an infinite storm of beauty."

John Muir The Story of My Boyhood and Youth (1913)

William Keith Yosemite Valley with Bridal Veil Falls, (c. 1880) Hearst Art Gallery, Saint Mary's College, Moraga, California

31 July - 2 October

Commemorative stamp issued by the US Postal Service in 1988, as part of the Americans of the Century series.

This major exhibition celebrates the life and achievements of Scottish-born conservationist John Muir, marking the 150th anniversary of his emigration to the United States. It re-evaluates his life and work in the context of his Scottish origins, and reclaims Muir as an educational and cultural icon for the country of his birth. At the same time, it celebrates Muir's historic achievements and his standing in his adopted country of the United States.

The first international exhibition held in Scotland on Muir, tracks his odyssey from his Dunbar origins, to his life in America where he won fame as a climber, geologist and nature-writer. But above all, Americans regard Muir as their country's foremost naturalist and conservationist: the first person to place the preservation of the wilderness and wildlife on the national agenda. On his death in 1914, Muir was elevated to the nation's pantheon, alongside Emerson, Thoreau and Aubudin, as the Father of The American National Parks.

The exhibition reflects Muir's vision of a Creation - An Infinite Storm of Beauty - in which every atom, crystal, rock, mountain, river, plant, animal and human being is an intricate thread of an unbroken ecological tapestry. The central theme is that John Muir is Scotland's greatest contribution to global environmental awareness, and that his prophetic writings and practical achievements are an environmental beacon for the dawn of the third millennium.

The exhibition occurs at a crucial time in Scotland's history. As we approach a new millennium, debates on sustainability, pollution, species extinction and climate change take on a new intensity. Meanwhile the Scottish Parliament will consider proposals to designate Loch Lomond and Cairngorm as Scotland's first-ever national parks. It is highly appropriate that the vision of John Muir should be brought home to inform the debate.