From Harris Tweed that’s woven only on the eponymous island to intricate tapestries created at Dovecot Studios in Edinburgh to totemic sculptures that combine traditional boatmaking skills with ancient Lewisian gneiss rocks, Scottish artists are combining traditional heritage crafts and innovative new techniques in exciting new ways. Craft Scotland, the country’s national platform for celebrating talented makers and craftspeople, endeavours to bring them to the forefront, help them gain viable careers while ensuring that vital skills – some of which are endangered – continue to flourish.
‘In Scotland, you’ll find highly original work that’s not trend-led,’ says Dr Stacey Hunter, the new – and first ever – creative director of Craft Scotland. ‘In some respects, we are at the “edges” of things so whilst we are part of a global conversation about craft and design, our makers are distinctive for following their own path.’ Stacey joined the charity last year following a collaboration with the organisation on HARVEST, a contemporary art fair celebrating Scottish craft. Now, the goal now is to build on that momentum, forging exciting partnerships that shine a spotlight on Scotland’s extraordinary creative talent.
The region’s reputation as a cultural hotspot has long drawn creatives ‘who love adventure’ to its towns, cities and remote landscapes, where they find a culture of generosity that strengthens the country’s artistic communities. ‘Whether you live in a city or in a very rural place you have access to a creative community and the means to make ambitious work,’ says Stacey about the very grass-roots approach that has helped give Scottish craft its distinctive character.
In Edinburgh, independent shops and galleries such as BARD, The Gathering Hand and Custom Lane, champion contemporary craft, often stocking specially commissioned pieces and holding exhibitions. Beyond the capital, Craft Scotland helps nurture makers working in some of the country’s most remote regions, from Eve Eunson, who creates traditional Shetland chairs with a modern twist to Hilary Grant, the textile design studio based on the windswept Orkney islands.
