Inside craftscotland

In our first newsletter of 2010 we look to the year ahead, with our submission for Collect 2010, details of a new maker mentoring scheme from HI-Arts, and information on craft courses and workshops.

We also put jeweller and silversmith Leah Black under our maker spotlight, Emma discusses online selling, and we invite you to volunteer with us at Meet Your Maker.

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NEWS

• The Gin Palace call for submissions
• Craft feature on BBC Newsnight Scotland
• The Craft Club

WHAT'S ON

• TEXTiles
  Patriothall Edinburgh, to 02 February 2010 
• HOTPOT [art, food + people]
  St Andrews Museum, to 07 March 2010
• CEO: Making Applications & Proposals 
  Aberdeen, 27 January 2010  

ABOUT US

• Volunteer with craftscotland at Meet Your Maker

craftscotland at Collect 2010

We are excited to announce that we will be exhibiting at Collect 2010, a leading international event within the craft sector.

Organised by the Crafts Council and held at the Saatchi Gallery, London, this year’s event showcases thirty six of the world’s finest galleries and the makers that they represent.

This is the third time craftscotland will show at Collect, and we are certain that this will be our strongest collection yet. Our presentation demonstrates the impact of three narrative themes – nature, fantasy and architecture – and how Scottish based artists respond to them.

We will show a compelling mixture of nine emerging and existing makers.

CRAFT COURSES -by Laura With New Year resolutions still lingering optimistically in the air, and people looking for exciting new things to do for 2010, we've gathered together details of courses and workshops to help you get creative with craft. From ceramics and glassblowing to jewellery making and woodwork, there are plenty of courses to choose from. Read more >>

CHASING OUR SALES - by Emma Distance selling, or online selling as it's more commonly known, is a constant cause for discussion and debate in the craft sector. People think that selling craft online is either a terrible idea or a brilliant one. However, there are so many different options for virtual retailers, it really shouldn't be a black and white discussion. Read more >>

HI-ARTS MENTORING - by Laura HI-Arts have launched a new mentoring and business support programme aimed at mid-career and established makers. 'Making Progress' aims to provide valuable support and advice to craft makers as they develop their work. We spoke to some of the makers involved, to see what their aspirations for the scheme were. Read more >>

Spotlight

LEAH BLACK

Our first featured maker for the new year is Glasgow based jeweller and silversmith Leah Black.

From intricately detailed monuments in miniature to organically formed claws holding clusters of gems, Leah's distinctive work examines the relationship between ‘object, memory and forgetting’.

Leah will take part in our Meet Your Maker exhibition with The National Museum of Scotland from January to March 2010, bringing craft to the public in a new way.

We talked to Leah about her plans for the year.

Read more >>