This week marks my last at Craft Scotland, in what has been a fantastic and varied two years (and a bit).

On Friday I’ll be leaving to take on a new role as Festivals and Projects Manager for Puppet Animation Scotland, who nurture and promote the art forms of puppetry and animation in Scotland.

It really has been a fabulous two years, which has seen me travel and explore a country I am thrilled to call home on my mission to develop  audiences for Scottish craft. The role has seen me in galleries from the Highlands, to urban centres of Glasgow and Edinburgh; I’ve travelled across the water to Shetland and America, and networked and represented craft and Craft Scotland at events across the UK.

I read through my first blog post for the Craft Scotland website today, and felt the excitement I had then at arriving in a new job, ready to explore a new sector. In those first weeks I had already met with the Director of Timespan about the Meet Your Maker exhibition due to take place in the highlands that year, met the group of artists chosen to be part of Collect 201o at the Saatchi Gallery, and attended the opening of Future Craft at Duncan and Jordanstone College of Art.

At that event I was asked to carry trays of champagne to offer to guests. Despite the terror this task filled me with (clumsy being my middle name) I took on the challenge, and thankfully didn’t spill a drop. 

The past two years at Craft Scotland have seen me continue to rise to challenges, grasp opportunities and strive with ambition to achieve Craft Scotland’s purpose of uniting, inspiring and championing Scottish craft.

The projects and events I am proud to have been involved in have also continued to be as a varied as those three weeks. From road trips to the Highlands to install shows and promote the launch of our new website; presenting craft and biodiversity at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and supporting the resulting discussions with scientists, academics and makers; showcasing the largest number of makers in a Craft Scotland exhibition in Unite at the Collins Gallery in Glasgow; and wielding a saw during the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show installation.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have worked in partnership with a great range of organisations, the most recent of these being Young Scot and Manchester Craft and Design Centre. I look forward to seeing how these partnerships grow and flourish with Craft Scotland over the coming years.

I’ve met and worked with wonderful people including makers, curators, designers, directors, professors, administrators and researchers, as well as the Craft Scotland team. I want to thank each and every one of you for making my time at Craft Scotland so enjoyable and continually interesting.

So I say ‘So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, adieu - adieu, adieu, to yieu and yieu and yieu.’

You can read some of my highlights through my blog and find a selection of my ‘best bits’ in images below.