2007 looks set to be a memorable year for Scottish craft as several major exhibitions are launched.

The year kicks off with the stunning Silver of the Stars which opens at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London in January.  The exhibition visits New York, St Petersburg, Beijing and Kyoto before coming home to be shown in Edinburgh in January 2008 to coincide with Goldsmiths’ 550th anniversary.

The much anticipated exhibition The Cutting Edge - Scotland’s Contemporary Crafts opens at the end of January in the National Museum of Scotland.  Developed by the National Museums Scotland, in partnership with Aberdeen City Council, East Ayrshire Council and Glasgow City Council, and financially supported by the Scottish Arts Council, this major new touring exhibition showcases innovative new work by thirty Scottish makers.  The title of the exhibition refers not only to the fact that Scotland is a leader in craft practice but also to the wide range of tools used in craftwork.  

A highlight of the Highland Year of Culture, which features several craft events,  is the de-construction of the Big Willow in May. This massive willow sculpture by Patrick Dougherty has stood on the Brahan Estate for the last year and will be set alight amid an evening of performance and music.  This will include an appearance by Tim Johnson as the Rush Man of Brahan, a costume he created while on residency during the construction of the sculpture. 

Three Scottish jewellers – Susan Cross, Grainne Morton and Adam Paxon – are among the six shortlisted for the prestigious £30,000 Jerwood Applied Arts Prize which will be announced on 26 June 2007.

In the same month a retrospective of work by jeweller Peter Chang opens at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool before touring, and Anna King holds a retrospective at the National Museum of Scotland coinciding with Picasso: Fired with Passion, a major exhibition of ceramics, jewellery and metalwork.

The major focus for discussion about craft will be the conference New Craft – Future Voices taking place in Dundee in July which promises to be a lively and inspiring event.

In August East Weaves West at the Collins Gallery will show contemporary basketmaking from the UK and Japan and in the following month the Scottish Lettercutters Association will hold their second exhibition building on the success of their inaugural show in 2005.

Origin: the London Craft Fair returns in October and this year Goldsmiths’ Fair will run for two weeks to mark their 25th anniversary.

These exhibitions demonstrate the quality of contemporary craft in Scotland and the importance of craft to the creative lifeblood of Scotland and the UK.

News about these and others events will be published on the craftscotland website as soon as they are available.  Check our events listings for the latest information.