In early 2020, the world faced an unprecedented situation with the outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Like the rest of the UK, the entire craft community – from makers, craft organisations, curators to audiences – was affected by these challenging and uncertain times.  

From the onset of the pandemic and the subsequent UK lockdowns to the progressive re-opening of the country and international trade, we committed to keeping the sector informed and supported. We reviewed our programme for 2020/21, created responsive work and resources, and moved toward creating COVID-19 resilient programme for the following year. Learn more about our programme.

The pandemic challenged our community in terms of income, studio access and mental health, and its impact will continue to be felt across the sector and wider world for a long time. The craft community have shown such creativity and resilience in the face of this international crisis, and we want to continue to work to make Scotland a place where craft is valued as culturally significant, essential to our economy and meaningful to our communities.