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The crafts
sector in Scotland has experienced significant growth in recent
years, both artistically and economically. There are now some
3,000 enterprises spread around the country with a total turnover
approaching £150 million. The majority of makers are
engaged in ceramics and textiles - ranging widely from Fair
Isle knitting, cabinet making and musical instrument manufacture
to contemporary fabric creations. |
Much of this growth has taken place within small businesses
and enterprises, many of which consist of just one or two
people working together. Craft enterprises form a significant
part of Scotland's rural economy, not least because visitors
like to be able to take something unique home with them. There
is now a major centre of excellence in the far north of Scotland
- North
Lands Creative Glass in Caithness. Many makers are also
found in Scotland's towns and cities, and include some of
the newer generation of jewellers and metal workers who are
attracting international attention and acclaim. When the prestigious
Velvet
da Vinci gallery in San Francisco decided to create an
exhibition of 75 of the best jewellers and silversmiths in
the world, 13 of them came from Scotland.
In Summer 2003, Washington DC's distinguished Smithsonian
Institution, as part of its international Folklife Festival,
hosted a spectacular showcase devoted to the living traditions
and crafts of contemporary Scotland.
A current major initiative is building an online database
of makers and their work to serve as a shop window for Scottish
crafts internationally - the next step in what has been one
of the cultural success stories of the last decade.
Here are some of the major organisations involved with
Crafts in Scotland…
• CraftScotland.org
• Scottish
Arts Council
• Made
in Scotland
• Scottish
Potters Association
• Scottish
Glass Society
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[This guide to culture has been prepared in collaboration
with the Scottish Arts Council and the Scottish Executive.] |
