Craft Festival Scotland Launch

On Thursday 25th March, the first national festival of craft in the UK – Craft Festival Scotland – is launched in Dundee.  With over 50 inspiring events happening across the country it celebrates the diversity and creativity of craft, tempting everyone to discover and enjoy craft.

The journey towards this event started in January 2009 when we invited people working in craft across Scotland to gather to discuss a national festival.  The PPFCP research project already had a collection of exhibitions and an international symposium with the V&A happening in Dundee in 2010, creating an opportunity to work together and initiate a national celebration of craft.

Twenty people came to the meeting representing Aberdeen, Dumfries & Galloway, the Scottish Borders, the Highlands, Ayrshire, Fife, Edinburgh and Glasgow, and the group supported developing a national festival of events with Dundee at the core of it. 

After agreeing the festival would happen in May and June 2010 we then spread the word to private and public galleries in Scotland, open studio events, the Scottish Degree Shows, and invited them all to become part of the festival. 

At the same time, we successfully approached the Scottish Arts Council for funding for a national marketing campaign, and worked with partners in Dundee. The Courier joined as media sponsors, the McManus developed a month long programme of workshops and craft focused events and DCA will hold their first ever craft exhibition with Chicks on Speed, who will working at Duncan of Jordanstone for a month before their event.  On a national level we liaised with the V&A, Crafts Council and craftscotland.

We now find ourselves excitedly approaching the event we have been creating for over fourteen months.  We have been amazed and delighted at the way people have wanted to become involved and support the vision. Flamboyant millinery in the Scottish Borders, interactive objects on Shetland, the Innovative Craft maker/curator project in Edinburgh, a month of events in the Highlands with all the Scottish art colleges participating through their annual Degree Shows and open studios events in North Fife and Dumfries & Galloway.

It is a true reflection of the energy, passion and quality of craft in Scotland, and we hope everyone will enjoy the festival in May and June, our first Craft Festival Scotland.