July 2024

14 Jun 2024

Emma Louise Wilson / Photography by artist

This month, discover a podcast celebrating Professor Dorothy Hogg's legacy and learn about the unveiling of Leith School of Art's new campus.

Read on with June's edition of The Craft Edit.

Image: Emma Louise Wilson / Photography by Neil Hanna

Emma Louise Wilson Awarded Bursary for Goldsmiths' Fair Debut

Aberdeen-based silversmith and jeweller Emma Louise Wilson has received an Emerging Business Bursary to exhibit at Goldsmiths’ Fair this autumn.

Taking place over two weeks at Goldsmiths’ Hall, London, Goldsmiths' Fair showcases the work of 136 jewellers and silversmiths alongside a dedicated programme of talks and exhibitions.

The Emerging Business Bursary supports jewellers or silversmiths who have started their business within the last six years and have not exhibited at Goldsmiths' Fair before. Recipients will receive a free stand at this year's Fair, a £1,500 grant to help them prepare, a series of professional training sessions from the Goldsmiths’ Centre, and an optional interest-free silver bullion loan of up to £3,000.

One of ten bursary recipients, Emma will be exhibiting in the second week of the show. Emma graduated from Gray’s School of Art and specialises in silver and enamel inspired by Scottish seascapes. Emma’s recent collection of hand-raised silver and enamel bowls was part of the Craft Scotland showcase at Collect 2024.

Goldsmiths’ Fair will take place at Goldsmiths' Hall, London EC2V 6BN

Week One: 24-29 September 2024 and Week Two: 1-6 October 2024

Image: Dorothy Hogg in her studio / Photography by John K McGregor

New Home for Podcast Series Celebrating Professor Dorothy Hogg's Life and Legacy

Artist, jeweller, and leading design educator Professor Dorothy Hogg MBE (1945-2022), a Glasgow School of Art (GSA) alumna, started The Tree Project in 2018. This project celebrated the careers of talented Scottish graduates in jewellery and silversmithing, showcasing how craft-based education can lead to successful careers.

Dorothy, who served as Head of the Jewellery and Silversmithing Department at Edinburgh College of Art from 1985 to 2007, observed the careers of her graduates closely. She noted, "I am aware just how intelligent and able my graduates are, and how a craft education can provide a jumping-off point to many careers. Practical making experience can lead to independent problem-solving and lateral thinking in many contexts."

After Dorothy's untimely death from cancer in 2022, The Tree Project continued under the guidance of her long-term friend and collaborator, independent curator Amanda Game. Over two years, the project developed through collaborations between the Goldsmiths' Company in London, the Goldsmiths' Centre in London, and the former Scottish Goldsmiths Trust in Edinburgh.

The Scottish Goldsmiths Trust developed a series of podcast interviews with graduates with the generous support of private patrons. The podcast, hosted by then Scottish Goldsmiths Trust director Ebba Goring and edited and produced by Eda Obermanns, is now available through GSA's Spotify. It includes interviews with two of the current team running the Silversmithing and Jewellery Course at GSA, Anna Gordon and Andrew Lamb.

Image: SBC member Lise Bech at London Craft Week / Photography by Sophie Mutevelian.

Scottish Basketmakers Circle Receives £4,500 Grant

The Scottish Basketmakers Circle (SBC) has announced that they have been awarded a £4,500 grant from the Worshipful Company of Basketmakers Charitable Trust. This funding aims to improve access to expert basketry tuition across Scotland.

The grant will be used to subsidise tutors at the SBC Autumn Gathering, enabling more SBC members to attend the event in the future. Additionally, the funds will support local SBC groups by helping them hire tutors and cover venue rental costs.

The Worshipful Company of Basketmakers Charitable Trust are encouraging more basketmakers to contact them if they have projects in mind which may need funding assistance.

Image: Jennifer Alford / Photography by the artist

Pittenweem Arts Festival Announces Jennifer Alford as Henderson Bursary Winner

Established in 1982, the Pittenweem Arts Festival is based in the historic fishing village in the East Neuk of Fife. The festival attracts over 20,000 visitors every August and provides a platform for makers and artists to promote their work to both the public and art professionals.

Now in its 17th year, the Henderson Bursary honours David and Sheila Henderson for their long-standing support of the Pittenweem Arts Festival. The bursary offers practical assistance to emerging artists and makers seeking to establish themselves, with the successful applicant receiving a package that includes a venue for a solo exhibition.

This year's winner is Jennifer Alford, a ceramicist originally from Ireland who now lives and works in Scotland. Her work explores surface and form, evoking the landscape through elemental glazes and instinctive mark-making.

The Pittenweem Arts Festival takes place 3-10 August 2024 in various venues throughout the village.

Image: New LSA Albion Road Campus / Photography by Colin Hattersley

Leith School of Art Unveils New Albion Road Campus

Leith School of Art is opening a new campus that will serve as the base for its acclaimed Foundation Course. The spacious new Albion Road Campus will be ready for the upcoming September intake of Art and Design Foundation Diploma students.

Located in a 19th-century former printworks at 66 Albion Road, the new campus provides a well-lit 3,000 square foot studio and other facilities.

With the major works close to completion, a £30,000 fundraising appeal is underway to cover the costs of fully fitting out the building.

In another exciting development, LSA is currently collaborating with the SQA to accredit the School’s Art and Design Foundation Course at an SCQF Level 7 starting in September 2024. This would enable LSA students to seamlessly transition into the second year of their chosen art and design degree.

LSA is also well-known for its outreach efforts in areas of multiple deprivation and its commitment to providing opportunities for talented individuals in the arts who might not otherwise have access to art courses and tuition.

Nick Devison, The School’s Principal, said: “This is a landmark moment for Leith School of Art – the new campus will be an amazing place to study art, as a student on our Foundation Course, or any of the other courses which will be taught there.”

Find out more about Leith School of Art’s fundraising appeal here.

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Materials Ceramics Glass Metal Paper