Member Article

A new craft collaboration for local art gallery

A North East art gallery and a craft agency north of the border have sewn up a new partnership which spotlights Scottish talent here in the North East.

The new collaboration between Ouseburn-based art gallery, The Biscuit Factory and Craft Scotland brings the work of eight Scottish designer-makers to Newcastle for the next three months.

Craft Scotland is the national agency for craft and it works to unite, inspire and champion craft through creating opportunities for designer-makers in Scotland. This newly forged relationship sees a selection of unique work - including homewares, jewellery and fashion accessories – being introduced to a new audience here in the North East.

Jo Scott from Craft Scotland explains: “When we were looking for another like-minded organisation to work with on a project earlier in the year, The Biscuit Factory seemed like the perfect fit. As we began talking, it became apparent that there was much more that we could do together to promote contemporary craft from Scotland and the winter show seemed like a great place to start. We very much hope that this will be the start of a long-term collaboration.”

The Biscuit Factory - the UK’s largest art, craft and design gallery – exhibits a diverse collection of artwork, quality craftsmanship and design led homewares. Throughout the duration of its new winter exhibition, The Biscuit Factory has a dedicated Craft Scotland space within its SHOP, showcasing the work of the eight hand-picked designer-makers. This includes: ceramic jewellery and accessories designer Beth Lamont; jewellery makers Beth Spowart, Grainne Morton and Ruth Hollywood; textile designers Fiona McIntosh and Heather Shields; ceramicist Myer Halliday; and Scandinavian inspired The Store Hus.

Rachel Brown, general manager of The Biscuit Factory, adds: “As a gallery we’ve long followed the projects, exhibitions and initiatives pioneered by Craft Scotland with great admiration. So when we were approached earlier this year to get involved in one such project, we began a larger conversation about how we could work together to champion craft. This show hopefully will mark the beginning of a long relationship between the gallery and Craft Scotland.”

In the coming months, visitors to The Biscuit Factory will have the opportunity to find out more about Craft Scotland and will also receive access to opportunities and events hosted by the national agency.

To find out more, visit The Biscuit Factory at www.thebiscuitfactory.com and Craft Scotland at www.craftscotland.org.

Image credit: Tas Kyprianou

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Alexis Forsyth .