Running for just over a week from October 11 to 19, the show is a love letter to the renaissance of Scottish craftwork with 80 makers from Shetland to Dumfries and Galloway featured inside.
You won’t find a highland cow print at this fair (or keychains, or essential oils). The work is stylish and modern, each piece carefully created with beautiful, intentional design. At a special sneak preview of the exhibit ahead of its Saturday opening, the variety, quality, and attention to detail woven into each piece were captivating. Arrive with plenty of time to pore over the beautiful objects inside.
Delicately arranged tablescapes and displays show off the impressive ceramics, homewares, glasswork, textiles, furniture and exquisite jewellery. The space invites you to imagine your entire home kitted out with items designed and made in Scotland: A sofa constructed in sustainably felled Ash from Inzievar Woods in Fife, gourd-shaped ceramic lamps inspired by abundance, textiles decorated with natural dye monoprinting, basketry, and life-like replicas of everything from a gala pie to a roast turkey dinner. It takes all of my willpower not to whip out my credit card and drop £190 on a Fake Food Workshop ‘egg on rustic cob toast’ sculpture.
There is a sense of pride that permeates throughout the exhibit, and it’s clear why Scottish craft is renowned around the world for its quality, right up there with Denmark or Japan. Many of the pieces are made with resources ‘harvested’ from Scotland. The pieces are sustainable, but not in the cringey buzzword sense. The makers featured in HARVEST exemplify a natural relationship with the land in which the pieces are made.
Dr Hunter set out to embrace the seasonality of harvest time and turn the traditional craft fair on its head, eschewing the typical folding table style presentation for a chic, liveable shopping experience.
The contemporary craft fair will be accompanied by a programme of events including workshops on making recycled metal botanical garlands, leather coin purses, woven willow platters, sheep’s fleece rugs, paper floral arrangements, Japanese book binding and more. A programme of Fair talks from participating exhibitors will give insight into the life of makers exploring furniture making, basketry, working with plaster, jewellery making, weaving and working with ceramics.
HARVEST will also host a special guest lecture from international design and craft curator Alice Stori Liechtenstein on Friday, October 17. Alice will share her curatorial process and reveal how she approaches shaping the programmes at Schloss Hollenegg for Design in Austria.
“I like its connotations with craft and the idea of coming together as a community, appreciating and celebrating our combined perseverance and effort,” said Dr Hunter. “Ultimately, HARVEST as a showcase is a meditation on the rewards that come from hard work, skill and dedication.”
“Quality in both craftsmanship and design is what sets apart extraordinary objects from ordinary ones and what helps to encourage an emotional connection with handmade items,” she added. “To that end, we have devised spaces where visitors can experience craft by trying on jewellery, handling ceramics, feeling textiles between their fingers, and even having the opportunity to participate in a series of unique workshops led by leading makers.”
Selected through Craft Scotland’s largest open call to date, which saw more than 200 applications, the 80 exhibiting makers represent a vibrant cross-section of the country’s contemporary craft community. An expert panel has carefully curated the final selection to highlight a balance of materials, disciplines, and career stages—from emerging talent to established practitioners.
Irene Kernan, director of Craft Scotland, sees HARVEST as a new platform to celebrate “the breadth and vibrancy” of Scotland’s contemporary craft.
“As the national agency for contemporary craft, Craft Scotland delivers a range of projects sharing how Scottish craft can enrich our lives,” she said. “This ambitious showroom and multi-disciplinary selling exhibition is an exciting opportunity to connect makers with new audiences and to spotlight the cultural and economic importance of craft in a fresh and meaningful way.”
HARVEST: Contemporary Craft Fair, October 11 – 19, open from 10am – 4pm (open late until 8pm on Thursday 16 October).
City Art Centre, 2 Market St, Edinburgh EH1 1DE craftscotland.org.
Marissa MacWhirter is a columnist and feature writer at The Herald, and the editor of The Glasgow Wrap. The newsletter is curated between 5-7am each morning, bringing the best of local news to your inbox each morning without ads, clickbait, or hyperbole. Oh, and it’s free. She can be found on X @marissaamayy1
