Scottish craft festival gets going

The first Craft Festival Scotland event will launch in May and to mark the occasion, the organisation is holding a number of exhibitions.

Establishing a craft festival in Scotland was devised by the University of Dundee. A group of people in the craft industry published a research project, Past, Present & Future Craft Practice, which examined 'new directions, practices and perspectives in contemporary craft with an ultimate goal of defining a new relevance for craft in the 21st century'.

From this, the newly-created festival has been created to challenge the perceptions people have towards craft and showcase the country's diverse craft skills.

In the run-up to the festival, a Future Craft Exhibition at the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design at the university will include work by silversmiths, weavers and product artists and aim to 'explore craft as a process, product, experience and service'.

A second event will be held in London's V&A Museum, called Quilts 1700-2010 and will highlight 300 years of Britain's quilting history, including a reinvention of the quilt by Tracey Emin.