A major new website – www.craftscotland.org – which creates a national and international showcase promoting the best of Scottish craft, will be launched on Wednesday 8th September in Aberdeen at the Challenging Craft international conference which is being attended by leading craft professionals from throughout the world.

The new website, initiated and funded by the Scottish Arts Council, will enable visitors to access and experience the best contemporary work and provide a gateway to all crafts-based activities in Scotland.  At the heart of the site is a searchable database which gives every maker and craft outlet in Scotland their own webpage, while the site will also provide information about crafts news and events across the country.

There are more than 3,000 crafts-based businesses across Scotland, estimated to be worth almost £150 million to the Scottish economy.  The need for a focal point for Scottish crafts has been widely accepted in the crafts community for some times and the new website will create a ‘virtual’ home where makers can exchange information, access opportunities and improve professional and entrepreneurial skills.

The ‘craftscotland’ brand will now form the foundation for promoting Scottish craft both at home and internationally.  A charitable company has been established to oversee this exciting new concept.

In celebration of the launch, a selection of designers from across Scotland was commissioned to recreate the new logo.  Each used a different medium, ranging from traditional crafts-based processes to techniques combining new digital technology: Claire Heminsley in Fife stitched textiles, Michael O’Donnell from Caithness turned, polished and sandblasted oak; Frances Pelly in Orkney cut stone and Len Smith of Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen created a form from plastic electroformed in silver using a rapid prototyper.

Professor Ian Pirie, Dean of the Faculty of Design and Technology at Robert Gordon University and Chair of the craftscotland Board, said: “The website and the brand have the potential to make a real difference to the future of crafts in Scotland both by promoting the skills and creativity of our world-class makers, and by establishing a focal point for the crafts community.”

Dr Helen Bennett MBE, Head of Crafts at the Scottish Arts Council, added: “www.craftscotland.org gives every maker in Scotland the opportunity to promote and sell their work nationally and internationally and will make their work visible to everyone interested in Scottish craft.  The new site demonstrates the quality and professionalism of the crafts sector here  and we are proud to be launching it at the Challenging Craft international conference in the presence of craft professionals and policy makers from around the world.”