Welcome our first newsletter of 2010! We have a jam packed issue full of news and events to get us motivated for the start of the year.

The snowy holidays were a time of hibernation for many but our Making Progress Makers were certainly not taking time off! Planning, funding and show applications, and of course, creating, have all been top of their lists and you can follow progress on their Blogs on Northings. Sign up to Northings here and follow the progress of the makers; Laura West, Lucy Woodley, Daniel Kavanagh and Jenny Deschenes (just go to 'Blog Authors' to find them). If you have any queries please feel free to contact Avril. The makers have also been featured and interviewed for Craftscotland and you can read the story here.

Our Making Progress Makers will be participating in Craft Festival Highland from the 7th May to 7th June 2010, and we would like to invite you all to join in!

Craft Festival Highland will be promoted alongside the Scottish wide Craft Festival Scotland (visit their Facebook page HERE) and we are very excited about the programme; details will be going on line very soon. You can check out our initial Highland programme here and please get in touch if you would like to add an event to the programme. We will then be able to promote it for you and we are encouraging you to think about Open Studio events, gatherings, workshops, talks and any way you can to raise the profile and celebrate Craft in the Highlands. We would like this to be the start of a regular yearly Craft Month so be as imaginative and ambitious as you can. If you would like to discuss your ideas, just let me know!

We were fortunate to be asked by Stroud International Textile Festival to select six Highland & Islands makers to become involved in their programme. My colleague at Shetland Arts, Hazel Hughson, assisted and we are delighted to say that we have Wendy Inkster, Andrea Williamson, Mhairi Killin, Jennifer Cantwell, Jen Deschenes and Hume Sweet Hume participating in Made in the Highlands at Made in Stroud from the 1st to 23rd May 2010.

We are in the process of organising a joint Shetland/Highland visit to the festival and if you would like to find out more, please contact Avril or myself. The festival has a strong Scottish presence this year with Deirdre Nelson already in residence. Read her blog here, find out more about the festival from their website and read our news story.

Our Makers of the Month are both taking part in the Stroud event and come from Shetland. Wendy Inkster and Andrea Williamson run successful businesses in one of our most remote locations. Read their inspiring stories and find out how they use online Social Networking to make it all work!

If you have wondered if becoming a Social Enterprise was for you or want to find out more, The Social Enterprise Academy will have a live intro to their programmes on Wednesday 24th February 2010. To link up with this ‘live’ course you will need to follow a link to the webcast at around 12:15/12:20pm, and click on a download. The webcast then starts at 12:30pm and participants can type text in a wee box to communicate to each other and the webcast presenter (just like a chatroom in fact). After about 20 mins of delivery there will be a Q&A session, where the presenter will answer some of the questions that have come in.

All participants need is a laptop/pc with internet connection and it sounds fun and will be simple to do! You do not need to register for this but it would be helpful to us if you could let us know so we can forward further details nearer the time. Email or call Avril to sign up, or visit our page entitled Social Enterprise Academy

After the intro course you may want to attend the full programme on the 20/21st March 2010. This course will be specifically for makers so it will be a great chance to network as well! We will be sending out more details nearer the time but if you are interested please let Avril know as places are limited. All courses are free of charge and you can find out more here and on their website.

This is the time of year when applications are being prepared and sent off for shows such as Origins and Lustre. Plockton based jeweller, Gilly Langton had a marathon trip at the end of last year as she participated in not one but three events! Read our feature on her experiences here.

We are continuing our Online Gallery and for March we would like to feature Textile makers. If you would like to submit images, please contact Avril by the 22nd February 2010.

HI-Arts, with financial assistance from the SAC, have organised our first Rural Craft Forum in Perth on the 29th January 2010. This event is for craft officers and others who work to support the sector in rural areas of Scotland and gives us much needed time to meet up and plan for the future, share experiences and look at joint working. I will report back from the event next month.

As always, please get in touch if you would like any assistance, if you have any questions or have some news to tell us!

If you would like to apply for a Makers’ Award or Go and See Bursaries, please contact me (pamela@hi-arts.co.uk) to discuss your proposal.

Remember to check our Audience Development section on the HI-Arts website as it is full of useful information and our Job Vacancies section features residency and other opportunities.

Remember to follow our progress on Twitter, Facebook and blogs!

Kind regards
Pamela

Pamela Conacher
Crafts Development Coordinator
Mob: 07824 388485
Crafts admin: 01463 720886 
pamela@hi-arts.co.uk

Avril Souter
Administrator (Craft Support and Web Services)
Crafts Admin: 01463 720886 
avril@hi-arts.co.uk

Website: www.hi-arts.co.uk/crafts


HI-Arts Newsletter Information:

Social Enterprise Academy:
Online course 24th February at 12.15/12.30 until 1pm. Sign up by contacting Avril at HI-Arts by the 22nd February 2010.

Starting your Social Enterprise 20/21st March, Inverness: Download info and application form

Online Textiles Gallery: Images and info to Avril by 22nd February 2010. 

Craft Month Highland: Register your event. Contact Avril / Pamela

Northing Blogs:  http://crafts.northings.com/ and sign up: http://northings.com/register
 

Funding and awards: 

HI-Arts Makers Awards and Go and See Bursaries

Highland Culture Fund: Deadlines in May and August 2010. Details at www.highlandeventsandfestivals.com/site/funding

Scottish Arts Council Funding

Craft and Design Selected Awards 

Warm Glass UK: Call for entries  

Covepark Residency Opportunities for 2010 - Call for Applications 
 
Starter for 6 On the Road - Application Deadline Approaching! 
 
Funding News from Voluntary Arts Scotland 
 
NESTA Age Unlimited Scotland 


Show applications and deadlines:

Origins - October 2010 (www.craftscouncil.org.uk) 
Lustre - November 2010  
MADE 10 
Aviemore Trade Show - April 2010
The Gin Palace 


Events and exhibitions: 

The Bike Shed - New Community Arts Venue opening in Inverness 
 
An Tobar takes to the road for 2010 

Museums and galleries marketing day 2010 - exploring relevance 

In Stitches Group at Eden Court - IN Stitches meets for stitching and bitching, bad jokes, tea and cakes every EVEN Tuesday in the café at Eden Court. The group started on Tuesday 26 January and will run until Tuesday 22 June 2010 from 6pm. Everyone is welcome, so go along to share your skills, patterns, yarns etc or if you want to turn up and learn how to knit or crochet then you are very welcome too. Turn up, cast on and drop stitches! 

Absent Voices at Bonhoga 
 
Masterclasses in Tapestry 
 
The Gunister Man  

The Wych Elm Project  

Aberdeen, Modern and Contemporary Jewellery  

Meet your maker – at NMS 

Innovative Craft Events - Tapestry Revealed Part One plus Craft and the Slow Revolution 

Collect 2010 

Ceramic Art London


Newsletters: 

Crafts Council News Jan/Feb 2010 
 
Cultural Enterprise Office January 2010 eBulletin 
 
Central Station - Online Creative Community 
 
Inside craftscotland E-newsletter (Jan 2010) 
 
Voluntary Arts Scotland E-Newsletter 
 
News from Creative and Cultural Skills 
 
Creative Choices 

Innovative Craft 

Arran Knitwear Company News


News: 

New blog at Heritage Crafts Association

Award Winning (Scottish) Product Keeps the Cold at Bay

Highland Open Studios turns five 
 
Aviemore Trade Show - Latest News 
 
Creative Scotland Gathers Experts In Product Design, Design Services And Performing Arts 
 
Business sponsorship in the arts remains steady in Scotland according to survey 
 
The search is on to find the UK’s favourite Lottery-funded projects 
 
COLLECT 2010 
 
Highland Makers to exhibit at Stroud International Textile Festival 2010 
 
Absent Voices at Bonhoga 

Craft Central – become a fan on Facebook and online at www.craftcentral.org.uk

Orkney Jeweller, Sheila Fleet is featured in an article in Jan/Feb Crafts magazine. 


Business and Creative support: 

HI-Arts Craft Development 
Shetland Arts 
Scottish Arts Council 
Craftscotland 
Craft Council 
Cultural Enterprise Office 
Business Gateway 
HIE 
Social Enterprise Academy 
The Princes Trust