The Scottish Arts Council envisages crafts as a dynamic contributor to contemporary culture and the economy, valued and understood by people throughout Scotland, and Scottish craftspeople as a confident professional community whose work is recognised for excellence both here and abroad.

The strategy for crafts during the period 2002-2007 aimed to develop the infrastructure to enable a broad range of people throughout Scotland to experience and appreciate the best of contemporary work. The aim was to encourage professional development and increase opportunities for promoting and selling high-quality work nationally and internationally

In the crafts sector the Scottish Arts Council has (i) devolved funding to four regions with matching resources from local authorities to support makers at grass roots level; (ii) supported venues to present contemporary work of a high standard; (ii) provided business Start-up and Creative Development funds to makers resulting in UK-wide and international recognition; (iii) supported North Lands Creative Glass (now in its 11th year) to become a centre of excellence for creative glass work which is internationally recognised; (iv) established a national web-based focus for crafts in www.craftscotland.org; (vi) established Own Art, an interest-free loan scheme for purchasers of contemporary visual art and craft; and (vii) fostered awareness of contemporary crafts in schools through a three-year programme of residencies.

These and many other achievements have strengthened crafts in Scotland but compared with other art forms the infrastructure is still emerging and, as yet, incomplete.

The Scottish Arts Council Corporate Plan identifies priorities for 2007-2009. It will work within these priorities to achieve a vibrant and sustainable craft sector:

1 Increase the scope and quality of our support for artists - the Scottish Arts Council will direct resources towards fostering an increasingly confident, skilled and professional community of craftspeople and provide opportunities for them to create, promote and sell their work. A particular emphasis in 2007-2009 will be to increase the scope and quality of support for makers. The Scottish Arts Council will: (i) enhance direct national awards for creative and professional development; (ii) devolve funds, matched from local sources, to offer awards at regional level; (iii) develop opportunities for the promotion and sale of Scottish makers’ work; (iv) work with the Crafts Council to provide services and support to Scottish makers; and (v) maintain support for the Own Art scheme.

2 Secure the foundation of Scotland’s artistic development - the Scottish Arts Council has agreed funding at an enhanced level on a five year cycle for one crafts Foundation Organisation – North Lands Creative Glass – which is recognised as a national centre of excellence whose reach and role has a national and international impact. The organisation will assist the development of artists at the highest level, promote international networking, and act as a resource for artists and communities in the north east Highlands. We will use our Quality Framework to help them to develop best practice in all areas. In addition, the Crafts Department leads three cross-artform Foundation Organisations: HI-Arts; the Shetland Arts Development Agency; and An Tobar (Mull).

3 Create flexibility to support the new and innovative - the Scottish Arts Council recognises the need for inspirational and innovative presentation of crafts. It will provide support for IC: Innovative Craft to initiate shows for touring and intervene in non-conventional spaces to reach new audiences, complementing the activities of the wider crafts network. It is continuing its support for craftscotland, which manages the national crafts web resource and the development of a brand for Scottish crafts, to enable makers to strengthen their business practices and promote their work nationally and internationally. In recognition of craftscotland’s importance to the crafts infrastructure, the Scottish Arts Council has invited them to apply for foundation status. To respond to new ideas, staff will build a comprehensive knowledge of practitioners and creative practice, through studio visits, exhibitions, wide research, and networking with colleagues in other agencies and organisations.

4 Create opportunities for participation in the arts - There is a network of around 12 publicly-funded galleries and arts centres in Scotland which incorporate contemporary crafts in educational and exhibition programmes. The current pattern of provision limits the ability to serve audiences throughout Scotland. To address this issue, the Scottish Arts Council will encourage visual arts Foundation Organisations and other appropriate venues to include a crafts element, consistent with their artistic policy, within their programmes. It will develop curatorial expertise to enable this to happen, and support visual culture curators to travel to venues, events and studios to extend their crafts knowledge. This strategic approach will create a small geographically-dispersed group of centres with improved expertise and extend provision across Scotland. Research is currently being undertaken to establish the size, composition and motivation of the current and potential audience for crafts in Scotland. The outcome of the research will inform future policy for crafts provision and audience development, by the Scottish Arts Council and others.

5 Build a culture of co-operation with partners and the arts community - multi-partner initiatives to establish and maintain Craft Development posts will support strategic work with makers and the audience.

6 Make the transition to Creative Scotland - the formal process of merging the Scottish Arts Council's roles and responsibilities with those of Scottish Screen began in January 2007, with the formation of a new board, whose members were drawn from the two existing bodies. Scottish Arts Council staff look forward to working with the new board to achieve a smooth transition into Creative Scotland. Together they will continue to develop the vision for the new organisation.

The crafts budget for 2007/08 was £869,000 which included £114,000 committed to one Foundation Organisation (see 2 above). In addition to the crafts budget, the department leads on the Scottish Arts Council's investment of £310,042 in three cross artform Foundation Organisations.

Details of all Scottish Arts Council funding and awards schemes, including current deadlines and applications forms, can be downloaded from the Scottish Arts Council website.