A £150,000 initiative to raise awareness of contemporary crafts among young people in Scotland has been rolled out to 14 local authorities across the country. Established by the Scottish Arts Council (SAC) last year, the Crafts Residencies in Schools programme will offer school children the chance to participate in a number of crafts activities ranging from ceramics and textiles to glass-making and woodcraft.
As part of the initiative, 25 crafts professionals will undertake residencies involving more than 75 primary and secondary schools in Scotland. Helen Bennett, SAC Head of Crafts, said, ?In many of the residencies the pupils will be involved right from the start, participating in the selection process by shortlisting candidates, looking at artists? portfolios, or actually sitting on the interview panel. We hope the outcome will be young people more appreciative of the creativity of professional craftspeople and the potential of crafts as a career option.?
Published: 06-09-2004