Cridhe na Gaidhealtachd - Craft in the Highlands

1st December 2007

Cridhe na Gaidhealtachd - Craft in the Highlands: A showcase for Highland 2007, Scotland's Year of Highland Culture

A free exhibition celebrating the work of Highland craft makers will open at the Scottish Parliament on Thursday 6 December and run until Sunday 6 January 2008.

The exhibition is divided into sections which represent some of the craft projects developed to celebrate Highland 2007, Scotland's year of Highland culture. These include the Highland Constellation - Co-reult na Gàidhealtachd; the Big Willow; the official Highland 2007 tartan created by Mulbuie Primary School, Golden Broom; Northlands Creative Glass; work developed for the Six Cities Festival in Inverness and a large selection of new work by Highland makers.

Tradition and innovation are at the heart of the contemporary crafts of the Highlands. While Highland makers are proud of their traditions, they are not constrained by them and in the exhibition there are many examples of how traditional techniques and materials have been developed in innovative ways for a 21st century society.

The spectacular environment of the Highlands is a constant source of inspiration to visiting artists and makers, some of whom make a permanent home in the area. This exhibition shows how the materials and techniques of Highland fine and decorative artists, resident or visiting, express and shape the culture today and how traditions are being reinterpreted for the future.

Cridhe na Gaidhealtachd - Craft in the Highlands has been organised by The Highland Council, Highland 2007 and the Scottish Parliament.

Fiona Hampton, director of Highland 2007, said: "We are delighted this exhibition will focus on the many quality crafts produced as part of the Highland 2007 programme. It's great that a wider audience will have the opportunity to sample and appreciate some of the fantastic work of Highland craft makers.

"We are grateful to the Scottish Parliament for hosting this exhibition and to the Scottish Government for their continued generous support for Highland 2007."