Announcing the Marchmont Silversmithing Workshop Tenants

Announcing the Marchmont Silversmithing Workshop Tenants

We are excited to announce the four Silversmiths who will be taking up tenancy at Marchmont Silversmithing Workshop, located in the Scottish Borders.

The initial renovations of the site are underway and on schedule to be completed early next year. The Marchmont Silversmithing Workshop will have space for five Silversmiths, one as the Anchor Tenant, three Emerging Silversmiths and an additional bench for residencies.

Marchmont House & Workshops

 Ryan McClean has secured the position of Anchor Tenant. We are extremely pleased to have Ryan’s level of skill, knowledge and expertise to support the set-up of the workshop and the ongoing development of the project. Ryan is an award-winning Silversmith with over 15 years in business. His work is inspired by the mathematics in nature, applying fractals and the golden ratio to his work in silver. Ryan has always pushed the boundaries of what is possible, using a combination of traditional and cutting-edge techniques.

Fractal Warp Vase
Koch Snowflake Vase

Ryan grew up in the Highlands of Scotland on the shores of Loch Nevis and Morar. Ryan notes, ‘I have spent most of my career in a workshop space in Sheffield and I am delighted to have the opportunity to return to live and work in Scotland and be back in the Scottish countryside.’ We are looking forward to welcoming Ryan to his new home at Marchmont in late autumn, and working with him to make the Marchmont Silversmithing Workshop a truly exceptional place for all the Silversmiths to work in.

Katie Watson, Scott Smith and Hannah Keddie have secured the three Emerging Maker benches. They will take up their tenancy at the Marchmont Silversmithing Workshop at the start of 2023. Each of these makers have been selected for their commitment to silversmithing and innovative design skill. We cannot wait to see the commissions and new work they will develop over their time at the Marchmont Silversmithing Workshop.

Katie Watson’s work is inspired by the desire to immerse the viewer into nature and wildlife, utilising silver as a canvas to bring her drawings to life through chasing and repoussé.

Katie Watson
Narnia and Within the Trees Beakers, silver and gold gilt

Scott Smith is inspired by Pictish carvings and ancient Scottish craftspeople, exploring the importance of meditative craft through the processes of carving, raising and casting.

Pinch Pots, silver
Scott Smith

Hannah Keddie draws inspiration from studying the characteristics and behaviours of small and sessile sea creatures found in Scottish waters. She creates playful vessels whose weights, surfaces and scale engage the viewer through their tactile qualities.

Hannah Keddie
Porifera Vessel, sterling silver and cork

The ‘Fifth Bench’ will be used by the Scottish Goldsmiths Trust for a residency programme, with opportunities for short-term and long-term residences, both funded and self-funded for silversmiths across all stages of their careers. Working in partnership with Marchmont Farms Limited, there will be accommodation onsite for visiting silversmiths, providing an excellent environment for creative development, and a unique experience to spend time within a creative community.

At the heart of this project is the generous gift of specialist tools, equipment and books from the late Graham Stewart, one of the leading Scottish silversmiths of our time.  This unique collection enables the Marchmont Silversmithing Workshop to be fully equipped, providing a high-quality centre of excellence for the next generation of Silversmiths to work in. The ethos at Marchmont is in the spirit of the Arts & Crafts Movement and provides the perfect place for this incredible legacy project. It sits alongside a collection of beautifully renovated workshops and studios for artists and makers, providing a valuable eco-system to nurture creative businesses to thrive in the South of Scotland.

Sketch of a Workshop by Graham Stewart
Graham Stewart in the studio

The Marchmont Silversmithing Workshop is a partnership project between The Scottish Goldsmiths Trust, Marchmont Farms Limited and Marchmont Makers Foundation. We would like to thank Hugo Burge, Director of Marchmont Ventures, for his vision and ongoing commitment to the project. We would like to thank the William Grant Foundation and the Marchmont Makers Foundation for their support of this project. Our thanks extends to the late Graham Stewart and his family, and our silversmithing consultants: Rod Kelly, Brett Payne, Bryony Knox and John Andrew. 

We will have further news to share later in the year and look forward to a grand opening event at Marchmont in Spring 2023. If you would like to be kept informed of updates, please join our mailing list. For specific enquiries, please contact our Marchmont Project Officer, Clare Hanna: clare@scottishgoldsmithstrust.org.