Year in Review: 2022
Year in Review: 2022
2022 has been a year of change, growth and development for The Scottish Goldsmiths Trust. We have taken a look back over the key moments and milestones in our organisation over the past 12 months. Thank you to all those we have worked with over the past year and who have supported our projects and programming. We look forward to more in 2023! To keep up to date on all our activities and latest news, follow us on Instagram and sign up to the SGT Newsletter.
It is a real pleasure to look back at 2022 and be grateful for the community we have the pleasure of working with. Some of the highlights for me this year included the RJM exhibition, bringing students from across Scotland to work together, alongside their tutors. This was particularly special, since over the last few years many had to study from home due to the pandemic. Thank you to everyone who donated to this project and made it possible. Something I have been working on very closely this year is the development of the Marchmont Silversmithing Workshop in partnership with Marchmont Creative Spaces. This is a major project that we hope will support the silversmithing sector for many years to come and advocate for Scottish silversmithing. Although we are a small charity and the fundraising landscape is challenging at present, we have been able to increase our impact and champion the sector by working successfully in strategic collaborations. This includes expanding our Ethical Making programme UK-wide though partnership with the Goldsmiths Centre. As a result, more and more students will be graduating from a place of knowledge and understanding about sustainable and responsible practice. Another great partnership, now in its eighth year, is with Lyon and Turnbull for Elements Festival. It was a wonderful long weekend in October, back to our full in-person event, and we were delighted to achieve our highest visitor numbers and sales to date. We are a friendly team so please do get in touch if you have any questions, or jewellery and Silver news for us to share. Have a lovely festive season and Happy New Year!
Ebba Goring, CEO of The Scottish Goldsmiths Trust
Image by Colin Hattersley
JANUARY
Radical Jewellery Makeover Scotland
In late 2021, #RJMScotland launched, bringing the community jewellery mining project to the UK for the first time. We asked the public to 'mine' their jewellery boxes for donations of unwanted pieces to be transformed into something new. We received over 50 donations of jewellery from members of the public, generously giving students at Scotland's Art Colleges all the materials needed to create fresh and reinventive designs.
FEBRURARY
Iona Turner Joins as Ethical Making Programme Assistant
In February, Iona Turner joined as our Programme Assistant for Ethical Making. Working closely with Programme Manager Dr Karen Westland, Iona supports the research and delivery of the SGT's Ethical Making Programme. Iona was an Ethical Making Student Ambassador and is a graduate of The Glasgow School of Art. She creates ecologically conscious art jewellery.
MARCH
ChangeMaking Symposium
Our 2022 Ethical Making Symposium, ChangeMaking, took place at City of Glasgow College on 25 March. This year, the conference focused on how through innovative design strategies and alternative sourcing methods, jewellers and makers can design out waste, source ethically and create better brands. We welcomed speakers including Rachel Colley, artist and senior lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University, Mary Michel of Ostrero, and Susie Ganch from Ethical Metalsmiths.
#RJMScotland Exhibition
The RJM Scotland Exhibition took place at Princes Square in Glasgow from 26 to 29 March 2022. Pieces exhibited included work from students at six of Scotland's art colleges and a range of jewellers making across Scotland. We were delighted to present an array of re-imagined and thoughtfully designed pieces from our participants.
Image by Stacey Bentley
ETHICAL MAKING RESOURCE RE-LAUNCH
In late March 2022, we re-launched the Ethical Making Resource as part of our partnership with the Goldsmiths' Centre . With support and insight from industry leaders on our Ethical Making Committee, the Ethical Making Resource is a website for anyone seeking information about responsible and sustainable making practices in the jewellery and silversmithing industry. Users can now join as a member of the EM community, to share stories and access resources in our directory and library.
APRIL
New Board of Trustees Appointed
The Scottish Goldsmiths Trust appointed a new Board of Trustees this year, representing a range of skills that support the CEO and her team and our charitable aims to promote and support the education, art and craft of Scotland’s gold and silversmithing heritage and trade.
MAY
Elements 2022 Makers Announced
We announced the return of Elements: Festival of Jewellery, Silver & Gold to Lyon & Turnbull and the 46 jewellers and silversmiths selected to exhibit. From silver vases glittering with flecks of gold, to colourful, three-dimensional sculptural jewellery, Elements celebrates the vast range of expert craftsmanship and innovative design of makers from across the UK.
Dr Lynne MacLachlan by Colin Hattersley
JUNE
The Goldsmiths’ Centre Signs the Ethical Making Pledge
Thanks to support from the William Grant Foundation, Clare Hanna has joined the team to support the development and delivery of this major project. Clare has a background in Craft Development and is a Fellow of Bishopsland Educational Trust.
Image by Julia Skupny
Clare Hanna Joins as Marchmont Project Officer
Thanks to a funding award from the William Grant Foundation, Clare Hanna has joined the team to support the development and delivery of this major project. Clare has a background in Craft Development and is a Fellow of Bishopsland Educational Trust.
JULY
Initiatives in Art & Culture: Boldly Building the Future Conference
Ebba and Karen were invited to speak at the Initiatives in Art & Culture's 12th Annual Gold & Diamond Conference in New York City. Ebba and Karen spoke about The Ethical Making Pledge and its mission as a collaborative and community-based initiative in jewellery and silver. While in New York, they were able to visit local studio and gallery space, Brooklyn Metal Works (pictured).
Brooklyn Metal Works
AUGUST
Marchmont Makers Announcement
In August, we announced the four Silversmiths who will take up tenancy at the Marchmont Silversmithing Workshop. Master Silversmith Ryan McLean moved to the Marchmont Estate in November to support the final fit out of the build. Ryan will be joined in January by three early career silversmiths taking up a two year tenancy; Katie Watson, Scott Smith and Hannah Keddie. The grand opening of Marchmont Silversmithing Workshop will be the 25th of March 2023. The SGT are developing a funded and self funded programme of 1 week to 1 month residencies for Silversmiths in the UK and internationally.
SEPTEMBER
The Platinum Jubilee Commission
The Incorporation of Goldsmiths announced the recipient of the Platinum Jubilee Commission, Silversmith Rod Kelly MA (RCA). Rod’s design, The Four Nations Platinum Vase, will be made in silver and incorporate four sides of low-relief chasing, with each side dedicated to the flowers of the Four Nations that make up the United Kingdom. The vase will make a prominent feature of the Edinburgh Hallmark and the celebratory Platinum Jubilee mark.
Independent Institutions Sign the Ethical Making Pledge
On 15 September, we welcomed representatives from independent educational institutions across Scotland to our Leith offices, to discuss and sign the Ethical Making Pledge. Four Scottish independent educational institutions, The Precious Metals Workshop, Central Scotland School of Jewellery, SilverHub and Vanilla Ink have signed the Ethical Making Pledge.
OCTOBER
UHI Signs the Ethical Making Pledge
On 12 October, The Scottish Goldsmiths Trust welcomed Christina Mackenzie, Course Leader of Jewellery at The University of The Highlands and Islands (UHI) Outer Hebrides to our Leith offices, to discuss and sign the Ethical Making Pledge.
Elements: Festival of Jewellery, Silver and Gold
After 2 years online, Elements Festival returned to the showroom of Lyon & Turnbull from 28-30 October. 46 Jewellers and Silversmiths from across the UK joined us for this year's selling fair. Recent graduates of five of Scotland's Art colleges displayed and sold their work. Work by participants of The Flourish Jewellery Project based in Leith was displayed in the upper gallery. A stunning exhibition organised by The Goldsmiths' Craft & Design Council showcased more than 80 award-winning pieces, representing excellence in skills from wire innovation and engraving to conceptual jewellery. The heart of the exhibition featured a display of drawings and jewels on loan from The Goldsmiths’ Company Collection to celebrate the vision, skill and extraordinary legacy of the late Dorothy Hogg MBE.
Images by James Robertson
NOVEMBER
Outstanding Student Award Completed
Caius Bearder, 2021 Graduate of The Glasgow School of Art, was awarded The Incorporation of Goldsmiths' 2022 Outstanding Student Award for the 'Coastal Monolith' Goblet. This Award, administered by the SGT, gives students in Scotland the opportunity to experience working to commission, designing and making a goblet for the collection of The Incorporation of Goldsmiths of the City of Edinburgh. Caius was mentored by Dr Karen Westland.
Image by Colin Hattersley
Dr Karen Westland and Caius Bearder
Images by Iona Turner