Perthshire Artisans : Growing a Creative Community
We invited Caron Ironside, Enterprise Facilitator, GrowBiz, to chat Perthshire Artisans, creativity and small business.
"Rich in history, culture and creativity, Perth and Kinross has originality and innovation running through every glen, village, small town and, of course, Perth city itself.
"Hundreds of small creative businesses operate throughout the area; some working with traditional crafts like wood and leather, others embracing the opportunity to explore and combine their creative skills with new technology. The majority work alone, set up as sole traders and facing the complex task of creating, sourcing supplies, exploring and attending selling opportunities, marketing and online sales, and subsequent delivery.
"Over the past 18 years, GrowBiz has supported more than 300 of these creative businesses and in 2020 we took this one step further when we launched Perthshire Artisans, a carefully curated membership of 36 highly skilled creatives, all of whom run their artistic practice as a business.
"Focused around a sector-specific platform that offers both backend and front-of-house support, Perthshire Artisans provides a supportive collective, where members are encouraged to develop both their creative and business practice. The organisation also facilitates peer-to-peer community support, online and in person networking events, business support, and exclusive opportunities to showcase and promote their work. Recent examples of this included the inaugural Perthshire Artisans Summer Exhibition in Perth and the recent Perthshire Artisans Winter Exhibition at Birnam Arts."
"The organisation also works to connect members to the wider business community and shares opportunities that can result in interesting collaborations. A great example of this is a collaboration for Artisan Rachel Hendry with Perth Museum.
“Keen to stock local creatives, Culture Perth & Kinross approached Perthshire Artisans with a request for assistance in the supply chain for the gift shop in the new Museum. Not only can visitors discover local makers and artists, but CPK has commissioned a small line of branded merchandise with Rachel Hendry, who runs Scents of the Wild, naturally scented soy wax candles.
"Of course, promotional opportunities are also important for members, and we were delighted to assist Jane Drysdale, a glass artist, in a feature for a UNESCO sponsored article in We Are Makers, the international publication focused on promoting people working in crafts.
"It’s important these opportunities exist. Recognising the significant contribution and value that creatives and their craft skills bring to an area is hugely important and we are fortunate in that Perth and Kinross’s cultural standing is continually strengthening and gaining international interest. In addition to Perthshire Artisans, the WASPS-run Creative Exchange in Perth, and the the ten day long Perthshire Open Studios event each September, there are several locally organised art groups and collectives, that give testimony to the vibrancy of our creative sector.
"The successful opening of Perth Museum in March 2024, and the 200,000+ visitors it attracted in the first eight months, has gone a long way to placing the area on the worldwide cultural map. Combine this with Perth's status as the UK’s first UNESCO City of Craft and Folk Arts - and the subsequent links to the UNESCO creative cities network - and it becomes clear that the pipeline of opportunities for Perthshire creatives is one that has only just started."
