ABOUT

Delivering artisan craft workshops; promoting the continuation of craft skills and supporting learning in the community.

The Central Scotland School of Craft is a new hub for creative learning in the picturesque city of Dunblane. Our programme of boutique craft workshops  ranges from one day to week-long courses, for everyone from complete beginners to established professional makers. ‘A list’ crafters from all over the country are lined up to deliver a range of courses with a focus on heritage and endangered crafts, and skilled hand-making.

OBJECTIVE 1

  • to address the issue of rural inequality when it comes to creative learning. We aim to bring craft education in line with what is available in the urban centres, where there is no shortage of crafters offering small workshops for all ability levels from their own workshops. We dream of bringing a new, multi-faceted business to the historic town of Dunblane, to improve access to creative activities in the community and diversify the rural economy.

OBJECTIVE 2

  • to nurture craft learning as a positive activity contributing to better mental health. Participating in craft activities boosts mental and emotional wellbeing, and we want to offer a broad range of classes to support creative learning for everyone from complete beginners to established makers. A broad and diverse range of workshops will allow more people to grow their creative skills in a welcoming and supportive space.

OBJECTIVE 3

  • to create employment opportunities for freelance creative practitioners. Many educators have suffered a loss of income due to the closure of public buildings, or because their own premises are too small to allow for socially distanced learning. We have both the space, and the experience of running a covid secure education space with our sister school, Central Scotland School of Jewellery

THE DREAM TEAM

We, the dream team who are coming together to launch this exciting new project are Rebecca Wilson and Jo Pudelko. As well as being successful creative practitioners, we bring a portfolio of skills to the task, with combined experience of several hundred years (ok it feels like that long, maybe it’s not) in craft teaching, events, and arts admin. All of our guest tutors are selected for their high level of expertise in their respective fields, and for their highly respected teaching reputation.

Rebecca has over a decades experience in creative event management and arts administration. She was administrator for Visual Arts Scotland for 15+ years, and continues to work on bespoke projects such as the Cordis Prize for Tapestry and the Inches Carr Mentoring Awards. She is a contemporary ceramicist and jeweller who has exhibited extensively in the UK and abroad, most notably at COLLECT in the Saatchi Gallery, London, SOFA in Chicago, JOYA  in Barcelona and Sieraad in Amsterdam in recent years.

Jo Pudelko is an experienced artist and educator. She is the proprietor of Central Scotland School of Jewellery, which has been a pillar of Dunblane’s creative community since 2017. Jo is a polymath of the jewellery world who has taught with Edinburgh College of Art, DJCAD, Leith School of Art and Cromarty Arts Trust to name but a few. She is passionate about sustainable practise and creative learning for all. Her experience and expertise will in the creative education field with be an invaluable asset to the Central Scotland School of Craft.

HAVE YOU VISITED OUR

SISTER SCHOOL?

Our sister school, Central Scotland School of Jewellery, is a community for creative learning in the historic city of Dunblane. We offer a wide range of classes for adults of all ability levels, from those who are looking to take up a new hobby, to those looking to expand on their existing repertoire of jewellery skills. Choose from regular weekday classes, weekend workshops or summer schools; our flexible programme of events has something that will fit in with your life. We have a star-studded team of highly experienced tutors working with us to deliver tailor made tuition to every student. 

"The course was fantastic! Louise was a great tutor, very clear about everything we needed to know and do. She has an amazing passion for what she does, and I felt that transferred on to us as learners...I certainly felt it."

Spoon Carving with Louise Forbes

"Loved the topic, demonstrations, hands on skill learning, lovely products to take home. The other participants were a pleasure too!"

Eco Printing with Sarah Diver Lang

"What a special weekend that was, I really didn't want it to end! "

Art Doll Making with The Pale Rook

"I had such a great weekend. Beautiful workshop, beautiful space."

Eco Printing with Sarah Diver Lang

"The workshop was a valuable me time. A blend of being able to chat to new people, learn new skills, feast my senses on the vibrant materials. It was delivered in a comfortable light and airy space. I was made to feel very welcome and would love to do another course."

Embroidered Embellishments with Chloe Patience