80 makers from across Scotland are being showcased at the HARVEST: Contemporary Art Fair including furniture, ceramics, homewares, textiles for interiors and exquisite jewellery
Presented by Craft Scotland, the selling exhibition and showroom fills 250sqm of the entire fourth floor of the City Art Centre with over 1,000 items of Scottish craft available to buy. Taking the concept of ‘living with craft’ as its starting point, HARVEST enables visitors to browse showrooms where they can visualise furnishing an entire home with work designed and made in Scotland.
Guest curator Dr Stacey Hunter says, “The overall theme here is harvest time. The hubbub of summer has come to a close and the world suddenly feels quieter. Traditionally, this time of year is meant for harvesting produce and reaping the rewards of hard work in spring and summer. It’s a time for community, for celebration and for thanks. And I think that those things really tie in with crafters’ intrinsic creative qualities.”
The room is zoned by various pieces of furniture made specifically for the exhibition. A highlight is the Low Sofa by Studio Teller made with ‘Magic’, a soft, high performance fabric by Bute Fabrics. It has a versatile mélange palette speckled with rust fibres that Studio Teller designer Ross Baynam says “brings a nice connection to the HARVEST theme, with subtle orange hues that reflect the progression from summer into autumn. We want the sofa to be a minimal, quiet place of rest.”
The ‘Talismans’ room separator by screen printer and quilter Katie Charleson is backlit by arch-top windows that look onto the Balmoral Hotel. The piece is made from birch ply with modular fabric panels utilising a recently developed technique of natural dye monoprinting. Daylight diffuses through the panels filling the room with the soft glow of the morning sun.
M’eudail M’eudail designer Martin Campbell’s dining table and chairs were made specifically for HARVEST using Douglas fir sourced from a timber sawmill in Fife. Martin is also showing the SPREE bench from ‘Wood Experiment’, a colourful project that he and Emer Tumilty made for Dundee Design Festival last year.
“We asked the HARVEST makers to consider hospitality, conviviality and the seasonality of harvest time; how craft connects with food culture, as well as innovations in biomaterials and nature positive design,” says Dr Stacey Hunter.
“I also want visitors to drop the expectation of immediacy. I want people to see that they can furnish their home with honest pieces that have been crafted with care and an appreciation for the natural world. You can design an outstanding home without having to step through the doors of a department store.”
In the jewellery section, Ebba Goring presents fine jewellery made with rare Scottish crystals and gemstones. Ebba is deeply influenced by her Scottish heritage and links to Scandinavia, meticulously crafting heirloom pieces that are as dazzling as they are robust. ‘The Regency’ long chandelier earrings are at the heart of her exhibit, and they’re exquisite.
Iona Turner’s necklaces and sculptures are made with seaweed that she gathers along the Scottish coast. Alternatively, Laura Cruikshank’s ‘Gather’ necklace comprises oxidised silver, keum boo, citrine and smokey quartz.
Cecilia Stamp’s ‘Tab’ earrings are part of a collection that offers a more lasting take on throwaway design, finding inspiration in disposable food packaging.
Two banquet tables demand attention in the middle of the room, dotted with creative tableware and trinkets. Botanical sculptor Natalia Manczak’s paper florals take centre stage, made with Italian crepe paper that famous design houses like Creed and Gucci have dressed their tables with. Playfulness is sewn into the setup with deliciously realistic foodie ceramics made by Fake Food Workshop. A beautifully-imperfect sharing bowl by Glasgow-based ceramicist Camille Biddell sits next to an almost-metallic glazed plate from wheel-thrown potter Claire Henry.
In the textiles area, you will find handwoven throws by Joseph Whales, Eve Miller and Nikki Brown of Edinburgh-based textile studio Garvald Edinburgh Textiles. Lucy MacDonald of Arra Textiles’ work explores the relationships between place, material and memory.
The Shetland Line is showcasing a small capsule including the ‘Hairst’ bed blanket, ‘Atteri’ hat and ‘Tresta’ kerchief. All are hand-machine-manufactured in the small home studio, using Real Shetland Wool from The Woolbrokers in Lerwick, Shetland.
Finally, we have the wall of pottery. Sparrow and Co’s wheel-thrown tableware celebrates simplicity and functionality, highlighting the inherent beauty of objects that are made by hand. Founder Samuel Sparrow used to be a designer with Habitat, but found his calling in ceramics. At a time where Scotland’s makers regularly feature in international award shows, as well as museum and private collections, the country has never had such a strong craft output. A commitment to innovation in sustainability and materials, a supportive and connected craft community, and globally renowned university courses all contribute to Scotland being recognised as a nation of makers.
Samuel exemplifies this, currently handmaking 8,000 pieces for a renowned American interior designer: “In Scotland, we approach our craft with honesty, often using traditional techniques that connect us to our heritage,” Samuel says. “It’s the same with Japanese and Scandinavian practices. That’s why overseas interest is growing; because people know that if they want authentic ceramics with soul, they should go straight to the source.”
A few more pottery highlights: Tokes Sharif of Studio Brae presents an installation of ceramic vessels inspired by the still-life compositions of Giorgio Morandi. Katie Dixon’s unique gourd and squash-shaped ceramic lamps are inspired by produce symbolically associated with abundance and harvest.
HARVEST: Contemporary Craft Fair is open from 11th to 19th of October 2025 complemented by a rich programme of workshops and events.
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Learn more about one of the makers featured in HARVEST: Contemporary Art Fair below.
Meet the Maker: Natalia Manczak, Glasgow-based paper florist and botanical sculptor
