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Author Archives: cam-biddell

Photo by Felicity Crawshaw

Introduction to Throwing

Course Leader: Amy Benzie Places: 6 (Beginners +)Cost: £250 (£225 non residential)This cost includes tuition, firings and materials Dates: Course 1: Saturday 4 & Sunday 5 May 2024Course 2: Saturday 29 & Sunday 30 March 2025 Booking: Book online below or phone SSW on 01464 861372. Information on access is at the bottom of this page. In this course, participants will be guided through the process of throwing vessels on the potter’s wheel – from preparing clay through to centring and […]

Job Opportunity: Technical Manager

The deadline for applications have now passed. We’re recruiting a Technical Manager, an exciting new role at SSW, vital in leading the organisation to achieve our vision and new leadership direction. Job Title: Technical ManagerSalary: £32,000 – £37,000 (pro-rata) depending on experience, valid certifications and trainingContract: 0.8 (4 days/ 30 hours per week) permanent may include working weekends and evenings as requiredLine Manage: Technical Team made up of Ceramics Technician, Visiting Technicians/ Specialists, Cleaner Place of work: SSW, Lumsden, Aberdeenshire, […]

Photo credit: Felicity Crawshaw

Building the Clay Commons: In pictures

From 26 November to 1 December Eva Masterman facilitated ‘Building the Clay Commons’ bringing together local community members, makers and artists from the North East and beyond. Together they co-created a set of values and actions that better understand and imagine how community ceramic studios, like SSW’s, can offer alternatives to traditional craft education systems in the UK and be a force for social good. Over the week we spent time collectively making, thinking, discussing, walking, listening, sauna-ing, journaling and […]

Rural School of Economics Summer Camp - Photo by Felicity Crawshaw

The Community Making Space is 1 year old!

It is our Community Making Space’s 1st anniversary in December 2023. Together with our collaborator, artist group Myvillages, we opened the former shop exactly a year ago, with the intention to make new connections and more space between us as an arts organisation and our home village Lumsden. We are excited to share some of our achievements as well as how we plan to collectively imagine what we make happen here in Lumsden in 2024 and beyond… Images by Sam […]

Some of the SSW team outside Slag Hammers, Glasgow

Out and about: SSW team travels

Here at SSW, building connections and learning different ways of working is an important part of what we do and it’s often not visible. So, we’d like to give a snapshot into where the team have been and who they have met between May to November 2023. In May we had a team away day to Glasgow to research how other organisations run their spaces to be inclusive and welcoming and the processes they put in place to do this. […]

The Bothy, photo by Felicity Crawshaw

Announcing the next phase of capital development at SSW

We are delighted to share that SSW has been successful in securing funding from both the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and from the Rural Communities Challenge Fund to continue development of our buildings and facilities. With this support we will be able to further our commitment to practically improving access and environmental sustainability here at SSW. Through this next phase of our capital project we will be; converting and extending the bothy store into a new accessible bedroom and bathroom […]

Jere Vainio Portrait 2023

Announcing Ecologies in the Making: Sculpting Futures, 2024

We are very pleased to announce that artist Jere Vainio has been awarded the 2024 Ecologies in the Making: Sculpting Futures Residency. This four-month residency is the third in a four year programme developed by the Academy of Fine Arts Uniarts Helsinki, Cove Park and Scottish Sculpture Workshop (SSW). Each resident has the opportunity to work at Cove Park for 8 weeks before travelling to Aberdeenshire to be in residence with us for a further 8-week residency at SSW. Jere […]

Light-painting by Mara Marxt Lewis

Luminous Lumsden: Community Making Space 1 year anniversary

Friday 15 December5pm – 8pm 5pm – 5:45pm – Light walk6pm – 6:30pm – Drinks, toasts and light switch on6.30 – 8pm – Music, food and dancing Our festive celebrations will kick off with a magical lantern walk bringing light to all corners of the village. We will gather at SSW to carry handmade lanterns, candles and torches that will illuminate our walk through local trails and parks. Throughout the walk, we will pause at various spots to create light […]

Image from Unsplash

Candle Making Session

Sunday 10 December2pm – 4pm Together we will discover the art of candle making using natural bee wax and recycled candle remnants at this creative workshop. Participants will prepare wicks, melt wax, add fragrance and dye, and pour wax into decorative molds to craft their own unique candles. Let your creativity shine bright this winter! How to take part

Image from Unsplash

Lantern Making Workshop

Sunday 3 December2pm – 4pm Join us for a fun workshop creating lanterns from recycled and repurposed materials. We will together work through techniques for constructing handheld, candle-lit lanterns that together we will parade through the village to mark the 1 year anniversary of the Community Making Space later in the month. The workshop provides a great opportunity to spark creativity through sustainable crafting and gives new life to everyday materials. How to take part