Vanilla Ink Studios present Scottish Jewellery Week 2014

Vanilla Ink Studios has launched the first Scottish Jewellery Week, which will be held in Dundee from 12-21 September. The festival has been created to celebrate the craftsmanship of jewellers in Scotland and to offer a platform to the growing industry.

Vanilla Ink Studios was established to provide support to new talent in the jewellery industry by providing a studio space for recent graduates for a year. The studio is a state of the art workshop which allows the chosen designers to progress from education to develop and grow their own business. The festival itself will be held throughout different venues in Dundee and will feature exhibitions, a symposium, city-wide studio tours and a pop-up shop, all of which will add to the creative community in Dundee. Kate Pickering, founding director of Vanilla Ink and Scottish Jewellery Week has spoken about the importance of recognising not only Dundee, but Scotland as being a leading light in jewellery design. In a recent interview, Pickering mentioned that Dundee is "huge on design and redevelopment and we hope that Scottish Jewellery Week will not only enhance what is already happening but also bring new crowds. Scotland is not big, but the jewellery community we have is strong, I want SJW to demonstrate that to Scotland and the wider community."

Scottish Jewellery Week will begin with a free one-day talk entitled Making Jewellery Work at the Discovery Point. The lecture is in association with The Scottish Goldsmith Trust and will comprise of presentations and panel discussions about the jewellery business in Scotland and will discuss different steps in how to break into the industry. SJW will also feature an exhibition where eight residents at the Vanilla Ink Studio will showcase their collections made throughout their year tenure at the studio. The exhibition will be held at The Old Flour Mill with a catwalk display during the opening night. The exhibition will coincide with a photography display by What Kirsten Saw and a pop-up shop hosted by Tea Green. Avery & Co are the official sponsors of SJW and will provide catering facilities during the exhibition's opening night and host a pop-up restaurant during the symposium.

To draw the festival to a close, SJW will host an exhibition running from the 19-20 September. The exhibition, 15 Years at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design’s Main Entrance Gallery will present previous graduates' works from the college. Artists will open their private studio space to the public during the exhibition with tours commencing throughout Dundee starting at The Old Flour Mill and finishing at Vanilla Ink. This will allow visitors to truly experience the workings of the artists and to better understand their craft.

SJW is a first of its kind festival in Scotland and looks set to act as a platform to showcase new talent that may not have been accessible without the support of Vanilla Ink.