Arts and Crafts

Orkney is a hive of creative industry with several internationally renowned jewellery manufactures and professional artists and crafts people at work in the islands. Many creative individuals have returned to the islands of their birth to set up workshops or have been drawn here by the light, natural beauty, the quality of life and the welcoming community. With its natural beauty and unique relationship with the sea Orkney has long been a source of inspiration to locals and visitors alike.

Many different media are used – silversmithing and jewellery manufacture, tapestry weaving, printmaking, glassmaking, knitwear and textile design, modern and traditional furniture, ceramics, and musical instrument making to name a few. Small rural studios, workshops and galleries, and stylish contemporary visitor centres offer delightful opportunities to see and purchase items hand-crafted in the islands, pleasing even the most discerning shopper.

 

Please select the markers below to find out the location of Orkney craft makers, galleries and shops. To find out further details please click into the website link. To navigate around the map use the + and - cursors.

Where to Find Us

In addition to these opportunities to view local arts and crafts, The Pier Arts Centre in Stromness, which has been described as 'one of the most distinguished and perfect smaller collections of 20th century art on permanent display anywhere in the world' was re-opened in 2007 following major renovation. This gallery is one of the most striking and inspirational buildings in the north of Scotland, inside the gallery charts the development of modern art in Britain and includes key works by Barbara Hepworth, Ben Nicholson and Naum Gabo among others. The Centre's founder, Margaret Gardiner (1904 -2005), was a close friend of many of the artists represented in the Pier Gallery Collection and her decision to give a large part of her personal collection to the people of Orkney led to the opening of the Centre in 1979. The gallery is home for the Collection and the Gallery also presents a changing programme of local, national and international exhibitions and events.


Whether it is the quality if life, the beauty of the landscape or the friendliness of the people, Orkney has a magnetic appeal for artists, designers and craftspeople. One thing is for certain; Orkney is an undisputed haven for the creative soul.

Visitors can find some of the islands' craftspeople on the well-signed Orkney Craft Trail - a brochure is also available, and the Craft Industries Association www.orkneydesignercrafts.com