Hamewares Collection: Rooted in Craft
Open Call to Scotland-Based Designer-Makers
Applications are now open for the Hamewares Collection, the third edition of commissioned products designed to be represented and sold in FOLD, the Barn’s dedicated retail space that presents the best of Scotland’s contemporary craft & design.
Following a successful funding bid, the Barn's Walled Garden Project is now underway and we're thrilled to develop this space as a thriving ecological garden that serves as a learning environment for nurturing the earth while celebrating the Barn’s rural and creative heritage. Once completed, it will support the Barn’s educational workshops, arts programming, and community outreach activities. Find out more about the Walled Garden HERE.
We are inviting Scotland-based makers to submit a proposal for a unique product which supports FOLD customers connect with, immerse themselves in and deepen their relationship to the Barn’s Walled Garden. Our aims are to celebrate craftmanship, creativity in functionality and how the role of care is at the root of the makers movement.
Suggested areas of focus on this commission may include but are not limited to:
- Tools to help with specific tasks when working with the earth – collecting, gathering, transportation;
- Objects to assist with the growing, guiding and/or protecting of crops;
- Designs that highlight the importance of environmental stewardship for our communal green spaces;
- Pieces that blend art and design with functionality.
Application Requirements and Eligibility:
This opportunity is open to artists, designers, and makers living and working in Scotland at all stages of their careers. Two successful applicants will receive each a £2,000 fee to cover development, materials, and production costs towards the creation of a new product range bespoke for the Barn. The work will be sold exclusively in the Barn’s retail space, FOLD. We are especially interested in makers and artists working with heritage crafts on the Red LIST of Endangered Crafts and in proposals that have considered accessibility and environmental sustainability in their proposal.
Timeline:
Applications Open: 15 February to 16 March 2026 (deadline 10am)
Applicants will be informed of outcome: 27 March 2026
Delivery of products: Products must be delivered at any time up to and including 1 September 2026
The fee will be released in two stages: the first upon appointment and the final payment on completion. Please note the commission is an outright purchase of the works, which will be resold by the Barn in FOLD. Products need to be reproducible for future orders.
An invited panel will oversee the shortlisting and selection of the successful applicant. The project will be managed by the Barn and is supported by Creative Scotland Multi-Year Funding.
How to Apply:
Applicants should submit their responses through this Microsoft Form HERE. If you have images or any accompanying documentation to support your application, email craft@thebarnarts.co.uk with Hamewares 2026 and your name in the subject line. We are happy to offer support with your application or answer any questions, please contact Stephanie Fradette, Craft & Design Manager at the Barn via craft@thebarnarts.co.uk.
About The Barn
The Barn is a pioneering arts organisation and registered charity based in Aberdeenshire, with over 30 years’ experience of working at the intersection of contemporary arts, community engagement and environmental responsibility. We create inclusive cultural opportunities that respond directly to local need, particularly where rural isolation, health inequality and access barriers limit participation. Our work is rooted in a belief that creative activity, especially when connected to place, nature and shared experience, can improve wellbeing, strengthen social connection and support people to thrive. We work closely with communities and partners to design activity that is welcoming, responsive and meaningful, rather than prescriptive or performance-led.
About FOLD, Contemporary Craft & Design Store
FOLD is the Barn’s dedicated retail and workshop space that presents the best in contemporary Scottish Craft and Design from over 75 established and emerging designer-makers. The store values and stocks products that are uniquely hand made with intention, purpose and care. We give great thought to the products we sell in FOLD and are enthused by products inspired by ecological principles and the circular economy. These include the materials that are used, the life cycle of products that are made and their combined impact on the environment as well as the implications in design itself for ways of living. We support makers as they craft their stories and develop their practices through research led/inquiry driven approaches.
