A graduate of Edinburgh College of Art, Lisa also has a PGC in Community Development and a Masters in Fine Art in Metalwork and Jewellery Design (outstanding distinction) from Sheffield Hallam University. Lisa currently teaches on our Wednesday evening class, Thursday daytime class and the one-year Foundation course.
She has exhibited extensively throughout Scotland, including the Open Eye Art Gallery, An Talla Solais, Craft Scotland, Visual Arts Scotland, Aberdeen Art Gallery, Gracefield Art Centre as well internationally including Hong Kong Design Centre and at the Buda Contemporary Jewellery Exhibition Melbourne Australia.
As a jewellery designer and artist, Lisa’s practice focuses on exhibitions, commissions, research projects enabling people to discover their creativity. With over 25 years of extensive experience in education, community and socially engaged practice, Lisa has managed a variety of arts projects at Forth Sector Studio 11 project, Craigmillar Community Arts, Black Community Development Project, the Welcoming, Out of the Blue and North Edinburgh Arts. Whilst living in Melbourne Australia Lisa was an artist at Splash Studios a arts studio for the indigenous community, coordinator of the Generator Project and left Australia after being the interim Cultural Planner at Maribyrnong City Council.
Lisa has successfully received funding from the National Lottery for the Inspiring Lives and SHINE socially engaged craft projects which supported young people aged 13-16 to engage with contemporary craft. Her Masters research included the inspirational project a State of Flux project and the Power of Making socially engaged craft projects. In 2020 she received a Creative Scotland Bursary and alongside Jessica Howarth, she was awarded a Creative Scotland Award Open Projects Award for the development of the Flourish Jewellery Project. This socially engaged project took part in New York Jewellery Week, was nominated for a Creative Edinburgh Award, exhibited at the Custom House Gallery and featured in the Scotsman Newspaper. In 2021 she received a bursary award from Creative Edinburgh and in 2022 Lisa with Jessica became the co-founder of the Flourish Jewellery Community Interest Company a jewellery design company providing supportive jewellery design training for women recovering from trauma.
Jess has a wide range of experience within contemporary jewellery design and community arts. An award-winning graduate from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design Jessica has been a practicing jeweller and artists since graduating in 2011 with a 1st class Honour Degree. She has exhibited at local, national and at a international level with organisations such as the Dovecot Studios, Fife Contemporary Arts and Craft, An Talla Solais, Craft Scotland and at the Edinburgh Iranian Festival. Jessica was an invited speaker to Craft Scotland’s Making Connections and the Scottish Goldsmith Symposium.
Alongside her own practice as a jeweller Jessica facilitates a variety of community arts projects including the National Lottery funded project ’Stich in Time’ at North Edinburgh Arts. As a lead artist for Arts in Healthcare, Jessica has delivered art workshops for adults with mental health challenges across the city of Edinburgh. In summer 2020, Jessica co-produced with Dr Jessica Maclaren of Napier University, a series of online participatory workshops with mental health nurses. Jessica has also recently facilitated making sessions for Dr Sushila Chowdhry from Dundee University as part of her research into Mothering in the neonatal intensive care unit: Creative storytelling workshops – (In)visible Women. In 2020 Jessica, alongside Lisa Arnott, she was awarded a Creative Scotland Award for the development of the Flourish Jewellery Project. This socially engaged project took part in New York Jewellery Week, was nominated for a Creative Edinburgh Award, exhibited at the Custom House Gallery and featured in the Scotsman Newspaper. In 2021 she received a bursary award from Creative Edinburgh and in 2022 Lisa with Jessica became the co-founder of the Flourish Jewellery Community Interest Company a jewellery design company providing supportive jewellery design training for women recovering from trauma.
