CULTURALITY reflections from Sweden by Carol Sinclair

Värmland is a Swedish region north of Stockholm and east of Gothenburg, and in May 2026 our CULTURALITY partners, the local development agency Region Värmland, hosted our 5th Consortium meeting. Determined to make the very most of the trip, AAS CULTURALITY Project Team Members Clare Waddle and Carol Sinclair added days before and after the official visit to meet as many craft organisations and makers as time would allow. Carol reflects on their visit.

We first travelled to Stockholm and visited three galleries run by membership craft organisations, each with a long history in Sweden. Kaolin, formed in 1978, showcases ceramics, while Blås & Knåda founded in 1975, exhibits members work in both ceramics and glass. Konstanthantverkarna which started in 1951, represents all craft disciplines including jewellery, wood, textiles and paper. Members from all three organisations, who are from across Sweden, contribute to manning the gallery and were very open and friendly, telling us more about how the organisations worked and the realities of life as a craftsperson in Sweden.

Full length window into a gallery with ceramic sculptures in and 'Kaolin Butik Gallery' vinyl on the glass. — The window of Kaolin Gallery in Stockholm, showing ceramic pieces from their exhibition space

Shop interior with domestic scale ceramic and glass objects on tables and shelving, with two customers. — The window of Kaolin Gallery in Stockholm, showing ceramic pieces from their exhibition space

We then travelled on to the Consortium meeting which took place in Arvika, a small town in Värmland renowned for it’s craftsmanship. Every six months the CULTURALITY partners come together in a location selected by a different host partner, and while the key business is to update one another on project activities, it is also a valuable opportunity to introduce the local craft and culture, and for us to see first hand the impact of the work we are doing together. Discover more about the Consortium visits in the AAS CULTURALITY blog series.

Now at the half way point of the project, we have some tangible outcomes to share, including the VERA platform which showcases makers from each region, as well as giving a flavour of the cultural landscape that inspires and supports them. VERA is free for rural makers across the project regions to join, including the whole of Scotland, so please get in touch with the AAS CULTURALITY Project team if you would like be part of this exciting development. The project updates also included some fascinating ideas for digital story telling using geo data and a new app called Alstret that is being developed to showcase artisans and their work. There are some very exciting developments in the pipeline so it’s good to get involved as soon as possible.

Screenshot from a website with text 'Vera. VIRTUAL EUROPEAN RURAL ARTISANS PLATFORM. ARTISANS DIRECTORY THE VERA PLATFORM IS FOR ARTISANS TO SHARE THEIR WORK, CULTURAL PRACTICE, METHODS AND TRADITIONS. VERA OFFERS GREATER VISIBILITY, OPPORTUNITIES FOR COLLABORATION, AND ACCESS TO WIDER AUDIENCES. IT ALSO SUPPORTS LEARNING, CULTURAL EXCHANGE, AND SUSTAINABLE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT.' — Screenshot of Vera Platform with text explaining the purpose of the Artisans Directory

For the AAS CULTURAILTY team, the next project activity in Scotland is our Living Lab, which will take place 5-9 October 2026 in Nethy Bridge. There is a call out for ideas until 9 July 2026. So if you have any thoughts for ways of celebrating rural craft, connecting visitors to authentic experiences or reimagining heritage for sustainable tourism please read more here.

Our visits included Arvika Konstantverk which is the oldest membership organisation in Sweden, started in 1922. The current Chairman, Joel Stuart-Beck, told us something of it’s history as well as his own family’s long tradition of ceramics. Joel teaches at a local craft school, Kyrkeruds Folkhögskola, and once the official CULTURALITY meeting concluded, we were invited to speak to the students. We talked about our own work, as well as AAS, and had a lot of interest in building networks that connect makers form both countries, especially on the theme of sustainability. We also spent a glorious afternoon in the sun building a sculptural wooden arch with the students, using the technology Joel employs to build kilns for firing ceramics.

People building an arch with split wooden logs between two trees. — Kyrkeruds Folkhögskola students, Joel Stuart-Beck and AAS Culturality Team members Clare and Carol working together to build a sculptural wooden arch between trees.

People smiling and waving around a wooden arch built of split wooden logs between two trees. — Kyrkeruds Folkhögskola students, Joel Stuart-Beck and AAS Culturality Team members Clare and Carol working together to build a sculptural wooden arch between trees.

Visits also included Brunskog Hembygdsgä, the local Folk Museum, where we were invited into the studio of textile designer Therese Henner, who is a weaver specialising in natural dyes. Her colours were glorious, as was her work space.

Woman standing in a studio interior with a loom to their left, table and chairs to their right and balls of yarn in a basket in the foreground. — Terese Henner, textile artist in her studio.

Balls of wool, thread spools, scissors, basket, tin, paper, fabric and torso mannequin wearing a woven necklace on a wooden table. — Terese Henner, textile artist in her studio.

We also met Frej Lonnfors and Karin Edlund who introduced us to the Swedish concept of Slöjd, which means the skill of making things, to be cunning, crafty and clever. This has been a movement in Sweden distinct from the professional craftspeople who learned their skills through established apprenticeships, worked to commission and were usually guild members living in towns. Slöjd skills were passed down through families and produced items in bulk to be sold at markets to supplement farming income. Over time, and to reflect the work of craftswomen, Slöjd led to creation of Svensk Hemslöjd (home slöjd) and the Association of Swedish Handicrafts founded by Lilli Zimmerman in 1899. Living in a beautiful traditional wooden house in rural Värmland, Karin and Frej continue to champion Slöjd, and we were lucky enough to visit their home studios to see their skills in action. Frej works with wood and Karin with paper, to make these highly realistic flowers, and textiles, reinterpreting traditional costumes including a beautiful green woollen coat.

Man with makeshift low bench displaying stages of carving a wooden spoon, outside a wooden barn. — Frej Lonnfors demonstrating hand carving a wooden spoon

Hand made paper flower and artist's business card with contact details on a wooden table. — Frej Lonnfors demonstrating hand carving a wooden spoon

A particular treat was a visit to the Västanå Musik och Teater (Music and Theatre of Västanå) in Rottneros and the chance to sit in on rehearsals. This purpose built wooden building, complete with carvings and hand made signage, retains the feeling of a traditional barn to create a truly magical atmosphere. While the theatre will stage classic works including Shakespeare, it especially celebrates the legacy of local writer Selma Lagerlöf, the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and put Swedish traditional storytelling on the map. The theatre also has a remarkable costume department and we were lucky to have a guided tour of their exhibition by the head designer Inger Stinnerbom.

Small group of people sitting and standing on the front three benches of an auditorium cladded in wood. — The Cultural Team visiting the auditorium of Music and Theatre of Västanå

Hand carved wooden sign with a plant motif and text 'Kostym Atelje.' — The Cultural Team visiting the auditorium of Music and Theatre of Västanå

And to bring our visit to a perfect close, we were given a personal tour of makers taking part in Karlstad open studios by our Region Värmland colleagues, Kajsa and Susanne. We were also treated to a tour of their beautiful new offices in Karlstad, brimming with local art and craft. They even have a Slöjd cupboard and a giant crochet needle that they use to engage the public with making. A huge thank you to all our new and established Swedish friends who made us feel so welcome and perfectly at home. It was such a joy to be visiting a region where craft feels important and genuinely embedded into contemporary culture. And it has given us so many ideas for future collaboration and exchange between our countries.