Moray businesses and community groups will be showcased to an international audience as part of the official opening of a new arts campus.
More than 100 leading designers from around the world have been invited to the Winter School event at Glasgow School of Art’s (GSA) base near Forres.
The workshops, which have a traditional theme, are being held to mark the christening of the converted steading on the Altyre Estate following a £2.5million refurbishment.
Treasured art and crafts methods from the north-east will be showcased to visiting students from Denmark and Germany.
A dozen firms and groups from Moray, including Piping at Forres, the Burghead Clavie, Pluscarden Abbey and Knockando Woolmill, are taking part in the event that will see the students visit them to learn about how they are run.
Gordon Hush, acting director of the GSA’s Highland and Island’s creative campus, is excited to give the students the chance to learn from Moray’s heritage.
He said: “Winter School is an opportunity for international students and design experts to come together to address issues that have both a local and international resonance.
“The ongoing work at the campus brings together academics with local businesses and communities – we’re pleased they want to be involved.
“Their participation will enable the students to develop ideas which are firmly rooted in the local context but which have wider international applications.”
During the two-week event, which runs from January 16 to 27, the delegates will look at how traditional designs can be used to address modern-day challenges.
The Findhorn Bay Art Festival, Johnstons of Elgin, the Ballindalloch Estate and Elgin’s Castle to Cathedral to Cashmere project will also be showcased.
Guest speakers from Portugal, Italy, the USA, India and Singapore are due to attend.
Eva Brandt, professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts (KADK), said the event was a rare opportunity to share ideas.
She said: “What I love about Winter School is that it is an opportunity for reflection and learning – for teachers and students alike.
“It’s a special chance for educators from three different European institutions to join forces and for students to work together on a specific project.”
