1 June 2009

Perth Gallery is the jewel in jewellery graduate's crown

Most final year art students have enough on their plate preparing their final projects but Perth’s Ebba Redman had an additional worry during the final few months of her University career - she was busy opening her very own art gallery at the same time.

Ebba (25), who has just graduated from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in Dundee, was forced to work flat out when the opportunity arose to take over what is now The Tayberry Gallery in the city’s Princes Street.

Her jewellery designs are currently being exhibited at the annual Degree Show hosted by DJCAD, part of the University of Dundee, and will feature prominently at the new gallery, which specialises in contemporary art and craft.

Ebba, who has opened The Tayberry with her partner Andrew Goring, is currently installing her own workshop space inside the gallery. She says the past few months have been incredibly hectic, but that she is very much looking forward to the new venture.

She said, 'It’s been quite hard work, especially as we were moving house at the same time, but it was just the case that everything happened at once. It was a great opportunity to take over the gallery, and couldn’t afford to sit still.'

'Obviously there’s been a lot of rushing around, but everything has been going really well since we took over at the start of April. We are planning a Grand Opening for the end of June, and I’m really looking forward to getting the workshop installed and being at the gallery full time.'

'As far as my own work goes, I’m hoping to sell work online and exhibit in other galleries so I can help improve The Tayberry’s profile, as well as that of Perth and Scotland.'

'I also hope to eventually hold jewellery classes at the gallery, but we’ll have to see how thing develop and, for the moment, everything is just geared towards building up the gallery and getting its name out there.'

Neither Andrew or Ebba are new to the business, and will pool their knowledge of working in the gallery environment to help ensure the success of The Tayberry. Andrew has experience of managing his family’s business, Frames Gallery in Perth, while Ebba undertook a work placement at a gallery in Stockholm last summer.

The Swedish gallery, called Lod, inspired Ebba to combine a gallery and a workshop, and also taught her much about the production of high quality handmade pieces.

She writes a blog, www.ebbaredman.blogspot.com, which discusses and showcases examples of what Ebba sees as a new wave of craft production. It looks at all sorts of domestic craft where traditional and modern skills and time are invested to deliver a precious product.

This approach is typified in her own work where she integrates delicate hand working skills, like lace making and crocheting, into her silver jewellery.

She added, 'The work I do comes out of a desire to master these skills even if it takes ages to do so. I find it rewarding to take time over a piece.'

Ebba was born in Edinburgh and grew up in Kinghorn. She studied music before turning to art, and enrolling on the Jewellery & Metal Design course at Duncan of Jordanstone.

The Tayberry Gallery will exhibit ceramics, glass, jewellery, textiles and paintings. Its current exhibition features textile artist Lindsey Gardiner, who is also a lecturer at Duncan of Jordanstone, and Lisa Rooney, another Dundee-based artist.

For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk