Perth Builds on UNESCO Status with Make Room, an Innovative Creative Incubator

Perth Builds on UNESCO Status with Make Room, an Innovative Creative Incubator

Perth continues to strengthen its position as a leading destination for creative enterprise, while building on its designation as a UNESCO Creative City of Craft and Folk Art.

The Make Room project is a pilot creative incubator located within the former Tayberry Gallery unit at 19 Princes Street in the heart of the city centre.

Perth’s UNESCO designation, awarded in 2021, recognises the city’s long-standing relationship with crafts and folk arts. From its origins as a historic market town built on skilled trades, to its present-day network of cultural venues, creative studios and independent artists and makers, skilled crafts remain embedded in the DNA of Perth and Kinross.

Poppy Jarratt, UNESCO Programme Officer for Perth and Kinross Council, explains, “If you look at the city, you’ll find vennels named after traditional trades and a market town layout that would have supported craftspeople in making and selling their wares.

“Today, that heritage continues, with culture and creativity a key element of what attracts visitors, residents and business into the city and beyond.”

Make Room: A New Model for High Street Activation

Five years on since the UNESCO designation was first awarded, and activities and investment are now aligned with cultural development and wider economic and place-making ambitions.

Developed as part of the Council’s Perth City Development and Design Framework, Make Room responds directly to two key priorities: supporting creative practitioners to scale their businesses and their economic impact, and bringing vacant city centre units back into active use.

The model is simple but impactful. Selected makers are given access to the space for six to twelve weeks, with no rental or utility costs. In return, they activate the unit as a fully functioning retail and studio environment providing opportunities for the public to buy, workshop and engage with the creative process.

Defining Craft in a Commercial Context

The Make Room model expands on the UNESCO designation by clearly defining the understanding of craft.

Jarratt explains, “Craft is something that is replicable, whereby you can handmake the same thing again and again. It’s based on teachable skills that can be passed on, differentiating it from fine art, which is more about individual expression.

“For the Make Room project, we’re curating an ongoing programme of skilled makers all of whom have ambitions to develop or grow their commercial practice. Whilst the space isn’t for hobby-level crafters as a primary use, many of our makers will be providing hands-on workshop experiences for everyone to enjoy.”

This distinction ensures the space supports practitioners who are not only highly skilled, but also able to scale their work, engage customers, and explore retail and workshop-based income streams.

• Replicable – the maker can produce the work consistently (it’s not a one-off expression)

• Skill-based and teachable – techniques can be learned, refined and passed on

• Primarily handmade – although tools and technology may be used, the maker’s skill is central

How does Make Room in Perth city centre support creative business growth?

Beyond providing retail space, Make Room is designed as a strategic, business development platform that is focused on turning creative talent into sustainable income.

“The premise is that there’s no exchange of money, but there is an exchange of responsibility. It’s our responsibility to provide a safe, supported space and it’s the maker’s responsibility to activate it, to open regularly, and to be a positive ambassador for the city centre and the creative community.

“The result will be a constantly evolving, public-facing creative space that offers visitors a reason to return, while enabling makers to test their product in the marketplace without financial risk.”

Participants are supported to build connections across the local ecosystem – from cultural venues to networks and collaborators – helping them develop the confidence and capability to take on permanent premises or expand their practice.

“A lot of creatives are incredibly skilled at what they do,” says Jarratt, “but running a business, managing retail, or delivering workshops is a completely different skill set.

“By encouraging makers to engage directly with customers and explore additional income streams such as workshops and commissions, the initiative helps bridge that gap in a practical, supported, and hands-on way.”

Interest in Make Room has been strong, with a year-long programme of tenants already in place and a mix of individual makers and collaborative groups preparing to take up residence.

“The project is being delivered as a pilot, with the potential to inform future approaches to high street regeneration.” says Jarratt. “Our aim is to show how once-vibrant units can be transformed back into places of creativity, activity and opportunity.”

Building a Connected Creative Ecosystem

Make Room sits alongside a growing programme of creative infrastructure across Perth and Kinross, including the Community Assets project at Perth Creative Exchange which includes a ceramics kiln, glass kiln and photography darkroom.

“The Community Assets project has proved to be hugely popular; workshops are booked out almost instantly and the subsidised access has reduced barriers to entry for both hobbyists and professional makers to experiment and innovate.

“What we’re building is a connected ecosystem. Initiatives like Make Room and the Community Assets suite demonstrate how Perth is leveraging its UNESCO status not simply as a cultural accolade, but as a catalyst for innovation, enterprise and sustainable growth.”

Makers interested in Make Room should contact Poppy Jarratt on [email protected].

Find out ore about Perth, City of Craft and Folk Art, on the Culture Perth and Kinross website.