As we prepare to announce our Seeds of Change 2025 finalists, Cultural Enterprises Creative Development Manager Fi Anderson takes a moment to reflect on the progress of our 2024 prize fund winner and why its journey matters now more than ever.
Launched in response to the ongoing challenges facing arts, heritage and cultural organisations, especially post-pandemic and amid a cost-of-living crisis, the Cultural Enterprises Seeds of Change £10,000 prize fund is awarded annually to a project that demonstrates innovation, commercial sustainability, community impact, and long-term legacy in cultural income generation. It’s designed to help organisations build new income streams that are rooted in social and environmental purpose, while remaining highly replicable and scalable across the sector.
The Winning Project: Fruitmarket’s ‘Future Makers’
Announced in June 2024 at our exclusive industry leaders’ event, Edinburgh based gallery Fruitmarket was selected as the inaugural recipient of the Seeds of Change prize fund for its bold and timely project: Future Makers.
Led by Buying and Retail Manager Allison Everett, Future Makers builds a sustainable retail model that nurtures emerging Scottish artists, designers and makers equipping them with the real-world skills needed to develop, price and wholesale their work through Fruitmarket’s shop. The result? A curated, commercially viable product range that’s fresh, local, and rich in story.
This project struck a powerful chord with the judging panel. In an era where retail teams are seeking more authentic, locally made products, Future Makers offered an adaptable solution that meets the moment. It tackled the widespread challenge of sourcing meaningfully while reducing reliance on overseas suppliers, creating a model other organisations could readily adopt.
Future Makers is more than a strategy – it’s a movement. The ripple effect of empowering local creatives to develop sustainable businesses has the potential to transform the wider sector.
“This retail model has space to be expanded, upscaled even further, and to help even more makers across the UK,” said Allison. “It’s a place to start if you want to focus on the local, bright talent of your area and bring a profitable, bespoke, sustainable, story-filled, and connection-rich range to your audience. We are so grateful to Cultural Enterprises and Seeds of Change for the opportunity to develop this model.”
Immediate Impact Post-Award
With the Seeds of Change funding secured, Fruitmarket moved quickly. A clear project timeline was agreed with the Cultural Enterprises team, and a call went out to artists across Scotland.
Originally designed to support 10 creatives, the programme ultimately selected 12 artists and makers, each at a different stage of their practice. Each was thoughtfully paired with an upcoming exhibition and challenged to develop new merchandise that aligned both with their own creative vision and Fruitmarket’s audience.
Support was provided across pricing, budgeting, product development, and wholesale readiness, ensuring each participant could balance craft integrity with commercial viability.
Progress and Early Outcomes
Though still in its first year, Future Makers is already demonstrating strong results.
- Products are selling well, with some becoming shop bestsellers and reordered regularly.
- Several makers have secured new wholesale clients, both within and beyond the cultural sector.
- All participants gained essential retail and commercial skills, helping them grow their creative businesses sustainably.
- A celebratory showcase is planned for October 2025 in Fruitmarket’s warehouse space.
- Planning for the next cohort of Future Makers is already underway.
This initiative is not only refreshing the retail offer, it’s creating real opportunities for artists to thrive in a changing economy.
Challenges and Lessons Learned
As with any new initiative, there were learning curves:
- Diverse levels of maker experience required adaptive mentoring styles and flexible timelines.
- Balancing commercial goals with artistic freedom proved an ongoing dialogue, but ultimately led to more thoughtful, refined product outcomes.
- Participants also tackled logistical challenges, such as bulk shipping, packaging standards, and scaling pricing models, which encouraged them to be more experimental and adaptive in their approach and creative processes.
These insights have laid a stronger foundation for the programme’s next phase and will inform future replication across the sector.
Current Status and What’s Next
Future Makers is now a live, evolving programme with clear ambitions for scale and sustainability. The showcase event will spotlight both the makers and their products, encouraging further support and collaboration. As we look towards closing the year Allison will be providing us with materials and a report so that you too can find ways to seek out and support artists and makers in your local area.
Excitingly, the project has inspired others: some 2024 prize applicants have since pursued their ideas independently. For example, Insole Court Trust has launched its mobile Tuk Tuk café, initially pitched as a Seeds of Change entry. It’s proof that the prize’s influence goes well beyond its single winner.
Reflections on the Prize’s Role
Winning the Seeds of Change Prize has been transformative for Fruitmarket, as Allison explains: “Seeds of Change has enabled us to raise much-needed income while bringing new voices into Scottish cultural retail.”
Seeds of Change has reinforced the vital role the cultural sector can play in nurturing innovation and sustainability from the ground up. Future Makers is a shining example of what happens when creativity meets opportunity.
From the Makers
“The team at Fruitmarket opened my eyes to packaging, marketing and design as integral parts of my practice… elevating the product to a kind of ‘art object’ status.”
– Holly Allen
“I’ve learnt about the commission process and how to develop my ideas into a concise brief and outcome. I can’t wait to see the results of this project and discover what the future holds.”
– Zsofia Jak
“Alison created a nurturing space to explore and learn. She’s a passionate advocate for aspiring makers.”
– Dominique Saag
“I’ve benefited from the team’s expertise in pricing art as a product (notoriously difficult!) and wholesale logistics.”
– Deluxe Miscellanea
“The programme encouraged me to explore new creative directions and taught me how the shop works behind the scenes.”
– Rosa Park
Supporting Sustainable Creativity: How You Can Get Involved
Seeds of Change is more than just a financial award, it’s a commitment to building a sustainable, inclusive, and innovative future for cultural retail.
As we look forward to announcing the 2025 winner this summer, we invite you to:
- Follow the journey of Future Makers as it grows and inspires a new wave of local creative enterprise.
- Consider how your organisation might adopt similar models, using local talent to create bespoke, sustainable ranges.
- Support local makers and champion grassroots enterprise by prioritising thoughtful, community-driven retail.
- Explore our suite of resources, including our Sustainability Framework, to guide your approach to product development. Start by learning about the Circular Economy, and use it to inform your next buying cycle or product reorder.
Because small changes, seeded with care, can grow into something extraordinary.
