I am honoured and excited to have been appointed a Trustee of the Hugo Burge Foundation, along with Dominic Goold.
Hugo Burge
The late entrepreneur, collector and philanthropist Hugo Burge (1972–2023) dedicated the last decade of his life to creating a cultural hub in the Scottish Borders. In 2022 he established The Marchmont Makers Foundation to support local makers, champion heritage crafts and expand access to the arts. Following his death in 2023, the Foundation was renamed in his memory. I worked with Hugo on various visual art events including those celebrating modern sculpture, women artists and the Scottish Colourists.
in the Hugo Burge Foundation Collection. Photo: Striking Places
The Hugo Burge Foundation
As you will see on its website, the Hugo Burge Foundation is a charitable organisation dedicated to supporting creativity in all its forms across the UK. It oversees a large studio pottery, a state-of-the-art silversmithing workshop, a printmaking studio and a traditional chairmaking workshop, along with stewardship of a walled garden and an important collection of modern British art. I was part of a team who mounted the exhibition A Collector’s Passion: Modern British Art from the Hugo Burge Foundation Collection in London in February 2026.
A Writer’s Residency
The Foundation provides free workspaces on its site in the Scottish Borders and offers funded residencies throughout the year. In the summer of 2026 it will open a new creative hub in the town of Earlston, offering subsidised studios and community spaces. I was lucky enough to receive a Writer’s Residency in the Foundation’s campus in the Scottish Borders October 2025 to support the writing of my book about the Scottish Colourists. It was commissioned by the National Galleries of Scotland and is due to be published laster this year.
Supporting Creativity
Like the Foundation, I am passionate about widening access to the arts. Its grant funding supports creative education, apprenticeships in heritage craft ,and major public artworks. It also provides opportunities for young people and community groups to explore and fulfil their creative potential. I look forward very much to being a Hugo Burge Foundation Trustee and to contributing to its endeavours.
For more on my Writer’s Residency, please follow this link and for more about my forthcoming Scottish Colourists book please click on this one.
