What is Trad Treasures?
Trad Treasures is an initiative led by TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland), aiming to highlight and acknowledge the contribution and commitment of those who have sustained and enriched our traditional arts over many decades.

Through recordings, films, artist profiles and archiving, Trad Treasures seeks to honour and celebrate Scotland’s traditional artists across traditional music, storytelling, dance and crafts. We aim not only to safeguard the work of established living heritage practitioners, but to actively support contemporary creative practice, positioning these tradition bearers as sources of knowledge and catalysts for new work.

Who will the programme feature?
Tradition bearers are individuals who, in their own communities and contexts, hold significant knowledge, repertoire or technique and whose practice has contributed to sustaining or passing on their tradition. We aim to capture the practice of a range of individuals across the Gaelic and Scots traditions, with an emphasis on local traditions and regional distinctiveness, with balanced geographical and gender representation. On occasion, we are invited to work with a specific tradition bearer and we always welcome suggestions of people who would make good subjects for this series.

Outputs
TRACS is working with independent film makers including Transgressive North, to seek funding to support the production of a living digital archive designed not only for preservation, but for creative reuse and inspiration. More than just life stories, we will highlight practitioners’ processes and techniques of performing, teaching and making, and the cultural context of their repertoires.

We plan to produce up to three films per year, alongside other forms of documentation and engagement including audio recordings, artist profiles, and occasional events. The series starts in May 2026 with the premiere of a film by Joseph Matheson, co-produced with TRACS CEO Steve Byrne, on the singer and weaver Jimmy Hutchison, as part of the 2026 Folk Film Gathering in Edinburgh. A further film produced by Jamie Chambers on Norman Kennedy is currently in production.

Long term aims
Over time, we anticipate that Trad Treasures will support residencies & commissions inspired by archive material, producing new work drawing on documented traditions, and collaborations between tradition bearers and contemporary artists, including mentorship and apprenticeship opportunities. Our intention is that Trad Treasures becomes an example of good safeguarding practice in our role as an organisation dedicated to promoting the diversity of Scotland’s Intangible Cultural Heritage under the 2003 UNESCO Convention.

Trad Treasures is currently supported by the generosity of private donors, to whom we give our grateful thanks.