Our story
28 years of art, music, dance, and nature
Founded in the woodlands of the Scottish Borders in 1996, Crone Institute began as a small gathering of artists who believed that creativity and the natural world are inseparable — and that both deserve to be taken seriously.
How we started
Built from the forest floor up
Our founders were a painter, a composer, and an ecologist who had each grown tired of working in isolation. They pooled their savings, leased a derelict farmstead on the edge of an ancient oak wood, and opened the doors to twelve artists in the autumn of 1996.
The institute grew slowly and deliberately — never chasing scale, always protecting the quality of attention that small cohorts make possible. By 2010 we had added a purpose-built music studio, a sprung-floor dance hall, and a network of nature trails that double as outdoor classrooms.
Today Crone Institute welcomes over 320 artists, musicians, dancers, and nature-lovers each year — still privately run, still rooted in the same woodland, and still guided by the belief that the best creative work happens when you slow down enough to truly see.
Key milestones
Founded in the Scottish Borders with twelve resident artists and a single open studio.
Opened the music programme and built the first acoustic studio from reclaimed timber.
Launched the dance programme with a sprung-floor studio and outdoor performance space.
Introduced the Nature Immersion programme — the first of its kind in the UK.
Completed the woodland amphitheatre and began hosting public concerts and exhibitions.
Welcoming 320+ participants annually across four disciplines, with a waiting list for every cohort.
What we stand for
Our values
These are not aspirational statements. They are the principles that shape every programme, every mentorship, and every conversation that happens on this campus.
01
Slowness
We resist the pressure to produce quickly. The best creative work takes time — time to observe, to fail, to begin again. We protect that time.
02
Attention
Art begins with looking. Music begins with listening. Dance begins with feeling. We teach attention as the foundational creative skill.
03
Belonging
Creativity flourishes in safety. Every person who comes here — regardless of experience or background — is treated as a serious artist.
04
Reciprocity
We take from the natural world every time we work in it. We give back through conservation, land stewardship, and ecological education.
The team
Leadership
Rowan Ashby
Artistic Director
With Crone since 2001
Rowan is a painter and printmaker who joined as a resident artist and gradually took on the role of shaping the institute's creative vision. She has led the visual arts programme for over two decades.
Finn Calloway
Director of Music
With Crone since 2003
Finn is a composer and improviser whose work spans chamber music and field recording. He built the music programme from a single upright piano to three acoustic studios and an open-air amphitheatre.
Saoirse Brennan
Director of Dance
With Crone since 2009
Saoirse trained in contemporary and somatic movement before joining Crone. She developed the outdoor morning practice that has become the signature of the dance programme.
Idris Okafor
Director of Nature Programmes
With Crone since 2014
Idris is an ecologist and land artist who designed the Nature Immersion programme. He manages the 40-acre campus and leads the institute's conservation and rewilding work.
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