All who wish to sign the following letter, please add your name, arts job description and company (if appropriate)
Dear Ms Hyslop,
This letter is written in response to the recent announcements regarding Creative Scotland’s support for Regularly Funded Organisations.
These have sparked a significant nation-wide discussion amongst a diverse group of people from across all art forms on the nature of support given by Creative Scotland to the arts. The signatories below are a sample of those involved to date.
We are all aware of how difficult it is to make decisions around how the money that the Scottish Government gives to Creative Scotland is apportioned, relative to the various demands being placed upon it, and we do not envy the task of those who make the decisions.
However, we are deeply perturbed both by the way in which the RFO decisions have been made – and reversed – and by the values that these reflect in terms of Creative Scotland’s support of the arts in these straitened times.
The lack of clarity in decision-making, inconsistencies across all art forms in the rationales given for support or denial of support, and the poor level of communication - particularly with unsuccessful applicants - has resulted in deep misgivings amongst us around Creative Scotland’s role and strategic direction in supporting the arts within our country.
A depth of feeling and sense of urgency has provoked the clear belief amongst us that, in order to create a strong and sustainable creative sector, artists must be involved at a political level in the development of arts funding strategies.
Our aim is to ensure that the voices of all of those who are subjected to funding decisions by Creative Scotland are included in the discussions with government, rather than simply at the arms-length level of communication with Creative Scotland itself.
An artist-led National Arts Forum is in the process of being formed, with the aim of gathering, reporting and representing the voices of those working in the arts across Scotland. We are sure that you will agree that this is a very important initiative, and it will inevitably take time.
We respectfully ask that any decisions or discussion by the Culture Committee of the Scottish Parliament is delayed until the Forum has met and decided upon its first representations to government. We anticipate that this will be within 12 weeks from the date of this letter.
With all best wishes,
(The undersigned)
Updates
March 9, 2018
We just hit one thousand signatures on this letter. Send the link to your professional network and include a note about why this transparency matters to your work.
Reached 1,000 supporters
March 8, 2018
March 6, 2018
We need to hit the one thousand mark before we deliver this letter to the Culture Secretary. Post the link to your Facebook feed right now and text three colleagues to ensure they sign today.
Reached 100 supporters
February 18, 2018
316 Comments
My two daughters benefited hugely from going to the SYT classes when they were younger. They gained in confidence and creativity. I am shocked and hugely saddened that it is to close because of lack of funding. We need more creativity in Scotland, not less.
Stephanie Knight Artist, Researcher and Writer in Theatre & Social Change It is an incredible shame that we find ourselves in this situation once again. This can be resolved by involving artists in the decisions and greater transparency.
Actor and Writer/Director/Founder at TypeCast Productions - So many small companies like mine could really use even tiny percentages of the kind of money being granted to much larger and already better funded projects.
I am glad to be involved in this collective action by Scottish artists to enlighten the Scottish Government as to the failed model Creative Scotland is using to resource and invest in artistic production. Individual needs and strategic needs have to be better thought through.
Musician, sound artist, producer, hoping for as broad and open a consultation as possible on the future of arts funding - to me that means recognition that "the arts community" is not a select group of leaders, animators and organisations but at the end of the day the entire nation.
The arts are incredibly important to the underprivileged and those with mental health issues as well as the average person on the street who rarely smiles or is touched these fays
Problems with government funding of the arts have rumbled on for as long as I remember. How about transitioning to funding proper creative practice education from primary 1 to final year high school; making citizens that will spend on the arts as well as make them. Lets slowly cut the funding to the high arts, since those that mostly partake are from the higher income brackets and can pay for their pleasures!
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All who wish to sign the following letter, please add your name, arts job description and company (if appropriate)
Dear Ms Hyslop,
This letter is written in response to the recent announcements regarding Creative Scotland’s support for Regularly Funded Organisations.
These have sparked a significant nation-wide discussion amongst a diverse group of people from across all art forms on the nature of support given by Creative Scotland to the arts. The signatories below are a sample of those involved to date.
We are all aware of how difficult it is to make decisions around how the money that the Scottish Government gives to Creative Scotland is apportioned, relative to the various demands being placed upon it, and we do not envy the task of those who make the decisions.
However, we are deeply perturbed both by the way in which the RFO decisions have been made – and reversed – and by the values that these reflect in terms of Creative Scotland’s support of the arts in these straitened times.
The lack of clarity in decision-making, inconsistencies across all art forms in the rationales given for support or denial of support, and the poor level of communication - particularly with unsuccessful applicants - has resulted in deep misgivings amongst us around Creative Scotland’s role and strategic direction in supporting the arts within our country.
A depth of feeling and sense of urgency has provoked the clear belief amongst us that, in order to create a strong and sustainable creative sector, artists must be involved at a political level in the development of arts funding strategies.
Our aim is to ensure that the voices of all of those who are subjected to funding decisions by Creative Scotland are included in the discussions with government, rather than simply at the arms-length level of communication with Creative Scotland itself.
An artist-led National Arts Forum is in the process of being formed, with the aim of gathering, reporting and representing the voices of those working in the arts across Scotland. We are sure that you will agree that this is a very important initiative, and it will inevitably take time.
We respectfully ask that any decisions or discussion by the Culture Committee of the Scottish Parliament is delayed until the Forum has met and decided upon its first representations to government. We anticipate that this will be within 12 weeks from the date of this letter.
With all best wishes,
(The undersigned)
Updates
March 9, 2018
We just hit one thousand signatures on this letter. Send the link to your professional network and include a note about why this transparency matters to your work.
Reached 1,000 supporters
March 8, 2018
March 6, 2018
We need to hit the one thousand mark before we deliver this letter to the Culture Secretary. Post the link to your Facebook feed right now and text three colleagues to ensure they sign today.
Reached 100 supporters
February 18, 2018
316 Comments
Having run a community music venue for nearly 10 years now, I feel that there is a definite need for an improved strategic approach to supporting artists to enable them to flourish and to do this their voices need to be heard
My two daughters benefited hugely from going to the SYT classes when they were younger. They gained in confidence and creativity. I am shocked and hugely saddened that it is to close because of lack of funding. We need more creativity in Scotland, not less.
Stephanie Knight Artist, Researcher and Writer in Theatre & Social Change It is an incredible shame that we find ourselves in this situation once again. This can be resolved by involving artists in the decisions and greater transparency.
Actor and Writer/Director/Founder at TypeCast Productions - So many small companies like mine could really use even tiny percentages of the kind of money being granted to much larger and already better funded projects.
I am glad to be involved in this collective action by Scottish artists to enlighten the Scottish Government as to the failed model Creative Scotland is using to resource and invest in artistic production. Individual needs and strategic needs have to be better thought through.
Musician, sound artist, producer, hoping for as broad and open a consultation as possible on the future of arts funding - to me that means recognition that "the arts community" is not a select group of leaders, animators and organisations but at the end of the day the entire nation.
The arts are incredibly important to the underprivileged and those with mental health issues as well as the average person on the street who rarely smiles or is touched these fays
Problems with government funding of the arts have rumbled on for as long as I remember. How about transitioning to funding proper creative practice education from primary 1 to final year high school; making citizens that will spend on the arts as well as make them. Lets slowly cut the funding to the high arts, since those that mostly partake are from the higher income brackets and can pay for their pleasures!
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Having run a community music venue for nearly 10 years now, I feel that there is a definite need for an improved strategic approach to supporting artists to enable them to flourish and to do this their voices need to be heard