Creative Scotland Visual Arts Sector Review October 2016 © 2016 Creative Scotland Contents No part of this publication may be reproduced in any format without prior written permission of Creative Scotland. 5 Executive Summary 8 Background, Brief, Methodology and Deliverables 11 Overview 16 Key Findings The People Excellence and innovation Career progression, sustaining and developing practice Individuals and public funding Work and earnings Education Equal opportunities Equalities, diversity and inclusion Creative Scotland operates an equal opportunities policy. Our offices have 35 The Infrastructure disabled access. Certain publications Overview can be made available in Gaelic, Scots, Geography in large print, Braille or audio format. Employment and financial profiles Connection, collaboration and exchange Contact Enquiries on 0845 603 6000 Typetalk please prefix number with 18001 52 For BSL users, use www.contactscotland-bsl.org The Public Public engagement and audience development Public art, participation and socially-engaged practice This plan is produced in electronic form by Advocacy and the public voice of the sector Creative Scotland — please consider the environment and do not print unless you really need to. Please note 62 that we use hyperlinks throughout this document (to link Appendix 1 — Creative Scotland’s role to other publications, research or plans) which won’t be accessible if the document is printed. Your feedback is important to us. Let us know what you think of this publication by emailing [email protected] 2 3 Executive Summary Creative Scotland Visual Arts Creative Scotland is committed to intended to help form and test priorities Sector Review working in partnership with others for the future, to generate fresh thinking to fund and support the arts, screen about the ways in which the sector works, In our culture the visual is not an add-on extra, a and creative industries in Scotland, to and to unlock new partnerships and give or take thing that we could easily live without. enable them to contribute to a thriving opportunities for funding. This review It is essential to understanding our world and creative future for the whole country. is primarily drawing on the experiences We have published strategies for the of the people who participated in our communicating with one another. Almost more Arts, Screen and Creative Industries consultation, and elements of the report than ever the world around us communicates and have been undertaking a series of will reflect and resonate with some parts visually. Images, both still and moving, are incredibly sector reviews to help us understand the of the sector more strongly than with powerful in allowing us to share and mould our specific circumstances, characteristics others. The publication of this report identities and experiences. and complexities of the different art will be an important staging post that forms we support. These sector reviews enables further work and conversations Rachel Maclean, Artist have underpinned the Arts Strategy and to take place. its commitment to extending the reach, relevance and contribution that the arts make across all of Scotland, and beyond. The people working in the visual arts in Through developing and sharing our 10 Scotland are extremely skilled, ambitious year plan, individual strategies and sector and resourceful. Collectively, the sector reviews we aim to widen understanding generates high levels of excellence, of the potential across the arts, screen innovation and public value across its and creative industries in Scotland, and work. However, the report reveals that support policy and funding approaches on capacities, both human and financial, a local as well as national level. are extremely stretched. This has the potential to impact negatively on levels The Visual Arts Sector Review sets out of motivation and confidence in the our understandings of the visual arts in sector, and raises concerns about future Scotland and the people, places, resources sustainability and growth. and relationships that underpin its achievements. It aims to reveal the sector’s For Scotland to be a recognised, core strengths, identify challenges that international centre of excellence for the lie ahead and propose actions that would visual arts, the sector will need to maintain enable development into the future. and grow the resources required to sustain its work. At a time when the funding The report that follows presents an available to Creative Scotland and other indicative, rather than a definitive, view public partners is reducing this will be of the sector, and how it operates. It is 4 5 a challenge that will require a focussed practice is becoming less sustainable, and of GENERATION. However, if the visual working in the sector need to be in a and determined effort from all involved. impacts negatively on the high numbers arts sector is to maintain its strength and stronger financial position and enabled Positive change has to be encouraged and of artists and other creative professionals achieve its potential, there has to be to explore new ways of working, and new ways of working supported. who are working freelance or self- a compelling and ambitious vision for to build longer term alliances and employed. There are a range of important the future, enabled by committed and strategic partnerships that will build Building resilience at an individual and social, cultural and ideological reasons connected leadership at both a national capacity, generate resilience and organisational level will require high why people work in the visual arts sector, and a local level. underpin future growth levels of creativity and ambition; strong, but artists and creative professionals effective and connected leadership; new One of the first priorities to have • That the richness, value, reach and need financial stability and security to alliances and connections; and longer emerged from this review is how impact of the sector’s work needs to thrive. term strategic partnerships, between leadership in the sector could be most be evidenced and articulated more public and private, and within Scotland Galleries and other visual arts effectively harnessed and developed. clearly, with a view to promoting and beyond. organisations have a critical role to play There are other headline priorities that more widely the excellence and in supporting and sustaining artists, Considerable social, cultural and have emerged from the Review process, public impact of the experiences creating opportunities for their work, economic value is generated across the including: and opportunities that the sector and their thinking, to impact on people’s sector, but stronger and more coherent generates. lives. Many organisations in the sector are • That the ambition and quality of work advocacy is needed to maintain and grow working at the limits of their resources, that has defined the sector needs to This report has identified a number public and private support and to lever unable to invest in the development and be maintained into the future and that of actions that we think could help to in new partnerships and opportunities. delivery of their creative programmes and national and international connections address these priorities but we need Skills, expertise and connections are in extending their public reach. Pressures need to be strengthened to build on to discuss the findings of the review needed if the sector is to be in a position are compounded by the fact that the achievements to date with the sector before we formalise to increase self-generated income and visual arts sector is heavily populated by recommendations and move to establish new investment from public and private • That the ways in which artists and arts organisations of a relatively small scale a development framework for the future. sources. organisations respond to Scotland’s that have limited scope to invest in their Following the publication of this report distinct and diverse communities is a There is no appetite within the sector for development and to build their future, we will invite leaders and partners from activity to be reduced or scaled-back - strength of the sector that needs to across the sector to meet with us to organisational resilience. but limited resources cannot be spread be clearly articulated, and effectively discuss its findings and to explore the too thinly if ambition and innovation are supported by national and local priorities that have emerged, with a view to be sustained. Partners and funders partners to establishing a collective approach to In 2014 GENERATION celebrated 25 years need to be more focussed on the quality development and positive change that of contemporary art in Scotland — a • That the exceptionally high levels of and impacts of the work that the sector will give the sector greater strength into bold and timely initiative that reflected knowledge, expertise and energy that is generating rather than being overly the future. This will enable us to align the the strength, diversity and reach of the people bring to the sector needs to be prescriptive about the quantity of priorities of the visual arts sector with work that is produced and presented fully recognised, appropriately valued outputs and the pace of delivery. those identified in both the Arts and here. It was a landmark moment for the and supported Creative Industries Strategies to ensure The achievements of the sector are visul arts in Scotland made possible • That the financial position of the the most effective use of our resources down to the commitment, expertise and through ambitious and connected majority of artists and other creative and to achieve the high level ambitions creativity of the people that work within leadership, effective co-ordination and individuals working as freelance and and outcomes that we wish to achieve. it. For many years there has been a communication, strong collaborations self-employed across the sector needs culture of low or no pay within the visual and partnership building, enhanced to be improved Amanda Catto, arts which has resulted in a great deal resources and investment.