As announced, I represented the SAU at today's event organised by Greig Chalmers
of the
Scottish Executive's office for Tourism, Culture & Sport at the Edinburgh
International
Conference Centre, along with some 120 delegates from various cultural
institutions, arts
organisations and local authorities.

The day's opening remarks came from Prof. John Wallace, Principal of the Royal
Scottish
Academy for Music & Drama. Although his speech was generally optimistic in tone
(and
enlivened by occasional trumpet solos!) he did voice several criticisms of the
Bill. He
suggested that now is the time for nothing short of a "Cultural Declaration of
Arbroath",
and that the Bill falls far short of this. Specifically, he said that the
proposals on Cultural
Entitlements need teeth; that Creative Scotland's remit needs to be expanded
beyond
those of the Scottish Arts Council and Scottish Screen (i.e. the arts) to truly
encompass all
culture (language, heritage, libraries & archives etc) and that if this cannot
be done then
an appropriate board of organisations needs to be established; that the artist
as individual
needs to be remembered; and that, in terms of art, research & development need
to be
cherished and supported as much as social or economic benefits.

It was gratifying to hear these latter two points in particular expressed at the
start of the
event, as they echo the SAU's perspective. While Prof. Wallace insisted the
artist (and by
that he meant the creative individual) needs to be cherished, he wondered aloud
whether
the language of government documents (the draft Bill and its accompanying
guidance
notes) could or should acknowledge them, especially if Creative Scotland's remit
were to
be expanded to the extent he'd like. On this we disagree: if the description of
the body
that is to replace the Scottish Arts Council can make special mention of
computer games,
but makes none of artists, something is far wrong.

The next speaker was the Minister herself, Patricia Ferguson MSP. The Minister
stated that
the intent of the Bill is to establish a "framework" and nothing more, and that
she
understands the frustration over the perceived gap between its language as a
policy-
making document (regrettably but necessarily dry) and the "inspiring reality" of
the
cultural sector. With this framework in place, she said, the policy of her
administration
would be to "stand well back". The Ministerial powers over Creative Scotland's
board are
to be held in reserve and enshrined in the Bill only because Ministers must be
accountable
for the spending of public money.

The Minister displayed a frequent confusion between "culture" and "the arts" and
"the arts"
and "creative industries" that was noted by many delegates in subsequent
discussions. As
far as Creative Scotland's remit was concerned, she said the new body's job
would be: to
advise Ministers on cultural matters; provide a link between national and local
government; advise practitioners on reaching new audiences, attracting corporate
sponsorship and acquiring business skills (worryingly enterprise-centric); and
(an
increasingly familiar turn of phrase) "support talent and recognise and
celebrate
excellence".

On Cultural Entitlements, the Minister said that many had criticised the use of
the word
"entitlement" when the Bill itself does not make mandatory requirement of their
provision
by local authorities. She said the word had been used to be indicative of the
ambition
behind the initiative. She explained that local authorities will be required by
law to inform
their residents about cultural opportunities and events, and report to the
Scottish
Executive demonstrating that they have "had regard to" the Bill in the formation
of their
cultural planning.

She said the proposal is not about quotas or "box ticking", but generating
excitement
about culture.

There was a brief opportunity to question the Minister, and I put these points
to her and
her staff:
1) What conclusions can be drawn from the lack of acknowledgment in the
description of
Creative Scotland and its remit of the vital role played and contribution made
by the
individual visual artist, and furthermore the absence of visual or applied arts
experience
among the body's recently-announced interim board?
2) The Executive is encouraging local authorities to draw upon or use artist as
if they are a
natural resource to be exploited, while simultaneously these authorities are
increasingly
conferring their responsibilities for cultural provision onto trusts and
companies. This will
add more bureaucracy to the process and another "sieve" that catches money as it
trickles
down, depriving the artist of funding yet further. How, in this period of
history, can moves
be made to utilise a resource without first ensuring its future sustainability?

In answer to the first, Patricia Ferguson said an absence of the artist from
"the face of the
Bill" should not be taken to mean they have been forgotten. She went on to say
that there
had been no visual artists among the personnel put forward for selection by
either the
Scottish Arts Council or Scottish Screen. However the board is not yet full and
they intend
to expand it to its maximum size, selecting at least one visual artist as they
do so. The
position will be advertised in due course.
(Later, Ben Twist of Scottish Screen and one of the new Creative Scotland
appointees was
good enough to confirm that he had raised this same concern during the selection
process.)

As for the second question, both the Minister and her staff vigorously rejected
the notion
that Cultural Entitlements could leave artists liable to exploitation. Rather,
they stated that
the proposal should produce greater opportunities for artists, and increase the
level to
which they are engaged with and consulted by their local authorities. Of
course, they did
not confirm whether local authorities will actually have more money with which
to
implement these entitlements (i.e. will artists be paid properly), which is the
heart of the
matter. This was furthered in questions from other delegates, but the panel
refused to
express even an opinion on what percentage of tax revenue might be ring-fenced
for
culture, or how many pennies in every pound spent by local authorities would go
towards
it.

The consultation process continues and we will remain engaged in it until the
March
deadline.

Terry Anderson
President
Scottish Artists Union