Campaign for the Arts

"How do you justify abandoning a sector which sustains over 80,000 jobs and contributes more than £5 billion to the economy?" - Alexander Stewart MSP Yesterday, the Scottish Government responded to calls that it had 'betrayed' the arts sector through its repeated broken promises and the closure of Creative Scotland's Open Fund for Individuals. Cabinet Secretary Angus Robertson MSP assured: "everything is being done in government at the present time to make sure that the funding is safeguarded and is provided as a priority." We need the government's promises to turn into actions now, to avert a cultural catastrophe. Neil Bibby MSP stated that "this is a total mess and Scotland's artists are paying the price for this government's incompetence and poor planning." Rachael Hamilton MSP called out the quadruple arts funding U-turn, imploring the Scottish Government to “be transparent and to be open with Scotland's culture and creative sector. Because at the moment it is a hokey cokey.” The sector cannot run on pledges alone! 15,000 of us have signed our names to call on the government to deliver on its promises now to prevent cultural catastrophe. Join the petition here: https://lnkd.in/ezpCbWzy This post contains information licensed under the Scottish Parliament Copyright Licence.

No art without artists! We're demanding the Scottish Government to deliver on its arts funding promises to prevent cultural catastrophe. Add your name to the petition now- help us reach 15,000 signatures! https://lnkd.in/ezpCbWzy Quote by Campaign for the Arts supporter Sarah.

It's disheartening to see further evidence from the BBC outlining the sheer scale of the crisis affecting council-run libraries. - Over 180 council-run libraries have either closed or been handed to volunteer groups since 2016. - More deprived communities were four times more likely to have lost a library in that time. - Of those remaining, around a third, 950 libraries, have had their hours reduced. We're with Michael Rosen on this one - reducing access to libraries is "an act of cruelty." https://lnkd.in/eZA7xS98

We've been alerted to a series of 'Stop The Arts' protests happening across the country. Any information about the members and objectives of this group would be much appreciated.

Have you been affected by Creative Scotland's sudden closure of the Open Fund for Individuals? We want to hear from you - comment below or click here to share your story now: https://lnkd.in/ey6Ku7zP

Finish the sentence!

🎶 I said maybe...you're gonna be the one that saves me 🎶

Over 13,000 people are calling on the Scottish Government to deliver on their arts funding pledges. Without action, cultural catastrophe in Scotland is imminent, with over 45 museums and galleries at risk of closure. Add your name to the petition here: https://lnkd.in/ezpCbWzy

🚨 NEW: the decline in arts education at GCSE has reached a new low. Our analysis of today's results finds that arts subjects now account for a smaller proportion of GCSE entries than at any time since 2010. 📉 Over that period, there's been a 47% drop. ⬇️ Since last summer, the proportion of GCSE entries in arts subjects has shrunk by 1%. That does represent a slowing in the decline; entries shrunk by 7% between 2022 and 2023. ❗️However, the overall drops since 2010 are dramatic. 🎶 Since last summer, there's been a 4% increase in the proportion of GCSE entries in Music, and a 1% increase in Art & Design subjects. These are the only such increases in enrolment for any arts subjects at GCSE or A-level in the past year. 🎭 Over the past year, declines in GCSE arts entries were biggest for Performing / Expressive Arts and Dance – both saw 7% falls. Entries fell by 5% in Drama, 3% in Design and Technology and 1% in Media/Film/TV studies. The new government has made encouraging pledges on arts education, but these figures show that urgent action is necessary to halt the decline. Read more 👇 https://lnkd.in/dNtrq77v

🚨 Emergency petition to Defend Arts Access in Scotland! 🚨 The Scottish Government has repeatedly promised to address underinvestment in the arts with pledges to “more than double” funding and to deliver “at least £100 million more annually” by 2028-29. This amount would account for just 0.17% of the Government's current Budget. But the national arts body Creative Scotland has revealed that £10.7 million has been slashed or frozen from its budget midway through this year, forcing it to shut down the main public fund for freelance artists. More than 45 of Scotland’s museums and galleries are at risk of closure within 12 months, and Edinburgh’s festivals are warning that Scotland’s cultural assets are now in a “perilously fragile” state. Join and share the petition now! https://lnkd.in/ezpCbWzy