13 groups to help Scotland develop its cultural future

Originally published in The Herald, 19/6/2009

For culture in Scotland it could be the lucky 13. Thirteen separate groups of artists, experts, practitioners and leaders will be vital to decision-making in the nation's new culture body, it was announced yesterday.

Creative Scotland, which will be formed by the merger of current arts bodies Scottish Arts Council and Scottish Screen, will have 13 "reference groups" of people who work in each sector to give Creative Scotland insider information and expertise on the needs of their areas.

"Significant and genuine practitioner involvement is central to this structure and is considered the key reason why this structure will be different from and more successful than previous attempts to develop the sector," said a government report published yesterday.


The creative industries report cemented the plan that involves Creative Scotland, Scottish Enterprise, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and Highlands and Islands Enterprise working together to develop the nation's creative output, with Creative Scotland taking a lead role.

Culture Minister Mike Russell said: "Practitioners have been right at the centre of developing this shared vision; where they belong and will remain as Creative Scotland emerges and we begin to see the agreement in action.

"This shared commitment will see our creative industries flourish and prosper as viable businesses. But let me be clear that Creative Scotland will also ardently champion artists that have no commercial aspirations, ensuring that art for arts sake' is given a new lease of life."

He said that artists had nothing to fear from the new set-up, and that those who previously found it hard to get funding may instead be given optimism by the new model.

The 13 different parts of the creative industries have been defined as the following: advertising, architecture, art and antiques, crafts, design, designer fashion, film, interactive leisure software, music, performing arts, publishing, software and computing services, and TV and radio. Last night Ewan Brown, chair of the interim Creative Scotland 2009 company, said that those thirteen areas may be changed or rationalised as time goes on.

Scottish Screen already has an obvious film remit and the Scottish Arts Council currently deals with visual and the performing arts as well as music and publishing, but involvement in many of the 13 areas will be a new development for the prime arts funding body in Scotland, particularly such areas as computer games and fashion.

Creative Scotland will be formed in 2010, if the measures for its creation are passed in the Public Services Reform Bill.

The new set-up will also see Business Gateway as the "primary entrance route for new or pre-start creative businesses".

Originally, it was intended that Creative Scotland would not only lead the development of the creative industries but assume much of the fiscal muscle from Scottish Enterprise, too.

Indeed, the 2007 SNP manifesto said: "We will transfer the budgets for the creative industries from Scottish Enterprise to Creative Scotland."

This is not happening.

Mr Russell said: "We have discussed this but we decided not to for two reasons. One, you just cannot divide the money in that way, and secondly, there is greater added value in having Scottish Enterprise, HIE and the councils involved in this. I was persuaded by that argument."