(Image: Derek McArthur)
This article appears as part of the Unspun: Scottish Politicsnewsletter.
Summerhall. St Margaret’s House. The CCA building.Bit by bit, the nation’s creative spaces are being sold off, plunging Scotland’s artists and makers into an uncertain future.
Not to mention programme closures at the Edinburgh College of Art and Duncan of Jordanstone.
Here in the capital, I have followed the St Margaret’s House and Summerhall developments with considerable interest over the last month.
More than 200 artists and community groups were told to vacate the nine-storey tower block in Meadowbank by January 2027, as owner Caledonian Trust approaches a sale of the property.
Meanwhile, at Summerhall, developers AMA have unveiled ambitious plans to turn much of the ageing complex into serviced apartments and a hotel, while maintaining a dedicated portion of the fabric as an arts centre.
Summerhall is to be redeveloped by AMA (New Town) Ltd, which specialises in converting difficult old buildings. (Image: Cat Thomson Photography)
I spoke to AMA managing director Ali Afshar and lead architect Tony Kettle about the proposals earlier this week, and came away impressed by their vision for the site.
Yet, as Mr Afshar himself conceded, the changes will result in some artists not being able to return to Summerhall once the dust settles.
Of course, from a business and development perspective, the fate of individual makers is not a primary concern. Nor should it be, it can be argued.
So what will secure a sustainable future for the arts in Scotland?
Cold, hard cash.
Consider Edinburgh’s Creative Community Hubs Network, which is funded by the council and partners with granton: hub, North Edinburgh Arts, The Crannie, WHALE Arts, Duncan Place community hub, Out of the Blue Drill Hall, Lyra at ArtSpace, and Craigmillar Now.
The Herald revealed last month that community-based groups will now be able to access a £2.66m funding pot generated by the city’s tourist tax.
Yet, the funding was only allocated after months of haggling and horsetrading by councillors and cultural groups.
Surely, our centres of creative life, and the talented people behind them, deserve better.
Culture secretary Màiri McAllan made headlines with her pledge to bring in an Ireland-style “minimum income” for artists.
“As culture secretary, I want people in the arts industry to know that I’m not someone who believes in the economic extraction of everything. I believe in art for art’s sake,” she told The Herald in August.
“But I also want to support artists to emerge and make a career out of their incredible talent, and not to feel that they have to suffer to pursue it, because they make a huge contribution to our national life.”
The government estimates that as many as 90,000 people work in the creative industries in Scotland, contributing more than £5.7 billion to the economy every year.
The scheme is expected to be limited to around 2,000 artists nationwide, costing the government around £30 million.
Good news for the creative sector, surely.
But could the government go further? It has committed to increase annual culture funding by £100 million by 2028-29, after all.
One such approach could focus on ‘centres of artistic excellence’ — community-based hubs which provide subsidised or free spaces for artists and makers to develop their craft and sell their wares.
Read more:
- Summerhall faces 'partial demolition' as hotel and housing are lined up for arts hub
- Artists told to vacate creative hub as owner in talks over St Margaret's House sale
- A monthly basic income for artists working in Scotland? What a marvellous idea
Another could involve working with developers and building owners to map out a sustainable or subsidised future for their creative tenants.
Pouring more money into the arts during a cost of living crisis and radical public sector reform seems antithetical and foolhardy.
Yet, the immense economic impact of Scotland’s arts and culture scene, from the Edinburgh festivals to film shoots in Glasgow to world-class contemporary craft, surely necessitates an investment commensurate to the value it provides.
The creative industry in this nation is on the brink of collapse. The cracks will only worsen if action is not taken.
Those in charge would do well to remember that when we lose culture, we lose ourselves.