The directors of Scottish galleries have cautiously welcomed the announcement of the Creative Scotland bill, under which the Scottish Arts Council (SAC) and Scottish Screen will be replaced by a new national cultural body.
John Stewart-Young, the project director of the McManus Galleries and Museum in Dundee, said: "I don't see why it should be a problem. There is synergy between these areas and I am sure we will continue to get grant aid under Creative Scotland. Hopefully it has not just been prompted by economies of scale, but will allow more funding to be spent in better ways."
Mungo Campbell, the deputy director of the Hunterian Museum & Art Gallery in Glasgow, said it was too early to tell whether Creative Scotland would bring improvements. But he hoped that the new body would follow the SAC in regarding contemporary art collecting as "a vital part of what it does".
John Leighton, the director-general of the National Galleries of Scotland, said: "Indirectly, we do a lot of work in partnership with the SAC and I think the new formulation will facilitate that. If Creative Scotland has more of a brief to promote the visual arts, I can see ways in which we could work more closely with it."
The bill is a slimmed-down version of the draft Culture (Scotland) bill, which went to consultation earlier this year. The most controversial paragraph of the draft bill, allowing ministers to give directions to museums and galleries, has been left out after all three national collections expressed "serious concern" over the measure, which critics said would jeopardise the arms-length principle. One Scottish museum director said they thought this measure had been "quietly put to one side".
A Scottish government spokesman said ministers were considering "if and how to take the rest of the bill forward, and may consider legislating for some sections at a later date".
Patrick Steel
John Stewart-Young, the project director of the McManus Galleries and Museum in Dundee, said: "I don't see why it should be a problem. There is synergy between these areas and I am sure we will continue to get grant aid under Creative Scotland. Hopefully it has not just been prompted by economies of scale, but will allow more funding to be spent in better ways."
Mungo Campbell, the deputy director of the Hunterian Museum & Art Gallery in Glasgow, said it was too early to tell whether Creative Scotland would bring improvements. But he hoped that the new body would follow the SAC in regarding contemporary art collecting as "a vital part of what it does".
John Leighton, the director-general of the National Galleries of Scotland, said: "Indirectly, we do a lot of work in partnership with the SAC and I think the new formulation will facilitate that. If Creative Scotland has more of a brief to promote the visual arts, I can see ways in which we could work more closely with it."
The bill is a slimmed-down version of the draft Culture (Scotland) bill, which went to consultation earlier this year. The most controversial paragraph of the draft bill, allowing ministers to give directions to museums and galleries, has been left out after all three national collections expressed "serious concern" over the measure, which critics said would jeopardise the arms-length principle. One Scottish museum director said they thought this measure had been "quietly put to one side".
A Scottish government spokesman said ministers were considering "if and how to take the rest of the bill forward, and may consider legislating for some sections at a later date".
Patrick Steel
