Manifesto Supporting Statements
Below are examples of supporting statements we recieved from across the culture sector which helped inform our thinking and developed our crowd-sourced manifesto.
Art
A new commitment to arts development at a local level, supporting a nationwide mandatory programme of arts development officer posts in local authorities. Embedding art in the primary school curriculum by making expressive arts provision mandatory in the Curriculum for Excellence.
Transformation of public procurement processes and the local government tendering portal to allow artists, self-employed creatives and micro-businesses greater access to public art commissions, consultancy and public engagement opportunities.
A budget for cultural renewal: a doubling of the culture budget and a five-year stabilisation deal for the sector, so that we are able to contribute fully to the national recovery and rebuild a cultural workforce based on the principles of fair work, enabling publicly-funded organisations to pay union rates and support the living wage.
A nationwide investment programme for artists’ studios and workshop facilities, stabilising vulnerable facilities and supporting adaptation of premises for physical distancing on re-opening, as well as repurposing of redundant commercial and retail properties for affordable studios and other cultural provision Universal Basic Income, a measure that would benefit a wide range of society including artists Ensure nationwide access to superfast broadband and end digital exclusion for people on low incomes Promote active and green transport
Arts & Children
We are asking the Scottish Government and Scotland’s local authorities to ensure arts and creativity are at the heart of every child’s life. Artists, or ‘creative practitioners’, should be brought into the mainstream fold of children’s support network by being part of the core team around every child. Embedded in communities and reaching children through nurseries, schools, out-of-school care, and health and community settings, artists’ unique skills, expertise, connections and perspective serve to enrich children’s experiences, enhancing their learning and supporting overall wellbeing.
Achieving this will require a cultural shift backed by reform of funding structures in:
· National government The positive impact the arts have on national outcomes right across the board - in terms of health and wellbeing, education and rights - is not sufficiently recognised
· Local government The ‘adequate provision’ local authorities are required to make for arts and culture does not reflect the contribution arts make across many of the themes that Community Planning Partnerships prioritise in Local Outcomes Improvement Plans, including children’s wellbeing.
We also need a more joined up approach to working between artists and other professionals who work with children, ensuring there are shared values and goals which are articulated through a shared language.
*** This idea is based on a Call made recently as part of Children in Scotland's 25 Calls campaign. It was made by a group of organisations and artists who create arts experiences with and for children and young people in Scotland, who are all supporters of this call. Supporters are: Articulate Cultural Trust, Action Boat, Catherine Wheels, Curious Seed, Frozen Charlotte, Imaginate, Independent Arts Projects, Lyra, Red Bridge Arts, Scottish Youth Dance, Starcatchers and Visible Fictions. Also Fiona O’Sullivan Arts Programme Manager, Edinburgh Children's Hospital Charity; and Feis Rois. You can read the full call at: https://childreninscotland.org.uk/25-and-up-for-post-covid-renewal-we-need-to-be-radical-and-that-includes-with-the-arts/
Community Heritage
Recognise and actively support the idea of communities as the primary managers and curators of their own tangible and intangible heritage in the places where they live. Community heritage is known to foster a strong sense of place, contribute to social cohesion, and create a wellspring for wellbeing and social cohesion around shared experience. By leading the care and management of places and histories which deeply resonate with them, either down generations or where new roots are being placed, communities can understand and target the right heritage for preservation. Communities are uniquely placed to create an interconnected and relevant story around their own heritage, and share that story with all ages locally and as part of the national cultural output. Being personally invested in their heritage as a community brings a level of energy and engagement which improves long term sustainability of monuments, places, collections and memory. Encouraging communities to be priority managers of their own heritage will require a new approach to recognition which acknowledges local people as valid curators and caretakers on a par with national agencies. It will also demand radical thinking around capacity and funding
Creative Ageing
All older people in Scotland should have the opportunity to access high quality arts and creative activities, whatever their background and circumstances and wherever they live. Older people who live in care homes, in sheltered accommodation or assisted living, or are supported by care at home services face multiple barriers that make accessing and participating in arts and culture more difficult. This inequity of access has and will continue to be exacerbated by the impact of Covid-19. That’s why we are advocating for renewed investment in addressing this issue. Past projects evidence the benefits for people of longer-term, consistent involvement with professional artists who facilitate access to, and participation in, arts and culture.
Investment must recognise the specialist nature of working creatively with adults who live in care homes or are vulnerable, particularly in the current context where new approaches are required to overcome the additional barriers to access caused by Covid-19. We believe that artists who specialise in creative ageing approaches have a key role to play in developing the kind of social care system that the Scottish Government aspires to - where people are supported to live independently; be active citizens; participate and contribute; and maintain their dignity.
Festivals
In the next Parliament, we call on all of Scotland’s political parties to commit to helping national recovery by supporting Scotland’s vibrant festivals scene to thrive again and play a valuable role in rebuilding social bonds and livelihoods.
Scotland’s 200+ festivals - from Edinburgh’s world-renowned events to volunteer-led festivals the length and breadth of the country – are among the hardest hit during the pandemic because of the ban on gatherings and physical distancing requirements. Despite this, many have rallied with innovative digital ways of reaching out to people and have a vital creative role to play in the renewal of community spirit and civic life.
Festivals have the flexibility to transform permanent, temporary and outdoor spaces to bring them back to life safely, help combat isolation and restart local economies. To do this, festivals need to have:
national recognition as a vital part of our intangible cultural heritage
equal access to support alongside buildings-based cultural infrastructure; and
simple streamlined regulations making it possible for festivals to return and new ventures to flourish.
Games
Interactive media is not a stand-alone 'content type' which is confined to videogames. It is instead of transformative technology, which is transforming every aspect of the creative industries around the world. From the way content is created and published, through to distribution and consumption, digital has become fundamental to many creators, practitioners, companies, organisations and their audiences. Scotland needs to realise and embrace the digital future and find ways to use new technologies, tools and techniques to broaden access to our creative and cultural economy and enable more people than ever to participate. This has to be supported across the whole creative economy. This is not sectoral, and cannot be bolted onto existing practices. It requires an industry-wide digital transformation, led by a cultural change which has a holistic mission to support all of us in a more collaborative and engaging future.
Music
MANIFESTO FOR ACCESSIBLE MUSIC As a collective of Music organisations creating opportunities for disabled musicians to play, learn, compose and perform we call upon Scotland’s policy and decision-makers to place Access, Equalities and Inclusion at the heart of their cultural strategies. Our nation’s cultural and musical life and the lives of every individual who takes part are energized and enriched by voices and experiences that express the diversity of our human existence.
Current educational and support systems for those with additional needs are inadequate and pathways to music education, further and higher learning and career development towards lifelong participation in music are couched in low expectations and fragile at best.
For Scotland to be a place where disabled musicians have equal opportunities to grow and thrive, we call for: Breaking Barriers Disabling barriers to music making, music education and progression to be removed and a person-led approach taken in creating training pathways and workplace destinations where provision meets the requirements of the individual.
Right to Digital Access and Equipment Accessible instruments, devices to access the internet and other resources to be available wherever they are needed Training and Professional Development Vital training for educators, practitioners and support providers to be established informed by a professional approach founded on equal access principles Platforms and Partnerships The cultural sector in Scotland to truly embrace equality and inclusion through ambitious and far-reaching work that resonates beyond our borders.
Music II
New Music Scotland have 3 asks that we would like to see in party manifestos:
1) For Scotland’s political parties to support, develop and engage in contemporary music in Scotland as a viable industry
2) For the commitment to the continuation of public funding to organisations committed to the performance, creation and promotion of new music in Scotland to ensure their long term sustainability and growth
3) For every young person to experience/have access to contemporary music by Scottish creators
Music III
As a collective of Music organisations creating opportunities for disabled musicians to play, learn, compose and perform we call upon Scotland’s policy and decision-makers to place Access, Equalities and Inclusion at the heart of their cultural strategies. Our nation’s cultural and musical life and the lives of every individual who takes part are energized and enriched by voices and experiences that express the diversity of our human existence.
Current educational and support systems for those with additional needs are inadequate and pathways to music education, further and higher learning and career development towards lifelong participation in music are couched in low expectations and fragile at best. For Scotland to be a place where disabled musicians have equal opportunities to grow and thrive, we call for:
Disabling barriers to music making, music education and progression to be removed and a person-led approach taken in creating training pathways and workplace destinations where provision meets the requirements of the individual.
Accessible instruments, devices to access the internet and other resources to be available wherever they are needed. Vital training for educators, practitioners and support providers to be established informed by a professional approach founded on equal access principles
The cultural sector in Scotland to truly embrace equality and inclusion through ambitious and far-reaching work that resonates beyond our borders
Skills
Socio-economic diversity within the cultural sector workforce Apprenticeships feature prominently in the work and mission of Creative & Cultural Skills. We believe in this route to work: used properly, apprenticeships can contribute to levelling the playing field, help those from less advantaged backgrounds enter our workforce, and ensure greater inclusivity. The sector has issues around technical, craft and business skills that apprenticeships can address. Few other routes train people specifically to gain the competences needed, determined by employers themselves, while paying them to do a job. Employers who have worked with us on apprenticeships readily report the benefits. But our sector doesn't yet embrace apprenticeships. It continues to be dominated by new entrants from more advantaged backgrounds. The creative industries, on average, already employ more graduates - with the significant majority coming from more advantaged backgrounds - than other employment sectors. Meanwhile, there are graduate options that don’t provide the skills our sector needs. If employers, with the best of intentions, ask for experience or qualifications that aren’t job-relevant, they shut down opportunities to a broader demographic with potential to excel in the roles we have. Let’s embed open and fair recruitment practices in our sector and explore how best to make use of apprenticeships to ensure a diverse and inclusive workforce. Let’s work towards affording socio-economic diversity the same protections as other characteristics in equality legislation.
Theatre
We are working on creating drama training pathways for people with [learning] disabilities in Scotland. As part of the (initial) plans we need to initiate a mapping project. This will determine what drama (training) opportunities currently exist in Scotland. Currently there is very little provision and so we need to see true inclusion in the Arts in Scotland.
As there is no formal drama training for people with learning disability in Scotland, we need to learn from some organisations in England who are successfully working in this area. Companies such as Mind the Gap, HeartNSoul and Hijinx in Wales as well as Central School of Music and Drama.
We have established a steering group of learning disabled artists and experienced theatre practitioners to identify examples of best practice, which will inform the Scottish model of training we seek to develop. These two aspects form the initial research work [Autumn 2020] for the much larger plans to improve accessibility to the Arts and equality of opportunity in Scotland for learning disabled people.
We would want to see an Academy established and all Theatres being able to offer groups, placement and employment opportunities for those with disabilities - changing the cultural face of Scotland for the better and being truly inclusive.