Creative Scotland


Creative Scotland is the development body for the arts and creative industries in Scotland. Based in Edinburgh, it is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government.
The organisation was created by the passing of the Public Services Reform Act 2010 and inherited the functions of Scottish Screen and the Scottish Arts Council on 1 July 2010. An interim company, Creative Scotland 2009, was set up to assist the transition from the existing organisations.
Creative Scotland has the general functions of:
Since its inception, Creative Scotland has been involved in some controversies, and been challenged by key figures in the arts and film industries in the country. In 2012, 400 artists, writers, playwrights and musicians' protesting of Creative Scotland's management led to the resignation of Creative Scotland's then-chief Andrew Dixon. In March 2011, Creative Scotland was debated in the Scottish Parliament after suspicious expenditure, such as the funding of £58,000 to finance a dance programme based on the works of Alfred Hitchcock and a trip to Tonga to study Polynesian dancing, was uncovered. In January 2015, the organization was lambasted by filmmakers for offering less than half of the money required to a blockbuster film The Rezort wishing to shoot in Scotland, which resulted in the production moving to Wales.
Janet Archer resigned as chief executive of Creative Scotland in June 2018, after joining the organisation in July 2013. She was replaced by deputy chief executive Iain Munro, who assumed the role of acting chief executive.
Notable critics of Creative Scotland in the Scottish arts world include Liz Lochhead, Don Paterson, Ian Rankin, Andrea Gibb, David Greig, John Byrne, Alasdair Gray and James Kelman.