The Future is Art – SCAN’s 2026 Election Asks

18 December 2025

Looking to the Scottish Parliament Elections in May 2026, SCAN calls on all Scottish political parties to secure the future of Scotland’s creative heart, from classrooms to communities.

Contemporary visual art has the power to transform lives and open minds – and we need it now more than ever. Art is a vital part of Scottish lives: it reveals new ideas and experiences, helps us explore complex histories and science, enhances our environments and fosters stronger communities.

With the right support and investment, we can strengthen the powerful contribution that art and artists make to Scotland’s society, culture, and economy.

SCAN’s 5 Key Asks:

Commit to above 1% national arts funding of overall Scottish Government budget. Why? Investment through secure, long-term funding for artists, cultural freelancers, grassroots and larger organisations will protect jobs and support talent retention. It will support pioneering work that speaks to the nation and is internationally recognised.
Value the visual arts sector as a key partner cross-portfolio to strengthen placemaking and community wealth building. Result? The visual art sector’s expertise and track-record on civic infrastructure, health and climate will have positive impact on the government’s economic priorities, health outcomes and social interventions.
Support artists and arts workers to engage in social prescription and place-based work, as part of their wider artistic practice and capacity-building. Why? While funding often prioritises tangible social outcomes, further investment is needed to enable artists to deliver this work effectively, safely and sustainably within communities facing complex needs.
Re-prioritise and invest in the Expressive Arts within the Curriculum for Excellence. Impact? Nurture the next generation of Scotland’s talent to ensure a strong net-zero future economy – while also changing young people’s lives today! Participation in arts workshops and visiting exhibitions provide a wide range of health and wellbeing benefits for young people, including reducing isolation.
Advocate and invest in workers’ rights, fair pay and EDIA across the arts and academia. Result? Change and accountability is needed for professional working conditions to flourish and for our vital sector to stabilise. In turn, culture can bridge divisions and reflect our living history.

Download and share The Future is Art – SCAN Election Asks 2026 PDF

How can I Support the Arts and Culture this Election?

Interested in using SCAN or other organisations’ asks to make sure culture is prioritised in Scotland’s upcoming election? Please see Federation of Scottish Theatre’s great Election Guide.

Our Members in Action

SCAN’s membership includes artists, curators, cultural freelancers and arts organisations drawn from all parts of the country. We represent the people who make contemporary art in Scotland so innovative and vital.

Our member organisations present world-renowned contemporary visual art while also acting as vital civic anchors in communities across Scotland, from Shetland to Dumfries.

Together they form a diverse, active and evolving network that is open, mutually supportive, and committed to widening access to creativity. Forgan Arts Centre (Newport, Fife, pictured above) takes an interconnected approach to community, art and nature. Its work includes supporting school refusers through an alternative schools programme, providing artist residencies for people with caring responsibilities, and enabling access to community art workshops and allotments.

Across Scotland, visual arts venues champion civic participation and knowledge democracy in distinct and innovative ways. The artist-led social enterprise Gaada (Burra Isle, Shetland) is dedicated to building a world-class accessible workshop, exhibition space and project hub. Located in an area defined as rural and remote, Timespan (Helmsdale, Highlands) addresses a geographical lack of cultural services with a programme interrogating local issues linked to global conversations, bringing together art, science, heritage and activism.

Spatial justice remains a pressing concern in many of Scotland’s neighbourhoods. Govanhill Baths (Glasgow), a grassroots multi-artform organisation, is addressing these needs through programmes promoting community ownership and stewardship of land and physical assets. Access to high-quality community health and wellbeing services is also essential. Art in Healthcare (Central Edinburgh) have been running Room for Art since 2016 – a social prescribing project that provides high-quality visual art activities within health and social care settings.

Across every metric – from health to social wellbeing – the visual arts are intrinsic to life in Scotland. This includes the economy: Scotland’s creative industries, including the visual arts, contribute more than £5.7 billion each year.