The Future is Art at Holyrood
In the first week of February, SCAN took the messages from our The Future is Art campaign to the Scottish Parliament, sharing stories about our members across the country directly with decision-makers. Our Deputy Director Helen Moore shares more on the experience.
Looking to the Scottish Parliament Elections in May 2026, The Future is Art calls on all Scottish political parties to commit to the future of creativity in Scotland. In order to spread the word about our members’ contributions to our society and economy, we applied to exhibit in the Garden Lobby space of the Scottish Parliament. Thanks to sponsorship from Paul Sweeney MSP (Glasgow), we were fortunate enough to receive our three day slot in early February, the perfect time to share our election asks with MSPs before parliament dissolves on the 25 March.
We were situated in a busy thoroughfare – a really important spot to champion the vital role that artists and arts organisations play in communities across Scotland. It was also a great opportunity to reconnect with the many MSPs we have met over the years through our Summer advocacy campaigns, introducing elected members to amazing contemporary art activity in their region or constituency. Others that we met for the first time enjoyed chatting about cultural services and the value that they bring to their constituency.
Sarah Boyack MSP (Lothian) has supported SCAN campaigns over many years, visiting Collective Edinburgh, Talbot Rice Gallery, and SCAN individual member Alena Rogozhkhina in her Edinburgh studio. She shared with us her desire to pursue her own visual arts interests when she steps down from parliament in May. It was also really helpful to chat to Maggie Chapman MSP (North East Scotland), who gave us some sound advice and key contacts for our SCAN Summit event that will take place in 2026, with a focus on Human Rights.
Stuart McMillan MSP (Greenock and Inverclyde) shared his experience of recent fantastic exhibitions at The Beacon in Greenock, and the Wyllieum situated next to the ferry terminal. Both venues provide opportunities for both local artists and those based further afield to share their work with residents and tourists. Stuart told us that many creative people were moving to Greenock to establish their studio and creative practice, adding to the creative infrastructure of the town.
Maree Todd MSP praised the work that arts organisations – and SCAN members – do in her Caithness, Sutherland and Ross constituency, from fantastic live programming at Lyth Arts Centre to the global conversations that take place in Timespan in Helmsdale. Maree reflected on an Ian Rankin quote whilst we were chatting: “To read a book is to step very gently into someone else’s shoes” – a vital experience that culture can give to us all.
Event sponsor Paul Sweeney MSP (Glasgow) has also engaged with many of our campaigns in the past, visiting The Common Guild at their new(ish) premises at Florence Street, a former school building which has been refurbished over time for cultural use. Paul also visited an exhibition curated by Tomas Abercromby for Glasgow International in 2021 at the former Springburn Library, both experiences providing the opportunity to see how visual art can reactivate use of spaces for community access.
On our final day we were thrilled to have a tour of the Donald Dewar library with Fiona McDougall, Arts Curator and Exhibition Manager at the Scottish Parliament, and also a SCAN member. Recent acquisitions in the Scottish Parliament Art Collection include photographs from The Divine Sky by Sekai Machache. A hundred porcelain sentences titled Travelling the Distance by Shauna McMullan helped to guide us to our exhibition space every day. We really loved the enthusiasm for the art collection from the Parliament’s friendly front of house team.
There were so many other great conversations that we had over the exhibition’s three day period, and we made lots of new connections to follow up on. Events and exhibitions in parliament are a fantastic way to raise awareness of important work and relevant issues with MSPs. If this is something you would be interested in doing in your own organisation, you can find out more about how to go about it here.
Find out more about SCAN’s The Future is Art campaign here.
Images
Top: Maggie Chapman MSP with SCAN Deputy Director Helen Moore
Middle: Helen Moore with Martin Whitfield MSP and SCAN’s Programme Lead Lydia Honeybone
Bottom: Travelling the Distance by Shauna McMullan