Announcing SCAN’s Programme for 2025/26
Scottish Contemporary Art Network (SCAN) is the member-led support network for contemporary art in Scotland. Founded in 2012, SCAN connects, champions, and cultivates the sector, while creating capacity for change. Our vision is of a Scotland where everyone has the right and the opportunity to experience the benefits of contemporary art.
Through our year-round programme of advocacy, collaboration and events, SCAN fulfils a crucial role within the contemporary art community: facilitating connection, cultivating ambitions, and advocating for the needs of artists and organisations. We work within a rapidly changing sector, in which both individuals and organisations are often dealing with intersecting ethical and financial challenges. We believe that our work is valuable because it helps those in our sector weather these challenges and equips them to adapt to future change.
Over the last 12 months, SCAN has supported its members and the wider sector through both public and behind-the-scenes work: with flagship events like our annual Summit in Inverness, and in regular meetings with governmental steering groups and peer support organisations. We partnered with members for talks, meet-ups and panel discussions, and spearheaded the Scotland-wide Invest in Culture campaign, leading to the recent culture budget being increased by £34 million in December 2024.
As a Creative Scotland multi-year funded organisation, SCAN is now looking to the future. We are excited to announce our expanded programme of activity for the next six months, which will offer comprehensive and tailored support to the contemporary art sector in Scotland – from underserved regions to ethos-driven communities of interest.
New Projects
Affiliations
Affiliations is SCAN’s new learning and development programme of workshops, talks and events tailored for artist-run initiatives (ARIs) in Scotland. Delivered by a series of experts, the programme aims to support ARIs with the practicalities of running a small organisation or collective, creating a lasting impact for this vital part of the arts ecology. It responds to the community’s collectively identified need to develop skills and build capacity, particularly through access to ethos-led training and expertise from beyond the immediate cultural sector.
Delivered from November 2025 to February 2026, our initial series of five online sessions will cover:
- Collective Working with Kathryn Tulip from Tripod Training for Creative Social Action
- Ethical Fundraising with artist Hazel Sealeaf and artist-run project Talking Birds
- Commercial Property with EMBASSY gallery and artist/researcher Chris Biddlecombe
- Charitable Finance and Reserves Policies with charity financial resilience specialist Liz Pepler
More information on Affiliations and details of how to get involved, visit our Affiliations project page.
Ley Lines
Ley Lines is SCAN’s creative placemaking project for the Highlands. Led by SCAN Highland Development Lead Emma Gibson, it seeks to support the equitable sharing of national resources, bolster fragile networks and connections, and create a stronger visual art community in the region.
In 2025-26, SCAN is working on a comprehensive report setting out the context of the region, mapping current activity and identifying gaps in support. Extensive research will be bolstered by case studies examining how organisations connect with artist-led groups across geographic distances, the role of tourism, and how collaborative approaches are balancing community engagement with wider visibility.
The report will be launched in Summer 2026 with an event and PR support, increasing visibility for this underserved region. Alongside work on this major report, Emma will continue to offer ongoing tailored support for the Highlands community, working to raise the profile of artistic activity in the region and create opportunities to come together.
Ley Lines builds on our William Grant-funded Taisbean project in 2020-23, focusing on a network of curators working in the Highlands.
For more information on visit our Ley Lines project page.
SCAN Gatherings
SCAN Gatherings are a series of annual events connecting members with the wider cultural sector. Expanding on the format of our SCAN Summit, these varied events allow artists, curators, producers and other art workers the space and time to build meaningful connections and share new thinking on issues that are important to our community and beyond. Gatherings will range from panels and talks at member venues, to tours of activity in specific geographic locations.
SCAN Gatherings are open to all, with free tickets available for members. The next SCAN Gathering will take place at St Andrews Botanic Gardens in February 2026, with booking opening in the new year.
Continuing Projects
SCAN Summit
SCAN’s work is placed in expanded contexts at the annual Summit, our flagship in-person event themed around an urgent issue affecting both the arts sector and the world at large.
In May 2025, SCAN Summit 2025: The Grid took place in Inverness, interrogating the systems that distribute power, energy and communications in literal and metaphorical ways. The event’s contributions from artists, writers and thinkers now find a wider audience in the form of a podcast, starting with a talk from Harvey Dimond. Subscribe to hear all episodes as soon as they are released weekly.
Our next Summit is due to take place in mid 2026. Full details and registration links will be available in the new year – sign up to our Circular newsletter for updates.
#UNWRAPART
#UnwrapArt is SCAN’s annual campaign inviting the public to support Scotland’s artists and makers by buying holiday gifts from our talented members. #UnwrapArt launches with a feature in the November/December 2025 issue of Homes and Interiors Scotland and will continue throughout the festive period with gift guides, tips and listings published on our website and social media.
Visit the project page to find out more and check out the #UnwrapArt hashtag across our social media channels.
Curatorial Work
SCAN will continue to strategically develop opportunities for professional learning and connection for curators, following on from our 2017 Curatorial Leadership in Collections (CLiC) network project.
Champion Programme
SCAN’s Champion strand focuses on raising the profile and building an understanding of contemporary art practice across society, from cultural audiences to policymakers including researchers, funders and partners. We gather data and insights from across our activity, and work with partners to advocate for the needs of the visual arts sector to MSPs, MPs and other decision-makers in high-level committees, consultation, policy groups and evidence-gathering.
In 2025/26, SCAN is currently focusing on our year-round campaign supporting MSP engagement visits across Scotland. So far, we have facilitated MSP visits in seven key member venues including Forgan Art Centre in Fife, Narture in Ayr, and Wasps studio communities in Inverness and Irvine. We have also provided evidence and contributions to Cross-Party Working Group for Communities and Culture, Culture Counts committee and the Scottish Government Creative Scotland Independent Review, Pre-Budget Scrutiny 2026/27 and Strategic Festival Partnership.
Looking forward, we will be developing key manifesto asks for the Holyrood 2026 elections. Stay tuned via our Circular newsletter and our social media for ways to get involved in the campaign.
Member programme
SCAN’s year-round programme for members continues throughout 2025 and 2026, offering free access to exclusive training, networking and support. You can join SCAN as an individual (artist, curator, producer, other arts worker) or as an organisation (gallery, museum, artist-led project, studio, workshop) from £25 per year.
Our membership programme for 2025/26 includes:
Member meet-ups
Our ongoing programme of member meet-ups are held in-person across Scotland, with a focus on sharing and networking. Our next meet-up will be a pre-Christmas get-together held at Strange Field’s community learning space Strange Exchange in Glasgow on 18 December. Free member tickets will be available at the start of December.
Our Highland Development Lead Emma Gibson holds informal monthly meet-ups at the WASPS Inverness Creative Academy cafe. These are opportunities to socialise with your fellow members and find out how to get involved with our work. The next meet-up is on 19 November from 10am–12pm – no need to book, just drop in.
SCAN Support
Our member training and sharing programme SCAN Support offers monthly online sessions with experts from the sector and beyond. For the next SCAN Support session on 20 November, Jill Keegan from Scottish Community Alliance will be talking about their Community Learning Exchange project, which SCAN members can benefit from. Curator and SCAN member Katherine Murphy will be our guest at December’s session, sharing some recent experiences in curatorial dialogues and her recent project at DCA, – Unfolding Correspondent. We will be in touch with SCAN members directly with information on registration for SCAN Support events.
Member benefits coming in 2026:
Communities of practice: SCAN will host meet-ups throughout the year designed to bring together members with the same kind of experience: artists, curators, artist-run and voluntary collectives, and organisations.
Office Hours: bookable one-to-one sessions with the SCAN team for expertise, signposting and support, open to all members with three 45-minute slots per month.
Member-only resource area on the SCAN website
These are just some of the benefits that our members enjoy. Visit our membership page for more information on membership benefits – from help with promotion and visibility to involvement in our advocacy projects – and how to join SCAN from £25 per year.