A Joint Statement by CEO, Matt Baker and Board Chair, Lynsey Smith.
The Stove team and board of trustees were deeply shocked to learn this week of the imminent closure of Creative Scotland’s Open Project Fund for individual creative practitioners. The richness and diversity of the culture created in Scotland ultimately depend on individual practitioners. As a country and a culture, we are profoundly impoverished and damaged by the shutting off of this key source of support for the creation of artistic work and the survival of artists.
We’d like to express our committed solidarity with the freelance creative sector and, in particular, with people who have been developing projects for funding that now will not be able to proceed – this is a heartbreaking and existential situation for everyone who works in the creative sector.
The Stove sees itself as part of the regional support structure for the creative and community sectors in Dumfries & Galloway – if any of our members need help in progressing a project impacted by this decision, or have questions/ideas about what is going on and how to respond, then please do contact us, and we’ll do all we can to help.
We feel that it is important for all of us in the creative sector to stick together during these very difficult times. Moreover, we should stand in solidarity and work collaboratively to support all other sectors—Education, Communities, Local Authorities, Health, etc.—who find themselves in a similar predicament. What we are facing is the potential decimation of every aspect of our society that relies on public funding.
Two weeks ago, the Scottish Government announced that it could only guarantee to honour funding commitments that were legally binding; all others must be considered under question. This stance was prompted by the financial settlement imposed by the UK Government, which is announcing a similar stance regarding its own financial position. A narrative of resource scarcity persists across all levels of government, affecting us all—whether it be in healthcare, our children’s education, transport, or our cultural lives.
We must continue to fight for the value of culture and creativity at every opportunity—it is, we believe, the lifeblood of communities and an essential, uplifting force for good in individuals’ lives. However, we must also endeavour to form alliances and support networks with our workers across all sectors affected by this public funding crisis. If we all stand together it will be harder to pick us off group by group.
The Stove has worked tirelessly over the years to advocate for increased public investment in culture and creativity. We have pioneered new visions and approaches, contributed to numerous consultations, lobbied politicians, and spoken at Holyrood. At every opportunity, we emphasise the significance of culture within communities, particularly in a rural setting, and propose ideas for developing new revenue streams to bolster the prosperity of freelancers in Dumfries & Galloway—the foundation of our cultural life here.
We have championed the D&G Cultural Strategy and invested considerable time and resources into fostering the development of new mechanisms. These mechanisms, derived from this strategy, aim to inject additional income into the local creative economy. In 2023-24, we offered 180 individual commissions to local freelancers, collectively valued at over £200,000. Like many other organisations, we await news of our core funding from Creative Scotland. This week’s announcements underscore the complexity of these decisions and the importance of collaborating with our freelance community to devise a better system for everyone. Everything is interconnected, and our actions are inextricably linked.
We stand in solidarity with creatives everywhere and with public and third sector workers. Together, we must forge a better way to ensure that each individual is valued and supported within our society.
