Creative Scotland has ‘no clear artistic priorities’, festival organisers claim

The Lammermuir Festival has released an open letter to Creative Scotland calling on the funding body to change its system.

The letter was penned after the festival’s funding was cut, leaving its future uncertain. It accuses Creative Scotland of placing “Scotland’s cultural ecology on a downward trajectory”.

Organisers announced last week that the funder had withdrawn its support for the festival after 13 years, leaving it in “an urgent financial position”.

The open letter, addressed to Chief Executive of Creative Scotland Iain Munro and Chair Robert Wilson, has been signed by 362 composers, education workers, participants, supporters, audience members and local businesses.

It claimed that the festival’s 2023 funding application was rejected despite strong internal support.

“According to the panels judging Open Fund applications at Creative Scotland, Lammermuir Festival does not sufficiently align to your priorities,” the letter said.

“This is despite having the full support of the Music Officers at Creative Scotland who approved its application and strongly recommended funding without conditions.”

The letter outlined the festival’s cultural, community and economic benefits, which include giving work to 350 musicians a year, securing returns of £750,000 for East Lothian annually, working with 1,700 children, young people and adults over two years as part of the McOpera programme and collaborating with diverse local community groups.

“This decision by Creative Scotland flies in the face of the expressions of support for culture in Scotland, and in particular for festivals, that the First Minister Humza Yousaf, Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy Neil Gray, and Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture Angus Robertson have made in recent days,” the letter said.

“The Open Fund process appears to have no strategic overview of provision, and no clear artistic, quality or geographic priorities.”

It added that Creative Scotland’s process “places huge pressure on organisations” and said that invitations to make multiple applications for the same activity took the festival’s “nerves to the wire”, with a final verdict issued just 16 days before the festival began.

“Without Creative Scotland’s support the Lammermuir Festival’s future is under threat,” the letter said.

“Your decision not to fund the 2023 festival destabilises the organisation and undermines the festival’s ability to plan for or run a festival in 2024 and beyond. In order to secure the future of this festival beyond 2023, urgent support is needed.”

It called on the funder to reverse its decision. “This festival cannot be allowed to disappear,” it concluded.