Scotland’s controversial arts quango has been condemned as ‘secretive’ and ‘ideologically driven’ in a series of scathing attacks.
Creative Scotland – which has cut funding intended to support artists – was also accused of being undemocratic and ‘elitist’.
Writers lined up to criticise the public body for being ‘opaque’ and ‘over-bureaucratic’, as calls grew for radical reform of arts funding.
The broadsides by leading artistic figures comes as a Mail investigation raises serious questions over alleged mismanagement at Creative Scotland.
It reveals an employee tasked with helping authors was the subject of a complaint after trying to prevent a bookshop from stocking a book which she deemed to be transphobic.
The disclosures also come after Creative Scotland announced that it had taken the ‘difficult decision’ to close a fund for artists, blaming the SNP Government for being unable to ‘confirm release of £6.6million in Grant-in-Aid budget in the current financial year’.
Last night Peter Burnett of Edinburgh-based Leamington Books, which publishes a variety of fiction and poetry titles, said: ‘Transparency may be a value Creative Scotland aspires to – but institutionally they remain, in the eyes of the average practitioner, aloof and even potentially threatening.
‘Creative Scotland staff are always seen as “gatekeepers” and never faciliatory.
‘It is seen as supporting middle-class and even ideologically driven projects, and never as fully democratic.
‘Creative Scotland is seen as nepotistic and secretive.’
Writers who asked not to be named also voiced concern over Creative Scotland.
One said: ‘I’m applying at present so I’m cautious about saying anything negative about them publicly.
‘I certainly think Creative Scotland is a cash machine for the middle classes and their pals.
‘What is undeniably true is that the perception is that Creative Scotland and their processes are opaque, over-bureaucratic, and elitist.’
Award-winning Scottish author Ewan Morrison said Creative Scotland ‘needs to be replaced by a leaner public body that is more suited to serving the needs of Scotland’s artistic communities’.
He said it had become ‘self-serving’ and was ‘trying to cover up its ever-increasing errors’, adding: ‘It no longer serves the arts in Scotland but serves itself and its own growth.’
Last night a leading artistic figure, who preferred to remain anonymous, told the Mail: ‘It might be time to start anew with the way that the arts and culture are supported by government and official state bodies.
‘Holyrood may indeed bail out Creative Scotland this time but the problem will come back – the radical way forward would be reform.
‘And some are even suggesting a new body altogether – everything should be on the table, as this is a dangerous moment for the arts in Scotland.
‘I don’t think kicking the can down the road to the next inevitable crisis is very sensible – and it’s certainly not imaginative or visionary.
‘Ideologues have moved in to control the arts scene in Scotland and that influence has to be wrested off them and given back to the artists themselves.’
Commenting on the Mail’s investigation, Scottish Tory justice spokesman Russell Findlay, an author and former journalist, said: ‘It is outrageous that someone working in a publicly-funded organisation tasked with promoting Scotland’s writers should embark on an extraordinary campaign of censorship against someone deemed to hold the “wrong” views.
‘It is also sinister and wholly inappropriate.’
Earlier this week, leading artists demanded a summit with Culture Secretary Angus Robertson over the Creative Scotland funding crisis.
It came as Emmy-nominated Scottish actor Jack Lowden slammed the SNP Government for its ‘stupid and completely unacceptable’ cuts to the assistance given to the arts sector.
Top musicians including Lewis Capaldi, Shirley Manson of Garbage and Nadine Shah also joined the call for the cuts to be reversed to avoid a ‘cultural catastrophe’.
The Proclaimers, Paolo Nutini, Biffy Clyro and Franz Ferdinand were among more than 170 artists and organisations to send an open letter to First Minister John Swinney this week, stating that he is overseeing the ‘worst crisis Scotland’s music and arts sector has ever faced’.
Creative Scotland did not comment directly on the criticism from artistic figures but pointed to the body’s annual plan which states: ‘We are a staff team who are passionate about culture and creativity, using our extensive knowledge and experience, as well as funding, to help create the conditions for creative development across Scotland to thrive.’
The Scottish Government was contacted for comment.