The Arts: Here and Now

What does it mean to be a full-time artist in Scotland today? What does it mean to present a play in Scotland, whether it’s with an army of Mermaids volunteers or with a professional production team in Usher Hall? How do we reconcile the burgeoning creative energies of poets and painters, dramatists and sculptors, dance troupes, and talents surrounding these activities with the threats to cultural institutions as government funding is withdrawn? If we can understand where the arts are now, then we are on much stronger ground for reaching a prosperous future.

With no degrees in strictly creative disciplines at St Andrews, some might assume St Andrews is a little out of step with the cultural capitals of Scotland, regardless of the resourcefulness and quasi-artistic talents required to produce an essay the morning of a deadline. However such nay-sayers really are mistaken; the creative energies found in a draughty Barron backroom on Sundays from eight to ten at Life Drawing  really are another part of the now in Scotland.

To answer some of these questions, and to really probe where the arts are and where they are going, the Art Society is presenting a panel discussion on the subject this Wednesday titled “The Arts: Here and Now”. 

Richard Demarco is a notable champion of the visual arts in Scotland and was co-founder of the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh. He also ran his own gallery for over thirty years to much acclaim. His lifetime involvement with the Fringe in Edinburgh has seen him push boundaries and he has found himself at odds with the more traditional Scottish art establishment. Also joining the panel will be the founder of the Edinburgh International Book Festival, Jenny Brown, who also serves as Head of Literature for the Scottish Arts Council. Johnny Lynch, the manager of Fence Records (home to local boy King Creosote) will be there as well. To add further depth, Leigh French, the editor of Variant, a Glasgow-based publication on art and society, will also attend the discussion. And with our new Rector Alistair Moffat chairing, St Andrews has hardly seen such an esteemed group of artists and cultural activists come together in one place.

With these diverse perspectives, I can only hope the audience will leave with a different ‘here’ from whence they begun.

Wednesday, February 15th at 7:00pm
The Byre Theatre
Tickets £3.50 (Very limited capacity)