Equalities

Aims

The Scottish Arts Council recognises Scotland's diversity and wishes to reflect this in everything we do and everything we fund. We are working to end unfair discrimination because of age, disability, gender, race, religion/belief, and sexual orientation.

As we move towards the formation of the new culture body for Scotland, Creative Scotland, we have made Equalities a priority policy area.  We intend to mainstream Equalities into all areas of our activities for the benefit of all those who take part in the arts and culture of Scotland, whether as employer, arts worker, professional artist, curator, producer, marketer, audience member, or as someone who participates in the arts. 

The Equalities department's aims are:

• to facilitate access to the arts for everyone in Scotland as artist, as arts worker and as audience member - aiming to overcome physical, intellectual, attitudinal, financial and cultural barriers to access to the arts.
• to visibly promote diversity in the arts diversity meaning cultural diversity, but also disability, age, gender, religious belief and sexual orientation.
• to further develop the arts in health and wellbeing sector in Scotland, highlighting the benefits to individuals' mental health and community wellbeing.
• to develop, support and sustain a more diverse infrastructure for the arts in Scotland through developing organisations' capacity to deliver Equalities
• to provide leadership through best practice in our own organisation.

We will deliver our aims through a strategic programme of funding; working in partnership with key arts organisations and others to deliver arts programmes; offering training and career development opportunities; facilitating organisational development; and ensuring increased access.  This should lead to greater visibility and availability of diverse and vibrant high quality arts in Scotland.