This is a really important campaign and I hope all artists in Scotland will support it. The Visual Arts have long been the least acknowledged or supported sector of the arts despite the fact that visual artists in general have the lowest and most unstable income. Entry to all Visual Arts exhibitions are usually free and this may account (at least in part) for the low esteem in which artists are held when it comes to support and funding outside of specialised funding agencies. All Visual Artists I know spend a majority of their time and what little money they have to make work they believe in with no immediate possibility of return. In these Covid 19 times, it is even worse, almost all commissions and exhibitions have been postponed if not cancelled depriving Visual Artists of often their only source of income.We must make the Scottish Government aware of our plight and ask for increased support that is readily available and soon. The support of the arts are the symbol of a civilised society; without it, we become less than human. Please, please support this campaign in any way you can, personal circumstances; quotes about the importance of the arts (visual arts in particular) or anything else you feel is relevant.
Sam Ainsley (former Head of MFA, Glasgow School of Art)