Creative Scotland, in collaboration with people and organisations from across the culture sector in Scotland, and with the support of Scottish Government, today launches a new initiative aimed at promoting the value that art and creativity contributes to all our lives.

With a dedicated website at its centre, Our Creative Voice is a new platform for demonstrating the tangible benefits that art and creativity contribute to our lives.  

Our Creative Voice presents a range of case studies that evidence the impact that participation in arts and creativity has, supported by compelling data and research. Our Creative Voice also provides the tools for others to help make the case for culture, and the ambition is to grow and expand this initiative over the coming months and years. 

Among the extensive data available through Our Creative Voice, independent research that tells us that:

• the Creative Industries contribute £4.6bn to the Scottish economy each year, supporting 90,000 jobs – Latest Scottish Government Creative Industries Growth Sector Statistics, 2020 

• 63% of the Scottish public agree that arts and culture are an important part of their life - Scottish Opinion Survey 56 Degree Insight, December 2020 

• 84% believe it is right that there should be public funding of arts and cultural activities in Scotland - Scottish Opinion Survey 56 Degree Insight, December 2020 

• The most commonly reported benefits of taking part in creative activities are helping us to relax and making us feel good - 68% and 65% respectively - Scottish Opinion Survey 56 Degree Insight, December 2020 

• 93% of the Scottish population believes that creative activity is essential for children and young people’s learning and well-being - Scottish Opinion Survey 56 Degree Insight, December 2020 

Speaking of the new approach, Iain Munro, Chief Executive Creative Scotland said:  

“The evidence is overwhelming – art and creativity make an enormous difference to society in Scotland, making a vital contribution to our health and wellbeing, our communities, our education, our economy, and our environment. 

“We want to tell that story as widely as possible to inform, influence and inspire people from all parts of society about the value of culture, support it and, ultimately, participate in any way they can.   

“That’s what Our Creative Voice is about, and I’d like to encourage as many people as possible to find out more and to help us grow and develop this initiative by using the tools and assets and contributing their own case studies, evidence and stories.” 

Culture Minister Jenny Gilruth said: 

“I welcome this new, positive and proactive initiative from Creative Scotland and partners in Scotland’s culture sector.  

“A key part of Scottish Government’s Culture Strategy is to empower people and communities through culture, and this initiative will make an important contribution to that, championing the benefits that culture delivers to us all and encouraging broader participation.  

“I look forward to seeing Our Creative Voice develop and grow ever louder over the coming months.”  

Jennifer Hunter, Director of Culture Counts said:  

“I've been supportive of an initiative like this for a long time, so it’s great to see Our Creative Voice come to life.   

“The campaign will be a powerful central voice in our collective work to raise awareness of the value of cultural participation and it's also a great resource of stories and evidence for us all to tap into, complementing the work we all do in our specific art-forms. I will actively support its growth and development.” 

Background

Access quotes from creative voices across the arts in Scotland on the importance of creativity.

Get the Facts from published research covering diverse sectors, such as health, tourism, education, social care and the economy, demonstrating the significant contribution that creativity makes to all our lives.

Read stories from people across Scotland sharing the life changing impact of art and creativity, on our health, economy, education, communities and more.   

Spread the word and get involved by downloading the Our Creative Voice toolkit which contains all the info and assets you need to be a part of the campaign to build awareness of the value of art and creativity. 

Creative Scotland is the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland on behalf of everyone who lives, works or visits here. We distribute funding provided by the Scottish Government and The National Lottery.  

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