Committee News Release
CENT 07/2004
13 September 2004
ENTERPRISE COMMITTEE VISITS CRAIGMILLAR COMMUNITY ARTS CENTRE
The Scottish Parliament’s Enterprise and Culture Committee will visit Craigmillar Community Arts Centre on Tuesday 14 September 2004.
The visit will form part of the Committee’s inquiry into Arts in the Community. MSPs will meet local residents and see and hear the results of their work in the arts. A group from Wester Hailes Arts for Leisure and Education (WHALE) will also join in the event.
The Committee plans to find out why people become involved in arts in their community and what kind of benefits the arts can bring.
Alasdair Morgan MSP, Convener of the Committee, said:
“The main thrust of our inquiry is to see how access to the arts can make a difference to people’s lives. We are keen to go out into communities to meet the people who currently get involved, and to listen to what they have to tell us. This process starts with Craigmillar”
Mike Watson MSP, Deputy Convener, added:
“This is first in a series of visits to communities across Scotland, where we will be exploring the impact that the arts can have for all kinds of people. There is huge enthusiasm and expertise out there, and it is essential that we tap into that as part of our inquiry.”
Remit for Art in the Community inquiry:
To investigate the funding, organisation and policies relevant to community arts in the context of the overall strategy for culture in Scotland.
Specifically the inquiry will consider:
- What are community arts currently delivering?
- What are the benefits and potential benefits of community arts?
- Who is involved in community arts? Including:
• to what extent is support for the community arts sector derived from the private and voluntary sectors?
• are there sectors/groups in society that have a greater degree of access to, or involvement in, community arts? - What actions are required to ensure that the benefits arising from community arts across a range of spheres (such as employability, community cohesion and the therapeutic benefits of arts in health and in particular mental health) are fully realised?
- What barriers are there to securing full benefit from investment in community arts, and how can these be overcome?
The Arts in the Community inquiry was launched in June 2004, and the Committee aims to report to Parliament around the end of the year.
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Richard Holligan: Tel 0131 348 6269
email: richard.holligan@scottish.parliament.uk
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email: sean.wixted@scottish.parliament.uk
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