Andrew Dixon, the head of Scottish arts funding body Creative Scotland, has resigned.
In a statement issued by Creative Scotland, Dixon, who has been under increasing pressure from the Scottish arts community in recent months, said: “I have been disappointed, given my track record, not to gain the respect and support of some of the more established voices in Scottish culture and I hope that my resignation will clear the way for a new phase of collaboration between artists and Creative Scotland.”
Dixon’s resignation comes after growing disquiet among both artists and arts organisers in Scotland over the funding decisions and approach of the organisation.
In October, an open letter signed by 100 Scottish artists, expressed its ‘dismay at the ongoing crisis in Creative Scotland’ and called for major changes at the organisation. It followed a grilling in September from MSPs on the Scottish Parliament’s Education and Culture Committee, which saw Dixon admitting that the organisation was failing to communicate properly with the Scottish arts community: “I admit that we’re not getting it right,” he said at the time.
Dixon joined Creative Scotland from the NewcastleGateshead Initiative in February 2010 as acting Director and became full-time in May 2010. He will leave Creative Scotland at the end of January and in the meantime will oversee a handover programme.
Until a replacement is recruited by the Board, Creative Scotland’s senior management will report directly to Chair of the Board, Sir Sandy Crombie.
