MSPs ask if Creative Scotland ‘fully open’ over controversial art project

Arts body Creative Scotland is facing questions over whether it has been “fully open and transparent” in its dealings with a Holyrood committee as MSPs examined decisions around a sexually explicit show.

MSPs on the Scottish Parliament’s Culture Committee have written to the board of Creative Scotland on the matter.

It comes after the organisation’s chief executive, Iain Munro, together with chair, Robert Wilson, were quizzed by them earlier this week.

But MSPs on the committee said that session, probing decisions made in relation to the controversial Rein project, had raised “questions around the extent to which Creative Scotland has sought to be open and transparent with us in addressing this matter”.

In a letter sent to  Mr Wilson, Clare Adamson, the convener of the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee, urged the board of Creative Scotland to now consider if it is “content that Creative Scotland has been fully open and transparent in its communication with the committee”.

Ms Adamson insisted a letter from Creative Scotland to MSPs dated April 16 did not give the committee “the full picture” – branding this “regrettable”.

She added that “much of the information” the committee was given during Thursday’s evidence session “should have been communicated much earlier”, with the convener adding it was “unclear why it was not”.

She continued: “The committee’s view is that much of the controversy surrounding this application could have been avoided by Creative Scotland being more open and transparent around how it handled the funding of Rein once the decision had been publicly challenged.”

It comes after the arts body sparked controversy with its decision to award funding totalling £84,555 to the Rein project, which spoke of “genital contact” and a “sex party” in its funding application.

The public body has since withdrawn the funding for the “hardcore” project which was recruiting actors to participate in “non-simulated” sex scenes.

While £76,196 of public funding has now been paid back, Freedom of Information (FOI) documents revealed that the explicit contents of the application were set out to Creative Scotland, including the involvement of nude actors, back in  March 2023 – nine months before public money was awarded to the director.

Ms Adamson said, however, that MSPs were “concerned that there was no mention of any FOI requests” in its communication with Creative Scotland.

She went on to state it was “not clear” why the Rein application had not been  published earlier.

And she called on Creative Scotland’s board to consider the extent to which its handling of the matter “has caused reputational damage not only to its own role, but also to the cultural sector more widely, and most importantly, the Rein artists”.

She asked for the committee to be “kept updated on what actions both the board and the chief executive intend to implement to repair that reputational damage”.

A Creative Scotland spokesperson said: “We have received the letter from the Parliamentary committee and will respond accordingly.”