Beginning in 2012, the Year of Creative Scotland, hopes to take full advantage of the 2012 Olympics in London and the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Culture and External Affairs secretary, Fiona Hyslop MSP hopes to platform Scottish culture and creativity over the next three years. This includes a £6.5m investment of National Lottery money, administered by Creative Scotland, as well as the introduction of a Creative Places Awards, to recognise and celebrate communities with strong cultural and creative records.

The review praises Scotland’s commitment to the Gaelic language and the emphasis placed on its use in primary schools.

The Edinburgh Festivals Impact Study, released this week, provides evidence of the significant contributions made by festivals to Scotland, including large cultural, economic and social benefits.

In Wales, Labour’s Huw Lewis AM takes up the post as Minister for Housing, Regeneration and Heritage.

From Monday 23rd May, craft professionals are invited to take part in a telephone survey, aimed at mapping the size and impact of the craft sector.

On Tuesday, Creative Scotland launched a £1 million investment package into four pilot initiatives to support the Scottish film industry.

Creative Scotland has released its first corporate plan outlining how it will manage its inherited responsibilities from Scottish Arts Council and Scottish Screen. 

The Scottish Government has earmarked £2.25 million to support cultural activities for young people as part of its CashBack for Communities programme.

Key cultural organisations in Scotland have been widely protected in the draft budget announced in Holyrood on Wednesday.

Creative Scotland is currently conducting research across the sector to help deliver its goal of developing Scotland’s international reputation of excellence, innovation and quality in the arts by fostering more creative partnerships for artists and arts organisations abroad.  In partnership with the British Council and the Scottish Government, Creative Scotland is inviting Scottish members of the cultural sector to share information on international engagement activities currently taking place at both an organizational and individual level.

In line with the Scottish Government’s commitment to create a single dedicated body for Scotland's arts and culture sector, Creative Scotland came into existence on 1 July, 2010 as a Non Departmental Public Body (NDPB).  The new body, whose chief aims are developing and promoting Scottish arts and culture, was the result of a merger between Scottish Arts Council and Scottish Screen.

Andrew Dixon, Chief Executive of Creative Scotland, the organisation set to take over the reins of Scotland’s cultural stewardship from the Scottish Arts Council and Scottish Screen, has announced that he wants to see Scotland in the top 10 ‘cultural nations’ within five years.

The third Creative Scotland dialogue event was held last week, hosted by Scottish Culture Minister Fiona Hyslop, during which it was announced that a further three groups are to provide expert advice on the issues and opportunities facing Scotland’s creative community.

The Executive Summary of the Arts Index is available to everyone. The full copy of the Arts Index report is only available to members of the NCA. Click here for details on how to join.

The production of the Arts Index would not have been possible without the help and support of the following organisations, to whom we are enormously grateful:

Audiences UK, Audiences London, Americans for the Arts, Arts and Business, Arts Council England, Arts Council of Wales, Arts Council Northern Ireland and The Department for Culture, Media & Sport.

Thanks too to Don Foster MP for sponsoring the launch at the House of Commons, and to Culture Minister Ed Vaizey, Shadow Culture Minister Dan Jarvis, John Nickson and Ivan Cutting for speaking.