One of Scotland’s leading arts centres has issued an “urgent appeal” for funding to help secure its long-term future.
Summerhall, in Edinburgh, has warned that the venue is facing its “greatest existential threat” amid an unstable arts funding climate, and is calling on the public to hel with funding.
The centre has come under threat after owners announced their intention earlier this year to sell the building, but behind-the-scenes talks have taken place to allow its programme to continue through the new charity Summerhall Arts, which was created last year.
However cash is needed to pay rent on the building, as well as meet staffing and programming costs.
Summerhall Arts has warned it cannot afford to rely on a bid to Creative Scotland for three-year Scottish Government funding, which is expected to be decided on within the next few weeks.
Its organisers are hoping that a new public appeal will help bridge the gap and allow the venue to continue for years to come.
Performance poet, theatre maker, musician and writer Imogen Stirling said: "Summerhall is a venue that exists for its artists. It wants to platform new voices and elevate those already speaking boldly.
"It’s a venue that seeks to nurture, empower and support, a venue that actively wants to make artists feel valued.
"This is our opportunity to show Summerhall how much we value them in return. We must rally together to preserve the future of this brilliant venue and keep Scotland’s creative scene thriving."
If funding is secured, Summerhall Arts will support live performance by commissioning and developing new writing and collaborate with local and international theatre companies to programme new work that addresses.
However, this plan is in jeopardy without fresh funds. In 2022, there were 22 Scottish companies represented in the Summerhall festival programme, down to 12 in 2023 and only 6 in 2024.
The charity has set a target of £150,000 to keep going into next year, and has launched a donation website for anyone who wants to help.
Summerhall's new appeal states: "Summerhall Arts wants to ensure the continuance of a cultural touchstone in Edinburgh, fostering even more opportunities for the experimentation, collaboration and cultural cross-pollination that has evolved within Summerhall over the past 13 years.
"It is too vibrant and too important a space in Edinburgh to allow it to stop or change. Summerhall Arts asks for your help in order to get underway and look forward to what’s next for the building."
Summerhall has transformed Edinburgh University's former vet school building, which overlooks the Meadows, since it was created in 2011 by arts philanthropist Robert McDowell, whose Isle of Man-based family company Oesselmann Estate Limited put Summerhall up for sale after years of running it at a loss.
READ MORE:
- Owners of Edinburgh's Summerhall put venue on market
- Head of Creative Scotland insists 'hands were tied' when closing fund
- Call for new review to look at wider arts funding landscape
Now one of the biggest privately-owned multi-arts centres in Europe, Summerhall is home to more than 120 businesses and freelances, and attracts an audience in excess of a million each year, including 250,000 in August alone.
More than 100 different shows and events were staged at Summerhall during this year's Fringe, while the venue was used for Edinburgh International Film Festival screenings.
Sam Chapman, head of visual arts and cinema at Summerhall, said: "At a time when arts and culture in Scotland are drowning under the weight of an economic crisis and as Summerhall faces its greatest existential threat, it is crucial that we find a way to preserve the renowned visual arts programme.
"Support will allow us to deliver a year round programme of exhibitions and commissions offering support to, and a platform for, both local and national creatives working in the visual arts.
"Donating To Summerhall Arts will ensure that we are able to continue to facilitate the development and exhibition of non-commercial artwork, to degrade barriers that exist for people to engage with artistic practices and exhibitions, to make art accessible to people of all backgrounds, abilities and economic circumstance and to sustain the national creative community.”
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