Transmission Gallery Faces Funding Cut from Creative Scotland in 35th Anniversary Year

Creative Scotland has withdrawn regular funding from Transmission, Glasgow's artist-run gallery founded in 1983, during its 35th anniversary year. The gallery's committee, now led entirely by people of color for the first time, interprets the decision as discriminatory and politically motivated. Transmission argues the cut penalizes their refusal to professionalize while operating at a scale comparable to established institutions. Creative Scotland's assessment acknowledged Transmission's application as fundable with exceptionally strong equity, diversity, and inclusion approaches. The funding body cited plans for a new artist-run sector strategy, but no such strategy has been designed or approved yet. Transmission serves 300+ members and functions as a training ground for early-career artists, with notable alumni including Douglas Gordon, Lucy Skaer, Martin Boyce, Eva Rothschild, and Simon Starling. The gallery has recently focused on decolonization, addressing representation issues, and programming around race, sexuality, and gender. An Emergency General Meeting for members will be called in coming days.