Andrew Dixon is CEO of Creative Scotland, the new national leader for the arts, screen and creative industries. After five years as an arts officer in local government he moved to Northern Arts, progressing to become its Chief Executive and was a member of the national executive team of Arts Council England for three years before moving to a role promoting NewcastleGateshead as a world-class place to live, work, learn and visit.
In NewcastleGateshead Dixon learnt that ‘artists and arts organisations are at the heart of everything’. In straitened times, cities may feel that spending on culture is something they can cut but culture and creativity are what make cities unique.
What can Scotland’s cities learn from the NewcastleGateshead experience and indeed, how can they learn to shout about themselves?