This article appears as part of the Unspun: Scottish Politicsnewsletter.

More than three years have passed since one of the bleakest days for the Scottish arts world in modern times.

The financial collapse of the organisation behind the Filmhouse cinemas in Edinburgh and Aberdeen, as well as the Edinburgh International Film Festival, seemed to shake the foundations of our cultural landscape.

It felt as if no-one saw the demise of the Centre for the Moving Image, the publicly funded organisation behind the three institutions, coming until it was too late. All three ceased trading in what felt like the blink of an eye.

The collapse of the Centre for Contemporary Arts in Glasgow has definite echoes of the CMI’s sudden closure in October 2022, not least in the feelings of anger and despair provoked.

Many of the questions over the CCA’s insolvency are certainly striking similar.

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How on earth could an organisation seemingly well-supported from the public purse have got into such a mess? Why was decisive action not taken by its board and funders to head off impending disaster? Could anything have been done to prevent mass redundancies? What can be done to bring a once-thriving institution back to life?

The big difference this time around is there was something almost inevitable about the CCA’s collapse.

The Centre for Contemporary Arts was closed suddenly on January 30. (Image: CCA)

Over the last six months, in particular, the CCA has resembled a slow-motion car crash.

But the roots of its demise can probably be traced back almost eight years.

Police were called to break up a sit-in protest........

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