Creative Scotland bosses attacked over all-male panel for new awards

BOSSES at under-fire arts quango Creative Scotland are embroiled in a new controversy after it emerged an all-male panel has drawn up the shortlist for its new awards.

The agency, which has been attacked over its relationship with artists and bodies, is under fierce attack on social networking site twitter for failing to include any women in the selection process.

Some critics have been calling for a boycott of the event, which had been expected to be a highlight of the Scottish Government-backed “Year of Creative Scotland.”

Next month’s lavish event, at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow, is being funded to the tune of £30,000 by the body.

But despite alerting nominees earlier this week it is refusing to make public the shortlist at the moment.

Senior Creative Scotland director Iain Munro, BBC executive Andrew Lockyer, comedian Sanjeev Kohli and poet Tom Pow are among the judges.

Creative Scotland has refused to apologise for the all-male shortlist, claiming all the women it invited to take part were too busy.

A statement from the quango said: “A broad range of arts & culture professionals were invited to form part of the judging panel.

“Female judges were selected but were unable to take part.”