Our mission
A free, public space for culture in the heart of Edinburgh, Fruitmarket provides inspiration and opportunity for artists and audiences.
We programme, develop and present world-class exhibitions, commissions, publications, performances, events and engagement activities, opening up the artistic process. Creativity makes space for meaning, and we create a welcoming space for people to think with contemporary art and culture in ways that are helpful to them – for free.
A space to show art to people since 1974
Fruitmarket today brings together two former market buildings: to the west, a structure built in 1889, but only recently added to Fruitmarket’s footprint by Reiach and Hall Architects; to the east a former fruit and vegetable market built in 1938, converted into a gallery in the 1970s by John L Patterson. This part of the building opened in 1974 as a Scottish Arts Council venue, occupying just the ground floor, with the New 57 Gallery on the floor above. Its early years were characterized by exhibitions of contemporary art curated by the Scottish Arts Council, which often travelled to other venues such as the Third Eye Centre in Glasgow. Other exhibitions were guest-curated by galleries including the Scottish Photography Group (now Stills Gallery) and the Richard Demarco Gallery.
Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion Statement
Fruitmarket champions the rights of people from marginalised groups, including people who experience racism, people who experience religious discrimination, disabled people, lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people, women and girls, people from low income backgrounds, working class, and older people. We take an intersectional approach to our work, to ensure that diverse audiences are represented in our organisation. We have specific priorities in the areas of race, social class and disability, currently under-represented in the cultural sector.
We seek to hold Fruitmarket open as a space for artistic expression and peaceful dialogue, discussion and dissent; a place for encounter and exchange that might contribute to international understanding. We want inequalities and injustice to be recognised and addressed in our programmes and operations. As a cultural institution, we understand the need for people – artists, audiences, staff – to hold, express and act on political views. We provide a platform for events that raise awareness and understanding of international situations as they become important to the communities we reach.
We pledge to:
- Include marginalised voices in our creative programmes
- Reach out to marginalised communities with our engagement programmes
- Partner with activist organisations, supporting them to programme events in our space that help increase their profile
- Offer paid internships to young people from marginalised groups
- Provide unconscious bias training for all staff
- Use inclusive language and imagery across all our communications
- Remove barriers to access in all areas of our operations
- Participate together as a staff team in active discourse around race, social class and disability, through regular reading and discussion
- Ensure our partners and organisations we work with align with our Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion values, including being Living Wage employers
- Advertise jobs and Board vacancies widely through channels and networks that attract applicants from marginalised groups
- Fundraise for new positions that both diversify our staff team and create new opportunities for artists
- Provide a supportive working environment with structures that recognise people’s differences
