Privacy Policy

PRIVACY POLICY

Visual Arts Scotland takes your privacy seriously and this website offers you the ability to browse in complete privacy and you will only be asked for your personal information if you choose to fill in the online form to become a member of the society or to join our mailing list. We will store this information within our own online database so that we are able to contact you. This information is kept private and will not be shared with third parties.

The website will never have access to your financial details as all payments are made on the PayPal website. Click here to find out more about PayPal security. We do not store your financial information in our own database.

Subscribed members will be contacted with regular bulletins containing news of VAS events and opportunities, information on members discounts and promotions offered by our carefully selected partners, opportunities that we offer in conjunction with partnership organisations, exhibition submission details and results, and reminders pertaining to your membership payments.We will never share your details with out discount partners or partnership organisations.

Newsletter subscribers will be contacted with details of VAS exhibitions, events and opportunities.

Visual Arts Scotland occasionally requires some personal information in order that we process any claims application. Without this information we are unable to consider your application. In those instances, we only ask for information that will help us determine who will most benefit. We will not retain your personal information or use it for any purpose other than to process applications and complete necessary reporting. Upon receiving notification of any application, we shall safely delete your information from our records. Any information disclosed in an application shall be held in the strictest confidence and will be considered only in this context of that specific application. This information is kept private and will not be shared with third parties. We do not store your financial information in our own database. Visual Arts Scotland adheres to the principals of the Data Protection Act 2018.

EXTERNAL LINKS

Visual Arts Scotland does not represent, warrant, endorse or hold responsibility over any external sites that may be linked to and from this site. Any external site that you visit by clicking through a link on this site is outside the control of Visual Arts Scotland and you visit entirely at your own risk.

COOKIES

Cookies may be placed on your computer, phone or other Internet device to provide us with aggregated data of the usage of this site and the mediums which are driving traffic to the site. The data gathered by these is aggregated and therefore your individual usage of this site cannot be attributed to you. Essential Site Features Cookies may be placed upon your computer, phone or other Internet device in order to provide essential site features. If you don’t want this site to place Cookies on your device you can disable these using your Internet Browser settings.

JURISDICTION

These Terms & Conditions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Scotland. Disputes arising here shall be exclusively subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of Scotland. If any of these Terms should be determined to be illegal, invalid or otherwise unenforceable by reason of the laws of any state or country in which these Terms are intended to be effective, it shall be severed and deleted from this clause. All other Terms of Use and Terms & Conditions shall remain in full force and continue to be binding and enforceable. VAS reserves the right to change any of its terms and conditions at any time by posting changes online. If you do not accept these Terms in full, you must stop using this website immediately.

COMPLAINTS POLICY AND PROCEDURE

Visual Arts Scotland is committed to providing high-quality services to our visitors, whether in person at our exhibitions and events, online or through our membership services. We value complaints and use information from them to help us improve our services. If something goes wrong or you are dissatisfied with our services, please tell us.

What is a complaint?

We regard a complaint as any expression of dissatisfaction about our action or lack of action, or about the standard of service provided by us or on our behalf.

What can I complain about?

You can complain about things like:

  • delays in responding to your enquiries and requests
  • failure to provide a service
  • our standard of service
  • our policies
  • treatment by or attitude of a member of staff
  • our failure to follow proper procedure

What can’t I complain about?

The following issues will not normally be dealt with through the formal complaints procedure;

  • feedback or justification of the selection procedure for exhibited works, or the reason why a particular work of art is or is not currently on show
  • requests for compensation
  • issues that are in court or have already been heard by a court or a tribunal
     

Who can complain?

Anyone can make a complaint to us, including the representative of someone who is dissatisfied with our service.

How do I complain?

You can complain in writing, either by letter or email. Contact details can be found below.

 When complaining, tell us:

  • your full name and address
  • as much as you can about the complaint
  • what has gone wrong
  • how you want us to resolve the matter.

Contact details

You can submit complaints and other feedback in writing to: VAS Administrator, 100 craigleith Hill Avenue, EH4 2JN. Alternatively, you can email info@visualartsscotland.org. Please note that the administrator works part time and on a flexible basis so your query may not be answered immediately.

What happens when I have complained?

In the first instance the administrator will attempt to resolve your complaint by working with you and the subject of the complaint to reach a satisfactory resolution. If necessary your complaint will be referred to the President and Council of Visual Arts Scotland for discussion and resolution. All correspondence should be directed through or copied in to the official VAS email address; info@visualartsscotland.org so that an accurate record of correspondence can be maintained.

If you have a complaint about the governance or charitable status of the charity you can find more information at the Office of Scottish Charity Regulators website, https://www.oscr.org.uk/about-charities/raise-a-concern

Unacceptable Behaviour

We may refuse to consider complaints if they are accompanied by unacceptable behaviour or where they make unreasonable demands on our resources. Visual Arts Scotland has a duty of care to its employees, volunteers and members, and a duty to ensure that the organisation is able to provide services to all who want them.

Some examples of unacceptable behaviour are outlined below:

  • Violence and aggression are not restricted to acts which cause physical harm. They also include behaviour or language – whether oral or written – that may cause staff to feel afraid, threatened, harassed or abused. Examples of such behaviour include threats, physical violence, personal verbal abuse, derogatory remarks, inflammatory statements and unsubstantiated allegations. We expect our staff to be treated courteously and with respect. Violence or abuse is unacceptable.
  • Individuals might make what we consider unreasonable demands on our resources through the amount of information they seek, the level and scope of the service they expect or the amount of contact they have with us. What amounts to unreasonable demands will depend on the circumstances surrounding the behaviour and the seriousness of the issues raised by the complainer. Examples of such behaviour include demanding responses within an unreasonable timescale, insisting on speaking to a particular member of staff, continual phone calls, letters or emails, repeatedly changing the substance of the complaint or continually raising unrelated concerns. We consider such demands as unacceptable and unreasonable or start to impact substantially on the work of the office, for example by taking up too much staff time to the disadvantage of other individuals or functions.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

We, Visual Arts Scotland, are committed to equal opportunities in all avenues of our work. The policies and practices of the volunteer council and organisation aim to promote an environment that is free from all forms of unlawful or unfair discrimination and values the diversity of all people. At the heart of our policy, we seek to treat people fairly and with dignity and respect.

We will take every possible step to ensure that no person working with Visual Arts Scotland, seeking employment with us,any VAS member, or any member of the public interacting with our events, exhibitions and opportunities will receive less favourable treatment (direct discrimination) or will be disadvantaged by requirements or conditions that cannot be shown to be justifiable (indirect discrimination) on the grounds of their:

1.    Age

2.    Disability

3.    Gender Reassignment

4.    Marriage and civil partnership

5.    Pregnancy and maternity

6.    Race

7.    Religion or belief

8.    Sex

9.    Sexual Orientation

We will take positive steps to ensure that the policy is known to all employees, volunteer council, potential employees and organisations that we work with. We will also ensure that equal opportunity is embedded in all our policies, procedures, day to day practises and external relationships. We will ensure that we create space and make time for educating ourselves on how to better promote equality in the creative sector, through our work, and to champion equal opportunities for all.

Last updated january 2022.