Reflexive inquiry into alternative models of art institutions has remerged in the past ten years, ranging from analyses of Institutions by Artists (Khonsary, J. 2012) to the emergence of ‘open art schools’. These developments provide an opportunity to assess the present trajectory of art institutions and to reimagine them with a view to shaping their future construction.

This article was commissioned by the Scottish Contemporary Art Network (SCAN). It contributes to discourses that in the filed by examining how cultural institutions shape the interpretation of historical truth, artistic value, and the language of display.