Glasgow Life aquires Third Eye Centre and CCA archives after liquidation

The charity, Glasgow Life, which manages the city’s archives, museum and library collections, has acquired the complete archive of the Third Eye Centre and Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA).

The Third Eye centre was at the forefront of alternative culture in Glasgow from the 1970s until its closure in 1991. Its successor, the CCA continued its legacy before confirming that it was to permanently close earlier this year.

During its 50-year life, it played host to luminaries such as Billy Connolly, Alasdair Gray, Allen Ginsberg and Whoopi Goldberg.

Its closure followed years of repeated disruption. In 2018, the Glasgow School of Art fire saw the CCA temporarily close.

Then, in September 2024, the organisation warned that it was facing serious financial uncertainty and that it would once again close temporarily in order to assess and secure its future.

There was also anger over plans to sell the Creative Scotland owned building on Sauchiehall Street earlier this year. The plans saw protests and a cross-party motion at Holyrood calling on the space to remain publicly-owned.

The archives, which include exhibition records and programmes, photographs, film, posters and flyers, span the five decades where the two institutions played a significant role in shaping Glasgow and Scotland’s cultural life.

Glasgow Life’s Head of Museums and Collections, Jane Rowlands, said: “The Third Eye Centre and CCA helped shape Glasgow’s reputation as a place for creativity and contemporary art. Securing this archive means an important part of that story will remain in Glasgow, where it can be cared for and made available to future generations. We’re grateful to Creative Scotland for making this acquisition possible, and to The Ballast Trust for its expertise and support.”

The acquisition has been made possible through funding from Creative Scotland and will see Glasgow Life take responsibility for the archive’s long-term care and preservation and there is hope for a long-term home for the archive.

Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Education, Culture and Gaelic, Màiri McAllan, said she was delighted that the archive of the Third Eye Centre and Centre for Contemporary Arts has been secured for public benefit.” She added that she believed it should be “publicly owned and accessible.”

She continued: “I thank Glasgow Life and Creative Scotland for their efforts in securing the archive and look forward to hearing next steps on making it available to the public. The Scottish Government's record investment in culture reflects the importance I attach to the sector, and I am glad this support has helped protect a key part of Glasgow’s and our country's recent cultural heritage.”

Creative Scotland’s Chief Executive, Iain Munro, said: “We’re delighted to have worked closely with Glasgow Life and to have provided funding to secure the Third Eye Centre and CCA archive for the city. The archive represents an important resource in Scotland’s contemporary culture, and its long-term preservation and accessibility will be invaluable for artists, researchers and the public for years to come.”

Director of the Ballast Trust, Kiara King, said: “It’s wonderful news that Glasgow Life has secured the Third Eye Centre and CCA archive. This successful outcome reflects strong partnership working across the archive and cultural heritage sector. The collection documents more than fifty years of artistic activity, innovation and community engagement in Glasgow, demonstrating how organisational archives preserve stories of wider social and cultural significance and can enrich our understanding of Scotland’s cultural life for generations to come.”