Paper Records of The Third Eye Centre

The collection is related to administrative organisation of the exhibition, musical event, theatre and community arts program by the Third Eye Centre in the period between its opening in 1975 until its close in 1990/1991. It also includes documents relating to the events and administration of the Scottish Arts Council and the Scottish Arts Council Gallery at Blythswood Square, Glasgow. It is primarily made up of paper records but contains a number of slides, photographs and occasional exhibition marketing ephemera such as, poster, brochures and flyers. The paper records consist handwritten, typed, and carbon copied correspondence and copies of contracts, draft marketing material, newspaper cuttings, budgets, sales, notes and board meeting minutes and agendas. There is also material relating to the establishment of the gallery, including constitutions, building plans and blueprints.

In 1974 Scottish writer and playwright, Tom McGrath, founded The Third Eye Centre in Glasgow. The Third Eye Centre was based in Sauchiehall Street's Alexander Greek Thomson building from 1975-1991. Allen Ginsberg, Whoopi Goldberg, John Byrne, Billy Connolly, Edwin Morgan and Kathy Acker all performed at the centre. Described by the Guardian as 'a shrine to the avant garde', the centre quickly became the focus for Glasgow's counter culture.

The Third Eye Centre only had two directors in its time. Chris Carrell took over in the late 1970s and led it until 1991, maintaining the wide remit established by McGrath. Classic photography exhibitions by Walker Evans and Robert Frank sat alongside shows on Hengler's Circus, Scottish football (attracting 30,000 visitors), space travel, Paisley shawls, and Spitting Image puppets.

In the 1980s, the Third Eye Centre played an important role in the rise of the new Glasgow painters, Ken Currie, Peter Howson and Steven Campbell. There were also shows by Sam Ainsley, Jacki Parry, Roger Palmer, Susan Hiller, Pavel Büchler, Damien Hirst and Sophie Calle. The Third Eye Centre was also the home of the National Review of Live Art. Several albums were recorded there including Mbizo by Johnny Dyani (1981) and Ivor Cutler's Life in a Scotch Sitting Room Vol II (1978).

This collection may be consulted free of charge at the Centre for Contemporary Arts in Glasgow; please email archive@cca-glasgow.com to arrange an appointment.

Detailed catalogue compiled by Carrie Skinner between February 2012 and September 2012. Collection Level Description created by Carrie Skinner July 2013 and revised in June 2022 by Kristen Nelson.

Photographic copies of material in the archive can be supplied for private study purposes only, depending on the condition of the documents.

A number of items within the archive remain within copyright under the terms of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988; it is the responsibility of users to obtain the copyright holder's permission for reproduction of copyright material for purposes other than research or private study.

Prior written permission must be obtained from the CCA for publication or reproduction of any material within the archive. All material must be credited as "The CCA/Third Eye Centre Archive."