An archive spanning more than half a century of Scotland's contemporary cultural history could be broken up or sold after the liquidation of Glasgow's Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA), provoking outcry from artists, politicians and campaigners.

The CCA entered liquidation in January, citing significant financial pressures. All 39 staff were made redundant. Creative Scotland, the national arts funding body, which owns the CCA building on Sauchiehall Street, subsequently announced plans to sell the property — ending more than two decades in which it served as one of Scotland's leading contemporary art venues. The Art Newspaper

Among the assets listed by the liquidators is the CCA's archive, described as vast and nationally important, comprising paper and digital records — exhibition files, photographs, posters, film, flyers and other ephemera documenting five decades of artistic activity in Glasgow. The collection also includes material from the Third Eye Centre, the CCA's predecessor organisation. Herald Scotland

MB Valuations, the firm instructed to dispose of the CCA's assets, said it is seeking advice on the archive's future and inviting expressions of interest rather than including the collection in the wider auction of furniture and equipment. The firm hopes the archive could remain together under institutional ownership, according to Scottish media reports. The Art Newspaper

Amanda Catto, a portfolio manager at Creative Scotland, warned in an Instagram post that the archive at risk encompasses more than 50 years of Scotland's contemporary cultural history. She called the collection "part of Scotland's cultural memory" and said allowing it to be broken up or sold would represent "an irreversible loss to Scotland's cultural record." The Art Newspaper

On Friday, a "Stop the Sale" demonstration took place outside the CCA building. The campaign group Save Our CCA launched a petition calling for the archive to remain intact and for the building to stay in public ownership as a cultural asset. A separate Change.org petition, launched in January, urges Creative Scotland and the Scottish Government to prevent the CCA's permanent closure. The Art Newspaper

David Green MSP, the Scottish Liberal Democrats' culture spokesperson, said steps should be taken to preserve the archive. The Art Newspaper

Creative Scotland is now working with Glasgow Life, the charity that runs the city's museums and leisure services, and the Ballast Trust, an archives charity, to explore ways of preserving the collection and keeping it publicly accessible in Glasgow. The Art Newspaper

The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator launched an inquiry into the CCA charity's financial governance after it folded. Last week, the regulator concluded that investigation without taking further action. The Art Newspaper

For a city that has produced Turner Prize winners and built an international reputation on its contemporary art scene, the stakes are not merely institutional. The archive is the paper trail of that story — the posters, the photographs, the exhibition notes — and the question now is whether it stays together, in Glasgow, or scatters.