Third Eye Centre The CCA's predecessor was the
Third Eye Centre in 1974, founded by the Scottish Arts Council as a multi-media arts centre by
Tom McGrath. Performers at the Third Eye Centre included
Allen Ginsberg,
Whoopi Goldberg,
John Byrne,
Billy Connolly,
Edwin Morgan,
Kathy Acker, and
Alan Davie. The Third Eye Centre included
jazz and
experimental music in its arts programming of the 1970s and 1980s, seeing performances from
Derek Bailey,
Julius Eastman,
Brotherhood of Breath and
Keith Tippett. The
Guardian newspaper described the Third Eye Centre as "a shrine to the
avant garde." In the 1980s, the Third Eye Centre played an important role in the rise of the new Glasgow painters
Steven Campbell,
Ken Currie and
Peter Howson. It also hosted shows by
Susan Hiller,
Sam Ainsley,
Damien Hirst and
Sophie Calle. The Third Eye Centre was also the home of the
National Review of Live Art. A number of music albums were recorded there including
Ivor Cutler's
Life in a Scotch Sitting Room Vol II in 1978, and the centre also hosted the launch event for
Alasdair Gray's
Lanark in 1981.
Centre for Contemporary Arts The CCA was established in 1992, a few years after the closure of the Third Eye Centre. The period of 1999 to 2001 saw the redevelopment of the building. The CCA took over a neighbouring villa and a building on Scott Street, doubling the size of the arts centre. In 2014, the CCA was temporarily closed after
a ruinous fire at the nearby
Glasgow School of Art but reopened in October 2018 In 2023, the Saramago café and bar closed after industrial action supported by
Industrial Workers of the World. A new "Third Eye Bar" opened on the upper floor in April 2024, featuring a room with murals by
Fraser Taylor. In September 2024, the centre announced it would close temporarily amid "significant financial concerns".
2026 Closure In February 2026, the CCA closed and fell into liquidation. ==Location and building==