The Secretary of State for Culture, Lucy Frazer, has called for an attitude shift towards philanthropy to boost arts funding. But that view, writes Caroline McCormick, fails to recognise the huge contribution of the 99%.
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National Galleries of Scotland (NSG) has put out a statement online saying will continue its relationship with sponsor Baillie Gifford.
Acknowledging it was "a complex issue," the NSG statement said “we are confident that the funding we receive from Baillie Gifford meets our strong ethical standards”.
The statement continued: “As a cultural organisation the National Galleries of Scotland offers a space for artists to share experiences and perspectives with others, encouraging discussion and understanding of the world we live in.
“This is one of the main ways we can positively impact society, but it needs to be funded. We deliver a world-class programme of exhibitions, events, engagement and outreach which just wouldn’t be possible without support from partners like Baillie Gifford.”
Baillie Gifford, a Scottish investment management company, has been criticised for its links to the fossil fuel industry and to Israel's war in Gaza.
Recents protests againt Baillie Gifford by climate activists - Fossil Free Books - led to the abrupt cancellation of partnerships with multiple book festivals including Hay, Cheltenham Literature Festival and Edinburget International Book Festival.
Last month Scotland's John Swinney accused climate activists of damaging Scotland’s cultural events by demanding organisations to reject sponsorship deals.
The Edinburgh Fringe has also said it would keep Baillie Gifford as a sponsor.
Lord Vaizey’s comments come following Barclays' announcement that it will no longer sponsor Live Nation festivals after artists protested the bank’s ties to firms that supply weapons to Israel.
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Maria Balshaw’s comments coincide with a creative protest against the ongoing sponsorship over the weekend resulting in the museum refusing entry to visitors.
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Continuing our series looking at the role of philanthropy in the arts, Tessitura’s Kate Watson and Rebecca Herberson explore whether a US model of philanthropy might provide a viable alternative funding stream in these straitened times.
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More than 100 performers have cancelled appearances at the Great Escape music festival in Brighton in protest over claims that event sponsor Barclays Bank has increased its investment in arms companies that trade with Israel.
According to a report in The Guardian, 120 acts, around a quarter of those booked, have now backed out of performing as part of a campaign led by activist group Bands Boycott Barclays.
In April, the group sent an open letter signed by hundreds of musicians, including Massive Attack, Idles, and Eno, calling for Barclays to drop as the festival's partner.
A spokesperson for Bands Boycott Barclays said: “Barclays is bankrolling the genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and then laundering its reputation by partnering with music festivals like the Great Escape. As musicians, we think that’s despicable.”
Barclays noted a previous statement from its annual general meeting: “Barclays is not a ‘shareholder’ or ‘investor’ … in relation to these companies. We trade in shares of listed companies in response to client instruction or demand, and that may result in us holding shares.”
You may not have met a philanthropy advisor before, but it is a growing profession, so be ready. Emma Beeston, who’s been one for ten years, explains how they work and why they can be helpful for your organisation.
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As activity this year gathers pace, Michelle Wright explores the many quandaries arts organisations have to navigate in deciding where to focus their fundraising efforts.
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Corporate sponsorship deal sees amount raised by Bradford City of Culture 2025 reach 90% of predicted costs of year-long programme.
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The Science Museum has been criticsed for links with fossil fuel sponsors BP, Equinor and Adani.
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A group of climate activists including Greta Thunberg protested the museum’s ongoing sponsorship deal with several fossil fuel corporations at a public panel debate.
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Environmental campaigners are calling on architects not to take part in a contest to redesign around a third of the British Museum following a controversial £50m sponsorship deal with BP that will fund the redevelopment.
The boycott is backed by the Architects Declare network, the Section of Architectural Workers trade union, now part of Unite, and Future Architects Front (FAF).
A spokesperson for FAF told the Architects Journal: "We fully support calls for architects to reject commissions funded with oil money.
"In the context of cascading ecological collapse, it is completely indefensible for architects to knowingly work with the most blatant perpetrators of climate destruction. Such donations by oil companies are transparent acts of reputation washing, and any architect with the slightest pretence of social concern must refuse to become complicit."
New 10-year partnership with BP will support transformation described by museum as 'one of the most significant cultural redevelopment projects ever undertaken'.
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National Portrait Gallery and Sadler's Wells have both faced criticism over the organisational links of some of their corporate sponsors.
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Science Museum Director Sir Ian Blatchford was met by protestors as he attended the Museums Association annual conference.
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The amount of money being donated to UK cultural organisations dropped sharply last year.
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For more than 10 years, Chris Garrard has been active in demanding accountability from some of our major cultural institutions around the ethics of accepting sponsorship.
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The chair of the Edinburgh Fringe Society says “the entire culture sector could implode” if a sure-footed approach isn't taken to sponsors with links to the oil and gas industry.
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More than 80 people from heritage, arts and climate backgrounds have written an open letter to the British Museum calling on it to remove BP’s name from its lecture theatre.
The move would send “a powerful message” about fossil fuel sponsorship, supporters said, calling on the museum’s director Hartwig Fischer to enact the change before he steps down next year.
Fischer announced the decision to resign his eight-year role last month, stating that he wanted to focus on the “rescue and preservation of cultural heritage in times of climate crisis, conflict, war and violence”, the Guardian reported.
The museum chose not to renew its 27-year sponsorship deal with the energy firm this year, stating that there were “no other contracts or agreements in effect between the museum and BP”.
Tate, National Portrait Gallery, Royal Shakespeare Company, Scottish Ballet and Royal Opera House have all ended funding partnerships with the company in recent years, to the approval of environmental campaigners.
Signatories calling on Fischer to change the name of the theatre include photographer Nan Goldin, climate scientist Bill McGuire, writer Gaia Vince, climate justice activist and mental health advocate Tori Tsui, the director of the Brunel Museum Katherine McAlpine and archaeologist and author David Wengrow.
“Just as cultural institutions around the world have removed the Sackler family name as evidence of the harmful ways their money was made came to light, the damning evidence of BP’s past – and present – can no longer be ignored,” they wrote to Fischer in a letter organised by Culture Unstained.
“Renaming the lecture theatre would send a powerful message about the future the museum wants to see… You would be demonstrating the kind of climate leadership that is now so urgently needed.”
The letter acknowledged that its writers welcomed the news that the museum’s existing sponsorship deal with BP had come to an end this year and urged Fischer to “pledge that the museum will accept no further funding from sponsors or donors involved in fossil fuel production”.
The National Portrait Gallery has reopened after a three-year refurbishment. Its Director, Nicholas Cullinan and Andrea Sullivan of the Bank of America discuss how their partnership will improve access for young people - and why that's so important.
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