American Club of Lisbon’s Post

The British Museum's newly appointed director, Nicholas Cullinan, defending the institution’s decision to accept a £50m donation from bp has me in a bind. This bind goes beyond financial necessity—cultural institutions are faced with a profound responsibility of balancing much needed funding with ethical considerations of the source of the money. “I think the debate has changed, but what hasn’t changed are the two criteria against which you weigh up donations and sponsorship,” he told the The Times. “One is: was the money legally acquired? The other is: will accepting it cause us reputational damage? I think you have to have very good, clear reasons for turning down money that would help to keep the British Museum free to the public.” Ok, but what about the broader consequences? BP’s environmental track record has left deep scars and while Cullinan believes that accepting this donation doesn’t tarnish the museum’s reputation, what message is it sending? I feel that it’s endorsing the actions of a company whose legacy contradicts the values of stewardship and preservation the museum claims to uphold. Not trying to be on a high horse, after my studies I have some insight into how difficult it is to wrangle funding for cultural institutions and balancing that with integrity, but this really made me squirm. I know it’s £50m and the museum is on the cusp of a huge renovation but it’s still BP. It’s worth noting that one of the trustees had to declare a conflict of interest and abstained from voting (because BP is a client of his investment banking firm lol). Two other trustees—one, the vice-chair of BlackRock (one of the top shareholders in BP) and the other, a chair of Schroders (which holds investments in BP)—pointed out their interests but claimed that “it would not constitute a conflict of interest.” I don’t know, maybe that's enough said. Xoxo Almost Art Girl 🔗 Piece by Richard Morrison on The Times https://bit.ly/4gt09r1 📸 The British Museum's great court. Photo by Nicolas Lysandrou #culturalheritage #culturalfunding #britishmuseum #sustainability

Museums are packed with incredible stories! From the history of a piece of art …to your visitor’s experience. Your museum should be capitalizing on its deep reservoir of stories to drive excitement and donations. Check out these 5 fun video story ideas you can implement with footage you already have…or can easily get! 1.A “Making Of” Video told from the perspective of the artist! 2. A highlights video on a featured exhibit or work of art. 3. For children’s museums… share a video of kids describing what they learned and the fun they had at your museum! 4. Does your museum have something cool in the works? Share your exciting new plans and the need for your support. 5. The walls of a museum are inherently rich. Share with people the parts they don’t see with tour video showcasing all of the cool nooks, crannies and points of interest in your museum. #nonprofit #museums #associations #videostorytelling #videostorytellingformuseums #videostorytellingfornonprofits

Museums are packed with incredible stories! From the history of a piece of art …to your visitor’s experience. Your museum should be capitalizing on its deep reservoir of stories to drive excitement and donations. Check out these 5 fun video story ideas you can implement with footage you already have…or can easily get! 1. A “Making Of” Video told from the perspective of the artist! 2. A highlights video on a featured exhibit or work of art. 3. For children’s museums… share a video of kids describing what they learned, and the fun they had at your museum! 4. Does your museum have something cool in the works? Share your exciting new plans and the need for your support. 5. The walls of a museum are inherently rich. Share with people the parts they don’t see with a tour video showcasing all of the cool nooks, crannies and points of interest in your museum. #nonprofit #museums #associations #videostorytelling #videostorytellingformuseums #videostorytellingfornonprofits

An opportunity to give that is close to my heart.

Calling all artists! 📣 It’s Art Auction time! Submit your work to the 2025 Art Auction season and help support the Crocker Art Museum’s bold exhibitions and community-building programs and classes. This annual fundraiser directly benefits the thousands of children, families, and adults the Museum serves every year. Submit artwork for consideration in the Live and Silent Auctions, donate a work to Big Names, Small Art (BNSA), or do both! Artists selected for the Live and Silent auctions may choose to keep up to 50% of the proceeds (up to 125% of the fair market value) or donate 100% to the Museum. BNSA features small artworks, measuring 12 x 12 inches or less, and 100% of BNSA proceeds benefit the Museum. 📨 To submit artwork for the 2025 Art Auction season, visit https://loom.ly/R3MSC0o The deadline to submit is February 28 at 11:59 PM PST. 📲Tag an artist who needs to see this! - Image description: 1. An artist is standing next to their installed work proudly. They're smiling. 2. A group of people are examining the same work and engaging in discussion. 3-7. Various artists holding up what appears to be the artwork they've submitted to art auctions. - #Sacramento #ArtLovers #ArtMuseum #CrockerArtMuseum #CrockerArt #Sac365 #VisitSacramento #ThingsToDoInSac #HereInSac #MySacramento #DowntownSacramento #DowntownSac #ArtAuction #BNSA #BigNamesSmallArt #2025ArtAuction

🎨 CALL FOR ARTISTS! Showcase and Sell your Artwork to make an Impact! ✨ Exhibition Themes: Safety, Community, Care, Connection, Protection 🖌️ Open to Canadian Artists, Any Traditional & Digital Visual Mediums 📅 Deadline for submissions: June 30th, 2024, By Midnight 🔗 Submission form: www.tinyurl.com/3a5xsa3w ✨40% of Sale to Artist, 60% to Charity ✨5% Royalties on Secondary Sales ✨Charitable Tax Receipt for Cash Contribution ✨No Entry Fee, All Artists Right Retained About the Exhibit In today's world, as we increasingly rely on the internet to connect with others, we risk losing touch with those in our physical communities who keep us safe. Peel Crime Stoppers bridges this gap by bringing first responders and community members together to build safer communities. We must use both online and offline tools to strengthen our bonds and create a shared responsibility for safety. Safety in Numbers is about exploring the intersection of the physical, digital, and community worlds, and how we can use technology to forge human connections. Remember: Community means Care, Care means Connection, Connection means Protection. There is Safety in Numbers. MetaFundWe In Collaboration with Goat Gallery (https://www.goat.gallery/) is thrilled to announce our upcoming art exhibit and auction for the benefit of Peel Crime Stoppers. We're looking for artists who are interested in selling their Physical Artwork or Digital Art in a hybrid showcase. Traditional artists will be given the option to turn their work into a digital asset. Digital artists will be given the option to display their work as a physical piece. These options are not mandatory, but highly encouraged. If you’re interested in selling your work for a cause please join us! For more information and details of how to apply, follow the link: www.tinyurl.com/3a5xsa3w #CallForArtists #ArtExhibit #ArtAuction #CommunityArt #Safety #ArtistsWanted #impact #charity #nonprofit #Web3 #blockchain #fundraising

I always look forward to these reports from the American Alliance of Museums. A couple takeaways that really stuck with me: This statistic drew my eye and fills me with some amount of unease heading into 2025: "One in ten museums (11 percent) report donors withdrawing or threatening to withdraw support due to exhibit and/or program content related to topics such as diversity, race, gender, and sexuality. Seven percent of museums report government entities withdrawing or threatening to withdraw support due to such content." I feel this statistic in my bones: "Forty percent of museums are creating more exhibits in-house as compared to five years ago." HAI continues to shift its business strategy as in-house teams complete work in which we would have participated. It's not a bad thing to stay agile in the field and to know what you're up against.

𝐈𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐮𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧? As a scientist, entrepreneur, and creative innovator, I’ve always been drawn to the intersection of art and science. 👩🎨 👩🔬 For the longest time, I thought the two couldn’t mix. But a few years ago, I leaned into my creative side by dancing, writing, and performing poetry—and it changed everything. I’ve found that art helps me think differently, especially when I’m tackling complex challenges. It opens up new perspectives, sparks creative ideas, and reminds me to look beyond the data to find fresh solutions. At this time of year, while many are immersed in family gatherings or the bustle of shopping, I find joy in escaping to quieter art exhibitions. London, being the vibrant city it is, offers so many treasures, and I feel utterly spoilt for choice! 🤩 Two standout exhibitions I highly recommend before they close: ✨ Entheon by Illusionaries at Canary Wharf (until 31 Dec) - see video An immersive psychedelic visual journey exploring consciousness, perception, and the human spirit. ✨ Zanele Muholi at Tate Modern (until 26 Jan) A thought-provoking photographic exhibition spotlighting LGBTQI communities in South Africa. 𝑰’𝒎 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒖𝒏𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒉 𝒆𝒙𝒉𝒊𝒃𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒐𝒓 𝒉𝒊𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒏 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒕𝒔 𝒊𝒏/𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝑳𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒐𝒏. 𝑨𝒏𝒚 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔? Drop them in the comments—I’d love to hear! 🎨 💡 Top tip for fellow art lovers who are UK tax payers: Most museums and galleries in the UK are registered charities. By signing up for membership and adding gift aid, you’re making a charitable donation, gaining tax-deductible benefits, and only need to visit a few times to make it worth it. A true win-win!

The Tulsa Artist Fellowship (TAF), launched in 2015 by the George Kaiser Family Foundation (GKFF), is a charitable organization founded by billionaire philanthropist George B. Kaiser in 1999. From the TAFs inception, its mandate of supporting the arts in Tulsa has created an infrastructure for the arts through housing, subsidized studio spaces, funding for studio assistance, health care stipends, and a $150,000 award for 10 new fellows every year. This sense of community building with an ecosystem for the arts is demonstrated consistently over the weekend of Tulsa Artist Fellowship Open House. Kicking off the weekend is the opening night exhibition “Earthbound: A Dark Sky Exhibit” at TAFs Flagship public project space. While it’s being used for the exhibition tonight, it also operates as a communal space for uses as varied as literary readings, performances, sound installations, screenings, discussions, talks and interviews, workshops and more. The exhibition is in partnership with “Space for Us”, an organization dedicated to making STEAM resources and careers in space sciences more visible and accessible to underserved communities, while promoting dark sky protection and advocacy. I wrote about the TAF and exhibition for Whitehot Magazine #Art #Artists https://lnkd.in/eGHimE-m