Art Fund’s Post

#Budget2024 | UK museum bodies have made a joint submission to HM Treasury's call for policy suggestions for the Autumn Budget. Read it here 👉 https://ow.ly/oJxt50ToSgW Together with the National Museum Directors' Council, Art Fund, the Association of Independent Museums and the English Civic Museums Network, we've outlined how museums are well placed to deliver on all of the UK Government's five missions. We've also highlighted the current severe challenges for UK museums after more than a decade of austerity. Our proposals for this year's budget include: 💷 Emergency funding for civic museums 🏢 Fair long-term settlements for local authorities ⚖️ Maintaining funding for Arts Council England 🔨 Capital investment for all UK museums 🇬🇧 Devolved museum funding settlements 🎨 Cultural and creative education 🔓 Retaining free admission to national museums 📊 Maintaining the higher rates of exhibition tax relief We will continue working in partnership to make the case to government for adequate, long-term and sustainable investment in all UK museums, including in preparation for the upcoming Spending Review in spring 2025.

We've seen ongoing cuts for the culture and heritage sector, with the Ministry's funding dropping from $414.9m in 2023/24 to $373.6m in 2024/25 - a nearly 10% reduction (or a 16.2% reduction when considering changes to multi-year appropriations). Our Gwynn Compton at Heft noted in a news piece for the Musuems sector that the decision not to continue with the Regional Culture and Heritage Fund leaves a gap in the capital funding of last resort for the sector that will need to be filled. The recent Keep the Lights On campaign by Musuems Aotearoa (Kate Oktay, Adele Fitzpatrick) demonstrated the extent of need already in the museums and galleries space. An increase to the International Visitor Levy is one possible source of funding for this sector. Of note this week was commentary around the significant drop in funding from the most recent CreativeNZ funding round - with 55 projects funded compared to 193 in December. Although some can be put down to the point in the funding cycle, the extent of need to support the arts is huge - 612 projects sought funding. I remember my grandmother telling me the demand for lipstick increased when she was a girl, during recessions. Others have said the need for the arts is greater for our communities during times of economic uncertainty. And while I am not arguing there is an even greater need for functioning healthcare, police force and education - there is undoubtedly something broken in how we support the arts. I launched Folly Journal with an eye to self funding, and finding creative ways to ensure viability without a need for grants. This year we are a step closer, thanks to strong relationships with stockists, support from the Arts Foundation and dipping our toes into social enterprise projects like Cantermelon (google it). https://lnkd.in/gGyP3W9m

It’s not possible to overstate what a devastating impact the cuts by Welsh government to museums, culture, arts and heritage is having on Wales - now and for the future. The cuts will accelerate the problems that the sector has been having over the last fourteen years. The impact of cutting specialist curators for museum collections at national level, with no succession planning means we are about to lose a generation of knowledge which will take us decades to recover from (if ever). Regional museum curators are in the main generalists - managing buildings, commercial development, fundraising, marketing, volunteers etc and rely on the trickle down of expertise from the national to access research and knowledge about the collection. Digitising the collection is not a replacement for dedicated staff who (should be able to) create critical discourse, partnerships and networks across the international museum sector that can be fed down to the rest of the sector and crucially, back to our audiences and the people of Wales. The whole system is a kind of mycelia network of knowledge- the cuts by Welsh government, alongside the ongong local government cuts are breaking the sector. Museums, galleries, arts services will retract (and are) in the hope of getting through. Young people lose out by not learning about Welsh culture and heritage, our tourism industry loses the ability to highlight our culture and boost the economy and we will accelerate the brain drain of talent out of Wales through lack of opportunity in the cultural and heritage sector. #museums #wales #curators #art

Independent Arts Projects has joined over 80 Scottish organisations in an open letter to express our grave and deep concern over the Scottish Government’s failure to provide certainty surrounding the £6.6 million Grant in Aid budget for Creative Scotland, resulting in the abrupt closure of the Open Fund for Individuals, the primary route to public funding for Scottish Artists to develop their projects. The resilience of Scotland’s cultural sector is not infinite. Artists cannot continue to bear the burden of delayed and inadequate support. We strongly urge the Scottish Government to recognise the severity of this situation and take immediate action to release the necessary funds to Creative Scotland, allowing the Open Fund for Individuals to be reinstated. This is a necessary first step towards securing the future of the arts in Scotland, but alone it is not enough to reverse decades of shrinking support. It is now more vital than ever that the Scottish Government follows through on its promises to “more than double” investment in arts and culture and we seek urgent clarification on the timeline and mechanisms for delivering the pledged £100m increase in funding by 2028-29. Read the full letter here: https://bit.ly/3SWslbT

1% of the DFC budget is set aside for the arts. 1%. I will keep on fighting along side my friends, but it is pretty damn demoralising. Meanwhile in the south, this is happening. They know the value of what we are all trying to do. Read it and actually wept. The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin TD, and the Minister of State for Sport, Physical Education and the Gaeltacht, Thomas Byrne TD, today (2 October) announced details of €1,271,989,000 in funding allocated to the Department in Budget 2025 which will see increases across all areas with a total 6% rise across the Department. Funding for 2025 is increasing for all areas under the Department while supports for agencies in sectors continue to grow. This follows record funding in recent years which saw the overall budget for the Department since 2019 increasing by 58%. Budget 2025 will enable backing for new strategies and schemes in Tourism and Media, while additional funds will help further grow the Arts, the Gaeltacht and Sport. Ministers Martin and Byrne announce details of Budget 2025 for the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media • Year-on-year budget increase of €70m • Increase in Capital Expenditure of €16m and an additional €54m in Current Expenditure • €61.4m in Tourism Marketing support to continue to promote Ireland as a leading holiday destination • Record funding of €140m for the Arts Council • Extra €6m for Sport Ireland to build on the success of the Paris Games and provide enhanced participation opportunities • An additional €6m for the Gaeltacht and the Irish language, including an additional €1.9m for Údarás na Gaeltachta • Additional €6m for news and current affairs, ring-fenced for independent radio and TV sector under the Sound and Vision Scheme • TG4 funding to rise to €60m https://lnkd.in/dSYpkQUK

Equivalent to £42.8m for NI (pro-rata). A lot more than Arts Council NI #funding (£9.7m ex capital in 2023/24)… but many forget that NI arts organisations have access to UK wide Trusts & Foundations (second largest market in the world); and have benefited from other funds (e.g. Dormant Accounts; NI Screen; National Lottery; DfC; Levelling Up; Council Funds; Certain Tax Reliefs etc). So it’s not an exact comparison… It’s not just #Arts funding though, Ireland make much of their festivals; and civic buildings which can be used for arts. They’ve also a growing philanthropic sector and have public bodies more able to invest. It’s only down the road, so there’s no excuse for NI arts organisations not to explore opportunities further. Virtual offices in a growing mass of connected hubs can be got cheaply, and IRL tenders can be freely accessed. A search friendly website and good reputation helps; and it’s never too early to start relationship building. All attainable. Just need to start.

REMINDER: the Annual General Meeting of the International Council of Museums Australian Committee Incorporated (ICOM Australia) will be held on Friday 17 May 2024 at 11.45 am – 12.30pm AEST Clemenger Theatre, NGV International, 180 St Kilda Rd, Melbourne At the AGM, we are seeking endorsement to make some changes to the ICOM Australia Rules of Procedure that will allow all our members to participate in the Annual General Meeting whether in person or online. Over the past few years it has been harder and harder for us to get a quorum due to the COVID19 pandemic and the increasing costs associated with travel for many of our members. Additionally we are also proposing a motion to move our financial reporting to a financial year cycle rather than a calendar year. This will allow us to meet our obligations under the Associations Act and provide better financial reporting for our members. Notice of both motions must be circulated to all members 28 days in advance of the AGM. We hope that you will be able to join us for the AGM in Melbourne in May to pass these important amendments. If you cannot attend please ensure you nominate a proxy to vote in your stead so that we can reach a quorum at the meeting. All the AGM documents are available here: https://lnkd.in/gnEY34YN

The National Railway Museum and all our national museums. Entry fees. We have had a period of austerity and household budgets have been under terrible pressure. It is great that our big national museums are free to enter and government funded. It gives access to history, heritage, culture, education and hopefully inspiration to everyone in British society. Government finances are tight and spending needs to be capped. The new Labour government are having a quick update report done by the OBR to see if the situation, post-Covid, is as grim as suspected. Tell me therefore why free entry to the “free” museums should not be restricted to UK citizens? I travel widely and residents of many other countries get reduced or free access to museums in their country but I have to pay. What is wrong with our national museums charging non-UK citizens for entry? Just seems fair and reasonable and would boost revenue and reduce public expenditure.🤔 Photo: Deltic 55002 “King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry” on display in the NRM on Friday.

Today we acknowledge Te Pūtake o te Riri, He Rā Maumahara - our national day of remembrance of the New Zealand Wars. As part of our commitment to deeper conversations around these pivotal moments in our history, we have recently opened our newly refreshed gallery, Atarau: Stories of the New Zealand Wars.  The Museum will also be illuminated in pounamu green tonight.    The word atarau means many things. In te reo Maori 'ata' means shadow, early dawn, shape or reflection. While 'rau' can mean many, forever, a beat or rhythm. Those multiple meanings are a metaphor for history. When painful histories are brought out of the shadows and into the light, they can be better understood.  Featuring taonga, contemporary artworks, and diverse perspectives, Atarau offers visitors insight into the circumstances, people, and events of the wars, and reflects on the experiences of those involved. This interim display is the first step in a larger program aimed at enhancing public knowledge and understanding about these pivotal stories.  Visit Atarau: Stories of the New Zealand Wars to connect with stories that continue to shape our society, now open on Level 2. Free with Museum Entry.    

As part of ICF’s Shifting the Centre project, and in response to requests that we hold more reading groups after those convened around our exhibitions with Black Cultural Archives and iniva in 2023, ICF is hosting another reading group in collaboration with Stuart Hall Foundation. Tuesday 26 March, 6-7:30pm Held at Healing Justice London (HJL) Dream Space at Resource for London We invite attendees to bring in a single text, poem, quote, artwork, or excerpt which you associate with the notion of 'anticolonialism' to share and discuss during the open and informal group discussions. If you prefer not to bring your own text, we had included a link to a Miro board which houses all of the texts we’ve explored through the project so far via the link below. This session opens up a space through which we can generate collective consideration of the ways in which critical texts can act as important analytical tools for addressing urgent political realities, such as the colonial systems impacting peoples living in places like Palestine and the Democratic Republic of Congo, through historical readings of revolutions like the ones that took place in Haiti and Grenada. There will be food available during the event from 6.30pm. This is an in-person event with limited spaces and registration is essential - https://bit.ly/49AyP6s About the Project: Shifting the Centre is ICF's archival activation project dedicated to excavating the radical observations, emancipatory dreams, and revolutionary practices of anticolonial thinkers to develop counter approaches by asking: what kinds of ideas emerge when those resisting dominant forces are the protagonists of world history? The project locates connections between seemingly unrelated events, people, issues and objects as a way of rejecting a single vantage point from which to understand, tell and mobilise histories. Ultimately, it seeks to widen what dominant forces attempt to narrow: our vision, imagination, and the political possibilities available to us. Shifting the Centre forms part of ICF’s Systems Reclaimed project, which aims to create a platform for creative practitioners to highlight and interrogate specific manifestations of systemic inequality both within and beyond the arts. The project is supported by Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.