Arts funding

A 30 year sponsorship deal between BP and the National Gallery will end in December, the parties say.

In a press release on Tuesday (February 22), they confirmed that BP's support of the Portrait Award will not be renewed. It said the decision was made "together", offering no insight into whether pressure to end oil company sponsorship of the arts convinced either partner that time was up.

"The BP of today is a very different company from when we first started our partnership with the National Portrait Gallery," the company's UK boss Louise Kingham said, noting a need to find "new ways to best use our talent, experience, and resources".

Lobby groups Culture Unstained and BP or not BP? claim its clear the partnership had become too controversial.

"This is clearly a vote of no confidence in BP’s business. The company spent 30 years painting a picture of itself as a responsible philanthropist but it is rapidly running out of places to clean up its toxic image," Culture Unstained Co-Director Jess Worth said.

Nicholas Cullinan, Director of the National Portrait Gallery, expressed gratitude for the long-running support.

"Its funding for the award has fostered creativity, encouraged portrait painting for over 30 years and given a platform to artists from around the world, as well as providing inspiration and enjoyment for audiences across the UK."

It's estimated the sponsorship enabled six million free visits and contributed to the career development of more than 1,500 portrait artists.

The last Portrait Award was in 2020. It was not staged this year or last because the gallery is closed for redevelopment.

1,670 emergency grants have been handed out in latest round of the Theatre Artists Fund.

Beneficiaries received £1000 each from the fund, which supported freelance theatre workers affected by Covid cases and show cancellations through the winter.

The fund has raised £9.8m across seven funding streams since  July 2020.

The release comes as the fund, established by Society of London Theatre (SOLT) and UK Theatre, works towards a pilot programme for providing employment pathways in at-risk professions. 

Stoke-on-Trent City Council's planned cut to museum funding will have an “immediate, significant and long-lasting adverse impact”, according to The Heritage Network.

The council has paused proposals to cut £560,000 funding and merge the teams at Gladstone Pottery Museum and the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery and says it will present a new business model in a month or two.

If plans go ahead, Gladstone will be closed to the public for five months each year so it can be used as a film set and events venue.

On Tuesday (February 15), the council announced it would extend Gladstone's opening hours to Tuesday through Sunday, reserving the first day of its week as a "special day for schools".

"If we do not take steps to develop Gladstone’s offer, the museum will not sustain and rare crafts could wither and die. We are not prepared for that to happen," Councillor Abi Brown said.

The Heritage Network Chair Danny Callaghan believes the plans will damage Stoke’s “distinctive reputation as a ceramic city of culture”.

“[It will] diminish our ability to build on existing strengths and hamper efforts to develop a truly world class cultural offer, putting years of hard work and planning at risk.”

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (RBWM) has ditched plans to cut 100% of its arts funding, throwing a lifeline to two local organisations.

Norden Farm Arts Centre and The Old Court, faced with the devastating removal of their council grants, will instead get a 17% funding increase following a campaing supported by local MP and former PM Theresa May.

Five thousand people petitioned the council and, in a recent budget consultation, investment in arts and culture was the most popular suggestion, far outstripping support for affordable hoursing, social care, and cheaper parking.

The remarkable turnaround comes as figures show some English councils, including RBWM, are spending half as much on the arts as a decade ago.

Norden Farm Arts Centre Chief Executive Jane Corry said she "could not be more delighted" with the decision.

"We are so very grateful to our amazing supporters; audiences, volunteers, artists, residents, community groups, politicians and Public Campaign for the Arts, for showing such love and determination to get sustained arts funding returned, and to the Council for showing how much they value the arts."

Birmingham City Councillors are being asked to approve a standstill culture budget of nearly £3m for 2022/23.

The local authority says smaller arts organisations will be commissioned to deliver projects for underserved communities as the sector builds back from Covid and prepares for the upcoming Commonwealth Games.

Funding for major organisations including City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Birmingham Royal Ballet; Birmingham Repertory Theatre, IKON Gallery and Ex Cathedra will be maintained.

While it wants to continue supporting its current portfolio, the council says it needs to allocate funding differently in light of Arts Council England's new priorities and a decrease in arts funding over the past decade.

"Whilst there are many excellent arts organisations in the city, the reduced arts budget has meant that it has been difficult enough to sustain the existing portfolio."

Powys County Council in Wales plans to cut nearly £63,000 of arts funding.

The same amount has already been cut from this year's budget and local venues warn they can't sustain a further reduction.

Hafren Theatre and Wyeside Arts Centre are among those most at risk.

But councillors say there are many more local arts organisations - up to 143, it is estimated - that it doesn't currently support at all.

The cuts had been agreed pre-Covid: "“There are other sources of funding especially during Covid that arts organisations have been able to apply for," Culture and Leisure Portfolio Holder Councillor Rachel Powell said.