Museums carry on collecting
Despite funding cuts, museums are still expanding their collections
“We need to help the next generation of curators with the art of making great acquisitions,” says Stephen Deuchar, the director of the Art Fund.
Deuchar is referring to the charity’s New Collecting Awards, which launched last year to offer curators the chance to develop collecting programmes that extend holdings into new areas, or deepen existing holdings in imaginative ways.
In the first round, five curators received £300,000 in total. They included Sarah Rothwell, the assistant curator of modern and contemporary design at National Museums Scotland, who was awarded £50,000 to build a collection of north European modernist jewellery. Rothwell says 20th-century jewellery has been overlooked or discounted by many institutions and scholars.
Up to £400,000 is available for the second round, and the deadline is 4 September. The collecting initiative is more essential than ever, argues Deuchar, who says “the most vibrant institutions are committed to developing their collections long term, in parallel with priorities such as audience development.”
But regional museums will have to make difficult choices about collecting and acquisitions, with local authorities likely to be forced to make further cuts after the Comprehensive Spending Review in November.
Loss of expertise
John Roles, the head of Leeds Museums and Galleries, says: “This issue is about the lack of capacity, expertise and resources. As cuts carve up many museums, there are fewer people with the knowledge to identify and chase acquisitions.
“Deciding whether to keep the doors open or to launch a fundraising campaign to save something for the nation is not an easy choice.”
Leeds continues to collect, Roles says, but often through donations. “We discussed more than 15 potential acquisitions in our last collections meeting,” he adds.
Tony Butler, the executive director of Derby Museums, says he is always looking to broaden the collection. “But at the moment, our collecting approach is reactive,” he says. “The sector is going through a period of retrenchment and other areas, such as learning services, take priority.”
Butler points to a 25% cut in the museum service’s budget from the local authority in the past three years. “We are resilient though, and take advantage of schemes such as Acceptance in Lieu,” he adds.
In 2014, Derby Museums acquired the Amber Valley Roman coin hoard with funding from the Headley Trust and the V&A Purchase Fund, which contributed £1,625. A spokeswoman for the fund says the number of grants awarded to regional museums fell from 115 in 2013-14 to 109 in 2014-15, although the total value rose from £749,288 to £752,288.
Janita Bagshawe, the head of Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove, says acquiring major works at auction is particularly challenging because of high market prices. She acknowledges the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Collecting Cultures programme, which awarded her institution £242,300 last year for Fashioning Africa, an exhibition due to launch next year. But as yet there has been no third round of Collecting Cultures awards.
Other schemes continue to act as a lifeline for acquisitions. Philanthropic organisation Outset Scotland says it “brings private individuals and corporate partners together to support contemporary art activity in Scotland”. Last year, it donated five works by artist Corin Sworn to the McManus gallery in Dundee.
The Contemporary Art Society (CAS) operates the Collections Fund initiative. This £20,000 scheme, which is sponsored by CAS patrons for the acquisition of contemporary works, is awarded annually to a member museum – 90% of which are outside London.
Reactivating collections
“Our acquisition schemes provide curators with a framework for research, including studio visits,” says Caroline Douglas, the director of the CAS, who believes new acquisitions can reactivate a collection.
This year, the Collections Fund committee is working with the Gallery of Modern Art in Glasgow, with the aim of buying a work early next year. Last year, the successful recipients were Royal Pavilion & Museums and Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, which jointly acquired two films by UK artist Ben Rivers.
Joint acquisitions could be a way forward, but they are complicated to set up and manage effectively. “I can see the point of shared ownership when it unlocks extra funding, but that’s actually quite rare,” says Deuchar.
Deuchar is referring to the charity’s New Collecting Awards, which launched last year to offer curators the chance to develop collecting programmes that extend holdings into new areas, or deepen existing holdings in imaginative ways.
In the first round, five curators received £300,000 in total. They included Sarah Rothwell, the assistant curator of modern and contemporary design at National Museums Scotland, who was awarded £50,000 to build a collection of north European modernist jewellery. Rothwell says 20th-century jewellery has been overlooked or discounted by many institutions and scholars.
Up to £400,000 is available for the second round, and the deadline is 4 September. The collecting initiative is more essential than ever, argues Deuchar, who says “the most vibrant institutions are committed to developing their collections long term, in parallel with priorities such as audience development.”
But regional museums will have to make difficult choices about collecting and acquisitions, with local authorities likely to be forced to make further cuts after the Comprehensive Spending Review in November.
Loss of expertise
John Roles, the head of Leeds Museums and Galleries, says: “This issue is about the lack of capacity, expertise and resources. As cuts carve up many museums, there are fewer people with the knowledge to identify and chase acquisitions.
“Deciding whether to keep the doors open or to launch a fundraising campaign to save something for the nation is not an easy choice.”
Leeds continues to collect, Roles says, but often through donations. “We discussed more than 15 potential acquisitions in our last collections meeting,” he adds.
Tony Butler, the executive director of Derby Museums, says he is always looking to broaden the collection. “But at the moment, our collecting approach is reactive,” he says. “The sector is going through a period of retrenchment and other areas, such as learning services, take priority.”
Butler points to a 25% cut in the museum service’s budget from the local authority in the past three years. “We are resilient though, and take advantage of schemes such as Acceptance in Lieu,” he adds.
In 2014, Derby Museums acquired the Amber Valley Roman coin hoard with funding from the Headley Trust and the V&A Purchase Fund, which contributed £1,625. A spokeswoman for the fund says the number of grants awarded to regional museums fell from 115 in 2013-14 to 109 in 2014-15, although the total value rose from £749,288 to £752,288.
Janita Bagshawe, the head of Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove, says acquiring major works at auction is particularly challenging because of high market prices. She acknowledges the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Collecting Cultures programme, which awarded her institution £242,300 last year for Fashioning Africa, an exhibition due to launch next year. But as yet there has been no third round of Collecting Cultures awards.
Other schemes continue to act as a lifeline for acquisitions. Philanthropic organisation Outset Scotland says it “brings private individuals and corporate partners together to support contemporary art activity in Scotland”. Last year, it donated five works by artist Corin Sworn to the McManus gallery in Dundee.
The Contemporary Art Society (CAS) operates the Collections Fund initiative. This £20,000 scheme, which is sponsored by CAS patrons for the acquisition of contemporary works, is awarded annually to a member museum – 90% of which are outside London.
Reactivating collections
“Our acquisition schemes provide curators with a framework for research, including studio visits,” says Caroline Douglas, the director of the CAS, who believes new acquisitions can reactivate a collection.
This year, the Collections Fund committee is working with the Gallery of Modern Art in Glasgow, with the aim of buying a work early next year. Last year, the successful recipients were Royal Pavilion & Museums and Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, which jointly acquired two films by UK artist Ben Rivers.
Joint acquisitions could be a way forward, but they are complicated to set up and manage effectively. “I can see the point of shared ownership when it unlocks extra funding, but that’s actually quite rare,” says Deuchar.