Purchase Grant Fund is vital for regional acquisitions
Museums and art galleries will be devastated to hear that the MLA/V&A Purchase Grant Fund has been cut. It wasn't enough before. In 1994/05 its budget was £1.5m. This was reduced to £1m in 1995 and without increase this is now being further cut today.
Would education or the health service be expected to manage on a budget lower than one set so long ago that John Major was still prime minister?
The MLA/V&A Purchase Grant Fund acts as a lever to generate local funding and private sponsorship. The best time to purchase works for the nation is during recession, rather than at the height of the market.
The Financial Times, 30 April 2009, made a feature of a masterpiece by Charles Napier Hemy RA (1841-1917) that Falmouth Art Gallery purchased from auction the day after the collapse of Lehman Brothers.
It was acquired for a fraction of the price it would have fetched just a few weeks before. An Art Fund survey showed that other museums have also been able to wisely purchase acquisitions at a considerable discount during this recession.
The MLA/V&A Purchase Grant Fund is a lifeline for regional museums. The respect with which the staff and their advisers are held gives confidence to other funders - so it is a vital fund to kick-start any campaign.
Cornwall is one of Europe's poorest areas and many families are unable to travel to London to see collections. The county has a rich artistic and mining heritage. Public museums and art galleries, funded by small town councils, can't begin to offer the local community or the visitors to their region the chance to see works in their local context without support from grant-aid.
Along with the Art Fund and the Heritage Lottery Fund, the MLA/V&A Purchase Grant Fund is one of the most important of these sources.
Alison Bevan, director, Penlee House Gallery and Museum, and Brian Stewart, director, Falmouth Art Gallery
Buying power cut
The cut in the current year of the V&A/MLA's Purchase Grant Fund budget will be but one of the many challenges facing our sector in the fall-out from the recession, but the severity of this budget cut and its timing are a concern.
And it comes against a previously more positive positioning for renewal and development of museum and gallery collections as part of a strategic approach - the Heritage Lottery Fund's Collecting Cultures and the Art Fund's initiatives being but two notable examples.
For those of us with tiny or non-existent purchase budgets, the fund has been absolutely key in providing the first grant which then gave us the ability to put a package together by approaching other funders. And in turn an offer from the V&A fund gave others added confidence.
While the concern is for the shrinking of this specific funding stream, it is also for the knock-on and cumulative impact on the other already stretched sources of funding, and for the negative messages that will ripple out to museum authorities from reduced grant offers or rejections.
Our museum authorities appreciate the partnership approach to making new acquisitions happen, and also welcome the external scrutiny process involved in applying.
In such times it might seem that new acquisitions are luxuries we can do without, and that may be true for some aspects of collecting; but for others - the Treasure Act cases, the targeted items in collecting policies which suddenly are on offer, the items of special significance for local people - these may be once and for all opportunities.
The added value of these acquisitions may be hard to quantify, but local people's involvement in help with funding is part of the good news stories which go towards the sustainability of a museum or gallery.
That this fund has been dealt such a severe cut so soon underlines the concern for its specific and wider impact.
Ken Reedie, curator of museums and galleries, Canterbury City Council
Good news for stones
The government's announcement on new visitor facilities for Stonehenge is to be welcomed. Together with integrated proposals to close the A344, this decision will improve the monument's setting and presentation to visitors.
The Council for British Archaeology (CBA) has long held the view that current provision for public enjoyment of Stonehenge is woefully inadequate, and has campaigned for improvements for some time.
The new plan proposes the closure of the A344/A303 junction, and the section of the A344 from Stonehenge Bottom to the stones will be decommissioned and grassed over. This would reunite Stonehenge with the ancient processional avenue and improve the setting of the monument.
The new visitor centre will be designed by Denton Corker Marshall and will pay special regard to the sensitive landscape and other environmental issues.
The CBA welcomes these proposals as part of a sustainable solution to the dual challenges of improving visitor access and conservation for this outstandingly important World Heritage Site. We applaud the government's support, and the commitment of the project's partners, in taking the first step towards creating the public facilities and environmental improvement that Stonehenge deserves.
We now await confirmation that the funding has been secured to press ahead. The international attention that will be focused on Britain for the Olympics should allow us to demonstrate to the world that we fully support the principles of the World Heritage Convention and the outstanding universal value attached to the Stonehenge World Heritage Site.
Mike Heyworth, director, Council for British Archaeology
Quality counts
While Maev Kennedy may have a point regarding vanity extensions, we should recognise that a well-considered and focused addition to an existing museum can do so much more than just adding space.
Many of our more venerable buildings, while providing fantastic and inspiring space for exhibitions, do not meet 21st-century expectations in terms of access, visitor facilities and collections storage and archives.
This is where the well-designed extension can excel. In taking the pressure off an existing historic asset, the true value of the original building can be re-discovered. Quality, not quantity is the real issue.
Chris Pritchett, partner, Austin-Smith:Lord LLP
European union
The board of Ecsite understands the desire of Ecsite-uk to become fully autonomous and obtain a legal status independent of the British Association, creating the UK's Association of Science and Discovery Centres with its own services to members.
National and regional networks of science centres have existed for many years, and continue to be launched, usually for clearly defined local needs.
The multiplication of national networks is the result of the growth of our field. Science centres are relevant to many sectors of the population and have become an important meeting place for science in society.
Ecsite is an expanding network of close to 400 member institutions throughout Europe. Through its networking activities, Ecsite facilitates European cooperation among science centres, setting standards, sharing expertise, developing training programmes and disseminating best practice.
Ecsite membership opens up access to a community of professionals all working for public engagement in science. The Ecsite annual conference is a chance to share in experiences from across Europe and the world.
The network offers a mine of contacts to enrich activities, to develop new exhibitions and access European funding. Europe requires a strong response that can meet the difficult challenges ahead; we need to go beyond localisms and particularities.
In the hope that the UK Association of Science and Discovery Centres will grow and reinforce its mission at a national level, I strongly encourage UK science centres to pursue their engagement in Europe and renew their membership with Ecsite in the coming years.
Vincenzo Lipardi, president, Ecsite
Museums and art galleries will be devastated to hear that the MLA/V&A Purchase Grant Fund has been cut. It wasn't enough before. In 1994/05 its budget was £1.5m. This was reduced to £1m in 1995 and without increase this is now being further cut today.
Would education or the health service be expected to manage on a budget lower than one set so long ago that John Major was still prime minister?
The MLA/V&A Purchase Grant Fund acts as a lever to generate local funding and private sponsorship. The best time to purchase works for the nation is during recession, rather than at the height of the market.
The Financial Times, 30 April 2009, made a feature of a masterpiece by Charles Napier Hemy RA (1841-1917) that Falmouth Art Gallery purchased from auction the day after the collapse of Lehman Brothers.
It was acquired for a fraction of the price it would have fetched just a few weeks before. An Art Fund survey showed that other museums have also been able to wisely purchase acquisitions at a considerable discount during this recession.
The MLA/V&A Purchase Grant Fund is a lifeline for regional museums. The respect with which the staff and their advisers are held gives confidence to other funders - so it is a vital fund to kick-start any campaign.
Cornwall is one of Europe's poorest areas and many families are unable to travel to London to see collections. The county has a rich artistic and mining heritage. Public museums and art galleries, funded by small town councils, can't begin to offer the local community or the visitors to their region the chance to see works in their local context without support from grant-aid.
Along with the Art Fund and the Heritage Lottery Fund, the MLA/V&A Purchase Grant Fund is one of the most important of these sources.
Alison Bevan, director, Penlee House Gallery and Museum, and Brian Stewart, director, Falmouth Art Gallery
Buying power cut
The cut in the current year of the V&A/MLA's Purchase Grant Fund budget will be but one of the many challenges facing our sector in the fall-out from the recession, but the severity of this budget cut and its timing are a concern.
And it comes against a previously more positive positioning for renewal and development of museum and gallery collections as part of a strategic approach - the Heritage Lottery Fund's Collecting Cultures and the Art Fund's initiatives being but two notable examples.
For those of us with tiny or non-existent purchase budgets, the fund has been absolutely key in providing the first grant which then gave us the ability to put a package together by approaching other funders. And in turn an offer from the V&A fund gave others added confidence.
While the concern is for the shrinking of this specific funding stream, it is also for the knock-on and cumulative impact on the other already stretched sources of funding, and for the negative messages that will ripple out to museum authorities from reduced grant offers or rejections.
Our museum authorities appreciate the partnership approach to making new acquisitions happen, and also welcome the external scrutiny process involved in applying.
In such times it might seem that new acquisitions are luxuries we can do without, and that may be true for some aspects of collecting; but for others - the Treasure Act cases, the targeted items in collecting policies which suddenly are on offer, the items of special significance for local people - these may be once and for all opportunities.
The added value of these acquisitions may be hard to quantify, but local people's involvement in help with funding is part of the good news stories which go towards the sustainability of a museum or gallery.
That this fund has been dealt such a severe cut so soon underlines the concern for its specific and wider impact.
Ken Reedie, curator of museums and galleries, Canterbury City Council
MLA cuts V&A Purchase Grant Fund by 10%, Museums Journal June 2009, p5
Good news for stones
The government's announcement on new visitor facilities for Stonehenge is to be welcomed. Together with integrated proposals to close the A344, this decision will improve the monument's setting and presentation to visitors.
The Council for British Archaeology (CBA) has long held the view that current provision for public enjoyment of Stonehenge is woefully inadequate, and has campaigned for improvements for some time.
The new plan proposes the closure of the A344/A303 junction, and the section of the A344 from Stonehenge Bottom to the stones will be decommissioned and grassed over. This would reunite Stonehenge with the ancient processional avenue and improve the setting of the monument.
The new visitor centre will be designed by Denton Corker Marshall and will pay special regard to the sensitive landscape and other environmental issues.
The CBA welcomes these proposals as part of a sustainable solution to the dual challenges of improving visitor access and conservation for this outstandingly important World Heritage Site. We applaud the government's support, and the commitment of the project's partners, in taking the first step towards creating the public facilities and environmental improvement that Stonehenge deserves.
We now await confirmation that the funding has been secured to press ahead. The international attention that will be focused on Britain for the Olympics should allow us to demonstrate to the world that we fully support the principles of the World Heritage Convention and the outstanding universal value attached to the Stonehenge World Heritage Site.
Mike Heyworth, director, Council for British Archaeology
Stonehenge gets the go-ahead, Museums Journal June 2009, p11
Quality counts
While Maev Kennedy may have a point regarding vanity extensions, we should recognise that a well-considered and focused addition to an existing museum can do so much more than just adding space.
Many of our more venerable buildings, while providing fantastic and inspiring space for exhibitions, do not meet 21st-century expectations in terms of access, visitor facilities and collections storage and archives.
This is where the well-designed extension can excel. In taking the pressure off an existing historic asset, the true value of the original building can be re-discovered. Quality, not quantity is the real issue.
Chris Pritchett, partner, Austin-Smith:Lord LLP
The insider, Museum Journal May 2009, p15
European union
The board of Ecsite understands the desire of Ecsite-uk to become fully autonomous and obtain a legal status independent of the British Association, creating the UK's Association of Science and Discovery Centres with its own services to members.
National and regional networks of science centres have existed for many years, and continue to be launched, usually for clearly defined local needs.
The multiplication of national networks is the result of the growth of our field. Science centres are relevant to many sectors of the population and have become an important meeting place for science in society.
Ecsite is an expanding network of close to 400 member institutions throughout Europe. Through its networking activities, Ecsite facilitates European cooperation among science centres, setting standards, sharing expertise, developing training programmes and disseminating best practice.
Ecsite membership opens up access to a community of professionals all working for public engagement in science. The Ecsite annual conference is a chance to share in experiences from across Europe and the world.
The network offers a mine of contacts to enrich activities, to develop new exhibitions and access European funding. Europe requires a strong response that can meet the difficult challenges ahead; we need to go beyond localisms and particularities.
In the hope that the UK Association of Science and Discovery Centres will grow and reinforce its mission at a national level, I strongly encourage UK science centres to pursue their engagement in Europe and renew their membership with Ecsite in the coming years.
Vincenzo Lipardi, president, Ecsite
Ecsite-uk rebrands, In brief, Museums Journal May 2009, p5
www.sciencecentres.org.uk
www.sciencecentres.org.uk
