Independent Art Spaces in the Age of Austerity
Never since the great puritanical iconoclasm of the 17th century have arts in this country been more at risk. Erosion and future hacking down of public funding to cultural centres has placed Britain’s would be avante-garde in dire straits. Now more than ever, independent art spaces are acting as crucial safe havens for the new contemporaries.
Naomi Gennery, Save The Arts. Photo Courtesy: Naomi Gennery
Local councils across the country have been in rough waters financially. Birmingham City Council has declared itself effectively bankrupt early this year, severely affecting grants to cultural organisations in the area. Nottingham City Council not dissimilarly is seeking to “find more than 36m in savings between 2024/25 and 2027/28”. In Nottingham’s case, cuts include a “100% reduction in grants to cultural institutions, including two art galleries: Nottingham Contemporary and New Art Exchange.” These institutions must now seek alternative means of funding.
But not just in England are cultural institutions facing tough times. Last year, there was backlash in Scotland when Holyrood U-turned on saving Creative Scotland from a 10% funding cut. In the Northern nation, just over 0.5% of all public investment went towards arts funding, which is “among the lowest in Europe.” A shocking statistic concerning a nation that once cradled the enlightenment and generated a long list of world leaders across the arts.
Visitor numbers to cultural institutions in the UK have managed to creep up to 35.1 million in 2022/23. This number, though a rise of 104.5% on the following year, has still not matched the pre pandemic figure. The most recent figure is still down by 27.4% from the number achieved in 2018/19. More unfortunately, “visitor numbers for museums outside of London have recovered at a slower rate since the COVID-19 pandemic than those within London.” This surely shows that more must be done to support those institutions beyond the capital.
According to a government report:
“In 2022/23, there were approximately 5.3 million visits to DCMS sponsored museums and galleries outside of London, an increase of 52.3% compared to 2021/22 but a decrease of 51.8% when compared to 2018/19. This is when comparing museums open in both time periods.” Fewer visitors mean less self-generated income to those galleries and museums struggling to find their feet again after the pandemic. It means less money from ticket sales, fewer gift-shop purchases, and less tea and cake bought in the café. The situation therefore is also not helped by slashing of public funding to those institutions by the government.
Independent art spaces are crucial in the fabric of cultural venues in the UK. They provide vital opportunities for lesser known and commercially unproven artists. We must not be led into believing that only commercially successful, so-called blockbuster artists should be supported. A good sign of a healthy arts environment in any city or town is a variety of arts spaces, galleries, and museums with individual identities and offering unique and exciting artists.
NT Art Month. Photo Courtesy: NT Art Month.
In the month of June, Edinburgh saw first-hand a fantastic selection of independent galleries offering a programme of events and exhibitions. Of course, this event is Edinburgh’s New Town Art Month, returning after its success in 2023, for a festival of arts and culture. The Scottish capital, home also to the world-famous Edinburgh Fringe Festival, came alive when nine of the New Town’s most impressive independent art spaces open their doors to the public.
One of the Galleries taking part in the month’s devoted to projecting the arts and cultural scene in Edinburgh is Heriot Gallery. Heriot Gallery presented two successive shows highlighting the eclectic styles and evolution of figurative art and portraiture. Reframing the Figurative Form followed by the Young Artists Show, curated by the Gallery’s very own young artist Hattie Gledson. Gledson is an artist hailing from Aberdeenshire and studied at the Lieth School of Art in Edinburgh. She is predominantly an oil painter focussing on figuration in an expressive palette, and her CV includes a residency at Hauser and Wirth’s art hotel, The Fife Arms, in 2023.[1] Heriot Gallery’s new exhibition, First Impressions, is curated by Gledson and offered a selection of work from young artists including Poppy Fraser, Alice Geldenhuys, Maria Horvathova, and Alice Taylor. The show ran from the 20th of June to 20th July.
Hattie Gledson, At the Table I, 2023. Photo Courtesy: Hattie Gledson.
The Scottish Gallery who hosted Amongst the Trees, a curation of indoor and outdoor sculpture celebrating the work of Scottish-based sculptor Andrea Geile. Alongside Geile’s work was a contemporary, vintage and historical curation of paintings and objects celebrating nature and our environment by some of Scotland’s leading artists.
A release from The Scottish Gallery says "The Scottish Gallery is delighted to be part of NT Art Month and this June. We will be making full use of our gardens and gallery with an exhibition called Amongst the Trees which will feature indoor and outdoor sculpture in our garden and gallery spaces including a contemporary, vintage and historical curation of paintings and objects celebrating nature and our environment – with a big summer party and lots to see and do!”
Events such as the NT Art Month and their success in engaging with the public are essential for revitalising the local art scene. Now more than ever, with the breakdown in national and local government support for the arts, independent art spaces must step up. The roster of venues taking part in the NT Art Month highlights a whole host of underrepresented Scottish artists and bringing fresh talent to the public attention.
Bibliography:
- Campaign for The Arts
https://www.campaignforthearts.org/news/what-did-the-2024-spring-budget-mean-for-the-arts/#:~:text=The%20present%20crisis%20in%20local,on%20culture%2C%20heritage%20and%20libraries.
- Museums Association
- The Guardian
- DCMS-Sponsored museums and galleries annual performance indicators 2022/23: headline release
- NT Art Month Press Release
- https://www.hattiegledsonartist.com/about
Hamish Strudwick
Features Co-Editor, MADE IN BED