-
Arts and Ethical Fundraising Policies – you know they make sense
In the context of the furore that’s raging about artists provoking the Sydney Biennale to reject funding from Transfield Holdings – who run offshore detention centres for asylum seekers – now is the moment to really grasp just how incendiary the sources of our funding can be. Or to put it positively, just how important…
19 Mar 2014 jane -
Shake! February 2014 sharing
Another February half term. Another Shake Intensive. This Shake was perhaps one of the most free-flowing organic Shakes we’ve had. The discussions were epic with Adam Cooper provoking us to think about policing when we are aware of our rights as citizens, while Mark Fisher’s discussion was a historical journey through social justice with an…
18 Mar 2014 Farzana -
What does the backlash over the Sydney Biennale sponsorship controversy say about the art world?
Guest blog post by Dr Alana Jelinek I have argued in the past that there are inherent problems with contemporary public-private funding models invented with the New Labour government and made very prescriptive since the year 2000 across subsequent governments of all hues. We can see just how prescriptive is its potential in the current…
17 Mar 2014 Kevin -
Sunday at Trafalgar Square: oil sponsorship meets Russian militarism
Short version of the story: poor timing of the year award goes to Boris Johnson for hosting a huge Russian Maslenitsa (pancake day) festival on the day Russian troops took over Crimea. Lead sponsor of the festivities: Russian state oil corporation Rosneft. Anyone has a clear idea why Mayor of London held Russian festival yesterday…
3 Mar 2014 anna -
Shell no longer sponsoring Southbank Classic series – a timeline.
At the launch of the 2014/15 Southbank Centre Classic Season, Shell was conspicuously absent, after having sponsored the season for a number of years. The artistic director, Jude Kelly, announced the new classical music season on last night, with the ‘Shell Classic International’ concerts now replaced with an ‘International Orchestra Series’. The change comes after…
24 Jan 2014 Kevin -
Rich seams or dark pools? UCL and BHP Billiton
Last week we took part in an interesting afternoon of discussion at UCL called Rich Seams or Dark Pools? Fossil Fuel Funding and Research. The event was following in the wake of an internal controversy within UCL over Anglo-Australian mining giant BHP Billiton giving US $10 million to fund two new research bodies: the Institute…
22 Jan 2014 Kevin -
Support Political Art in Azerbaijan
Art for Democracy website – for human rights in Azerbaijan from epitype on Vimeo. Support Art for Democracy here. Dictatorships, like the Aliyev regime in Azerbaijan, don’t just rely on violence, intimidation and fossil fuels to secure their power. They also need a ‘social license to operate’, especially in other countries like the UK. Our…
19 Dec 2013 emma -
Statoil ends music sponsorship after growing controversy in Norway
Ragnhild Freng Dale reports on an important development in anti-oil sponsorship campaigning in Norway. October 2013 marked an important milestone for the Norwegian artists fighting the oil sponsorship of the arts in their country: Statoil ended their longstanding Bylarm-sponsorship for pop and rock music. Stretching six years back in time, Statoil and ByLarm have collaborated…
16 Dec 2013 Kevin -
Statoil sponsoring tennis? You can NOT be serious!!
Sunniva Taylor and Christopher Garrard report back from the Statoil-sponsored Tennis Masters that took place in London recently. Statoil, the 66% Norwegian government owned oil and gas company, were the big name corporate sponsors of this year’s Tennis Masters at the Royal Albert Hall, for the second year running. The event lasted five days…
16 Dec 2013 Kevin
