How museums get co-opted into politics through charities
A leading arts charity recently reported on the £747,947 ($1,015,042) it made in donations in the UK during December 2021. The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation donates significant sums to museums and galleries, mostly outside the capital, to stage cultural and heritage exhibitions. However, almost all of the supported projects appear to have been heavily focused on adding a left-wing dimension to the work of the institution in question. That begs the question: is the purpose of such institutions no longer to serve the public, whose taxes pay the salaries of the staff who work in them, but rather to push an agenda?
‘Colonial violence and new ecological possibilities’
While some of the initiatives appear to have been apolitical and people-focused – for instance, a scheme in Dundee connecting the young and those with disabilities with exhibits related to geographical exploration – the list of award recipients reveals a pattern to the donations. It includes projects on subjects such as the eco-emergency, anti-racism, decolonisation, and other topics beloved of the political left.