The Foundation helped kickstart a research initiative exploring the notion of a new form of cultural institution emerging at pace around the world. The project is led by Chris Michaels, in collaboration with the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC) and Coventry University.
What does the digital age mean for galleries and museums? The question has been asked many times over the last 25 years. Collections have been digitised, stories told in social media and experiments with emerging technologies carried out. But at an institutional level, the digital age has left galleries and museums largely unchanged. They remain as they have been since the public museum emerged in the mid-eighteenth century - complex structures, rooted in the preservation and care of objects, and supported by funding generated from a mixed-economic model of public, philanthropic and commercial income.
The last three years has seen a new kind of institution emerge. Where galleries and museums are the outcome of the technologies, capital and politics of the Enlightenment; the 'immersive institution' is the outcome of new configurations of technology, finance and governance made possible by the particular conditions of the 21st century digital world. As technology has become both more powerful and cheaper, and investors have provided the start-up finance to create this new kind of institution, a wave of untapped audience demand for cultural creative experiences has been met through a global wave of innovation.
The report examines the vital importance of institutions in today’s mutable cultural landscape. In particular, it traces the recent developments of private art institutions throughout the world, the best of which exhibit a growing trend in sophistication and ramping up of quality through professional standards, engagement with partners, and demonstrable public-mindedness.
The new model of the private, publically-minded institution thrives in this moment of change, in which public funding becomes a decreasing resource, and partnerships between different sectors become the norm. The term ‘publically-minded’ would seem to be productive when assessing the growing responsibilities of present and future institutions.
This report considers the conditions that transformed the art world in the aftermath of the global financial crisis, and evaluates the consequences of this radical shift with the aim of encouraging a constructive debate between the many stakeholders of the art ecosystem. From an institutional perspective, reduced public funding forced art councils to change their model and rely more on philanthropy, encouraging curators to become fundraisers in the process. This created an opportunity for corporate sponsors and leading commercial galleries to steer museums towards blockbuster shows of a blue-chip art, consolidated international brand status for all involved and created a global art language in the process that was further promoted by media coverage. Though the relationship has proven productive, the numbers-driven exhibition economy raises critical questions about curatorial agency and cultural content creation. Regional museums and commercial galleries with weak branding were most hard hit, further widening a culture gap between the region and the metropolis, the bridging of which should be considered a priority by today’s art ecosystem.
In parallel, the report examines the rise of blue-chip art in the wake of the financial crisis, perceived by investors either as low risk on the basis of staggering auction results, or as a creative way of finding regulatory loopholes. The ensuing price hike, accompanied by a shift of the sales from the primary to secondary market, granted auction houses a substantial advantage in their core business, transforming them from a dealer platform into an international stage for collectors. In tandem, the balance of ‘closing deals’ migrated from galleries to an ever-increasing number of international art fairs, placing all but the leading galleries under considerable pressure that has led to an attrition of the mid-tier galleries, the former mainstay of the market, along with their representation of emerging and mid-career artists. A dozen galleries that emerged as leaders with business models defined by blue-chip stables, museum-quality exhibitions, presence in major cities, and strong branding that branched out into publishing, hospitality and destination art tourism. A concentration at the commercial apex which may threaten the art world with a monoculture.
One of the Foundation’s key objectives is to encourage the expansion of networks between public and private sectors. 'Going Public', staged in Sheffield between September and December 2015, was a city-wide exhibition programme over four months, accompanied by a symposium on the question ‘How Can Public Art Institutions Unlock the Potential of Philanthropy?’. Conceived by curators-at-large Sébastien Montabonel and Mark Doyle, led by Sheffield Museums and supported by the Ministry of Culture, the project assembled the works offour renowned international collections that were displayed in numerous venues across the city. 'Going Public' was a resounding success that presented a convincing argument for the collaboration of the public and private philanthropy. Endorsed by Minister of Culture Ed Vaizey, the symposium featured in the first Cultural White Paper in the UK since 1965.
A Report by independent writer Louisa Buck, was released to the public in July 2016.
