An art museum in Camden has been given a lifeline after the UK government awarded over £300,000 to finance urgent building repairs.
The Foundling Museum, which was founded in 2004, is set to receive £319,000 after Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, announced the new Arts Everywhere Fund on 20 February.
Under the initiative, the museum will utilise the money to improve fire safety measures, access improvements and address leaks across the building.
Museum director Emma Ridgway said: “We are excited and delighted by this MEND (Museum Estate and Development Fund) funding for long overdue repairs to our unique building, which will make it safer, stronger, and even more welcoming for visitors.”
The Arts Everywhere Fund commits £270million to supporting the UK’s arts, culture and heritage, aiming to provide financial assistance for infrastructure repairs and wider access opportunities.
Established on the site of the historic Foundling Hospital, opened in the 1739 by Thomas Coram to care for abandoned children, the museum works with artists to display exhibitions and provide learning opportunities to engage young people, especially those who have experienced care, with arts and creativity.
Social activist, artist and museum foundling fellow Patrick Brill OBE, better known by his pseudonym Bob and Roberta Smith, remains wholly supportive of the Foundling Museum but critical of the government’s strategy.
Brill believes that although funding to small museums is well-received and well-spent, the support given by the government falls short of their aim to provide wider access and educational opportunities to creative skills.
Brill said: “The museum is exemplary in setting up art aid and continues to be inspired by Hogarth who was the Bob Geldof of his day.
“It is a good thing the government are aware of the issues, but it needs a long-term settlement.
“This is a sticking plaster, it is not a solution.”
The UK arts and culture industry contributes £8.5billion annually to the economy, yet 467 museums have closed over the last 25 years and of those which have survived, three in five face the imminent threat of closure.
Foundling fellow and folk musician Sam Lee said: “The museum is incredibly radical in combining commissioning famous artists with social outreach.
“That is why they deserve the praise and resources they get.”
Similarly to Brill, Lee believes art is at the heart of social change and will suffer without established, long-term government support.
He said: “[Without systemic change] a sort of cancer will take hold of the ecosystem of the value and way arts work.”
A spokesperson for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said: “The £270 million Arts Everywhere Fund is a significant investment that will support our cultural infrastructure.
“This will unlock new opportunities for young people to engage with cultural venues where they live and drive economic growth by improving our cultural offer and attracting more tourism to the UK, creating new jobs and more opportunities.
“Alongside this investment, we are looking at the way the arts and culture sector receives support to help strengthen it further in the long-term.”
Bob and Roberta Smith OBE’s work is on display at the Tate Modern now and Anthony Wilkinson Gallery from March 8.
Sam Lee’s music and concert dates are available on his website.
You can find out more about visiting and supporting the Foundling Museum here.
Feature image credit: Anna McAlinden
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