“We are living through a period of ethical realignment” Chris Garrard
Arts and cultural organizations have to exercise ethical judgement across all areas of their work. This should logically extend to how organizations are funded. In the UK, sector-wide institutions such as the Museums Association and the Institute of Fundraising agree that cultural organizations need to think carefully about ethics and exercise judgement about who they take money from. This means using due diligence and ensuring that the funding organization’s values are aligned with their own. It’s not about saying no to all corporate donations or depriving cultural institutions of funding. It’s a question of accountability and transparency about how institutions make their funding decisions. It’s about upholding the values that people in society, exhibitors and those organizations believe to be truly important.
Research shows that museums remain some of the most trusted institutions in society. They have a responsibility to demonstrate ethical leadership on issues such as human rights and the environment. It’s important that the artworks or objects on display are not being used as a branding device, which would risk undermining their value to challenge, provoke and create a space for debate.
We are living through a period of ethical realignment, with increasing recognition that there does need to be an ethical red line sometimes. The Royal Shakespeare Company recently ended its relationship with BP, not only because climate and sustainability are important values for them, but because their engagement with young people is very important. They felt that their relationship with BP was undermining this core value. Earlier this year, the Edinburgh Science Festival decided not to work with any fossil fuel companies because they felt that this sector of industry isn’t responding to the climate challenge fast enough.
If you look at any company, there will be things you might have concerns about. It is possible that engagement and partnership can cause positive change. However, it could also be that an institution working with a corporation gives the corporation a social legitimacy that allows them to continue to pollute, be damaging or destructive. Instead of supporting the arts as a whole, corporations often direct their funding towards a few institutions that give them and their brand the greatest benefit.