Yesterday morning it was announced that, after facing growing controversy, the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) had rejected a £1 million grant from the Sackler Trust. Concerns had been raised over how the Sackler family’s profits had been generated; largely through its ownership of Purdue Pharma, a company that fuelled and then profited from the opioid … Continue reading The Portrait Gallery sacked the Sacklers. But why does it still back BP?

Last Saturday, the British Museum encountered what was perhaps the biggest protest in its 260-year history. The activist theatre group BP or not BP? - accompanied by Iraqi activists and over 300 supporters - creatively took over the museum’s Great Court in opposition to BP sponsorship of the museum’s exhibition, I am Ashurbanipal: King of … Continue reading How the British Museum and Foreign Office boost BP’s spin on Iraq

We have released a new briefing on BP's role in Iraq. From war to warming: the shameful story of BP in Iraq complements other responses to BP's sponsorship of the 'I am Ashurbanipal' exhibition at the British Museum, which features objects from what is now Iraq. To see an online version, go to the Behind the … Continue reading New briefing on BP in Iraq

National Gallery confirms that controversial partnership with oil giant Shell is over Gallery joins list of major Dutch Museums whose Shell sponsorship deals have recently ended Pressure mounts on Manchester’s Science and Industry Museum where a new Shell-sponsored exhibition is due to open this week News comes as IPCC launches “game changing” report emphasising urgency … Continue reading Shell ends National Gallery partnership in bid to boost influence in science education

In the face of mounting criticism of its oil sponsorship deals, the Science Museum Group has repeatedly claimed that sponsors like Shell and BP are given ‘the same thought and consideration’ as any other funder, and that its museums always have ‘editorial control’. But emails acquired by Culture Unstained under the Freedom of Information Act … Continue reading Science Museum backs Big Oil’s influence over STEM education, emails reveal

Emails released following FOI request reveal that festival partners raised concerns about Shell sponsorship with 3 pulling out to avoid association with oil company Petition with over 57,000 signatories calling for Shell to be dropped will be submitted to Manchester Science and Industry Museum today as festival programme is launched Revelations come as Van Gogh … Continue reading Partners quit Manchester Science Festival over Shell sponsorship, emails reveal

If you’re a science museum, taking money from the fossil fuel industry – and especially a company like Shell – should be off limits by now. From its ties to climate denial to its human rights violations in the Niger Delta, and from its ongoing trial over alleged corruption to its new deepwater drilling plans, … Continue reading Pressure mounts on the Museum of Science and Industry to drop its Shell sponsorship deal

Last week, almost 40 artists, designers and activists with objects on display in the Design Museum’s 'Hope to Nope' exhibition signed a letter calling for it to remove their work from display. The reason? The previous week, while the museum hosted a panel discussion on protest, it allowed a private event for a major arms … Continue reading The Design Museum has accused artists of stifling free speech. Here’s why it’s wrong.

Today, a group of artists and organisations have sent an unprecedented public letter to the Design Museum in London, calling for their work be removed from 'Hope to Nope', the museum's headline exhibition that showcases 'how design has played a pivotal role in reacting to the major political moments of our times'. The reason? Last … Continue reading 5 things the Design Museum should have done before hosting the arms industry