Aberdeen Art Gallery, joint winner Art Fund Museum of the Year 2020, © Marc Atkins/Art Fund 2020 Looking ahead Museum Sector Research May 2021 Summary Report [Art _ CONTENTS Introduction 5 Now 9 Next 19 The role of Art Fund 31 Conclusions 37 Gairloch Museum, joint winner Art Fund Museum of the Year 2020 © Marc Atkins/Art Fund 2020 INTRODUCTION What has emerged is a new We would like to thank our model for the museum, one in colleagues in museums and which the physical space of the galleries across the UK who, at a Almost exactly a year ago, I wrote We hope our findings will not museum is no longer dominant. point at which it felt like there was the introduction to Art Fund’s first only inform Art Fund’s charitable Instead, the museum is divided a new survey to fill out every other survey on the impact of Covid-19. programme, but also help other into three: on-site, on-line, and day, took the time to answer our At that time, our sector faced an organisations, funders and out in the community; each space questions and have yet another unprecedented crisis. One year agencies, across and beyond equally important and informed Zoom meeting. It is a privilege to later and little has changed: across the sector, understand where our by the other two. Alongside this is be part of a sector full of generous, the UK museums and galleries are continued support is most needed. new thinking about recovery: for creative, and dedicated people. only just starting to reopen, finances many, a continual growth model is The themes in this survey will not remain extremely precarious, untenable, and the sector must ask Sarah Philp be a surprise to anyone working in and the future uncertain. instead what is sustainable, across Director of Programme and Policy, museums and galleries. We knew these three spaces and for the Art Fund But we know that everything has already – and the results here long term. We hope that, through changed, too: it has been an reaffirm – that emergency funding new grant funding to be launched extraordinary year for activism and had prevented catastrophe, and that shortly, Art Fund will be able to social justice, digital creativity sustained investment will be critical Introduction support museums to explore these and engagement, and a renewed in rebuilding the sector. We also spaces and questions. appreciation for the pleasure of a knew that while the opportunity to day out at a museum with people experiment with digital programmes we love. Now, as we publish our had been enthusiastically and Introduction second survey, our focus is on the successfully embraced by many future – not just on recovery and museums, being able to welcome renewal, but on how the sector visitors back through the doors might reimagine its purpose and remained a top priority – not only activities in a post-pandemic world. because visitors provide vital income, but because they bring This survey is not a repeat of museums and their collections last year’s. Working again with to life. cultural consultants Wafer Hadley, we wanted to understand the priorities for museums and galleries for 2021 and beyond. 316 UK museum directors filled out an online questionnaire, and then a series of interviews and two focus groups allowed us to discuss many issues in greater depth. 5 Science Museum, London, joint winner Art Fund Museum of the Year 2020 6 © Marc Atkins/Art Fund 2020 METHODOLOGIES & RESPONSES This mixed methodology research Independent was carried out during February and March 2021. It included: Local Authority — An online survey (316 responses) National — Two focus groups – Independents & Local Authority University services — 20 in-depth telephone interviews Other carried out by Art Fund staff 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 % of responses by nation Introduction Organisations including: % 11% Museum 69 Introduction Art gallery 43 Heritage site 27 Historic house 26 Multi-site service 16 2% Library/archive 15 Non-venue-based 2 Place of worship 1 Other 9 83% 4% 7 8 Now Now Now Garden Museum, visitors back at the museum after the first UK lockdown, 9 © Janie Airey/Art Fund 2020 10 OVERVIEW Organisational survival concerns Our 2020 research revealed a Financially, government funding has 24% widespread lack of certainty in the provided a lifeline that staved off not concerned 4% sector. Following a momentous catastrophe in 2020/21. Some are year, in which much has changed, in a better position than previously 21% 55% Neutral not at all uncertainty remains a dominant feared, but many are now running concerned concerned theme. A majority of organisations with a deficit. With reserves spent, have concerns about their survival. fundraising stymied and earned 8% income decimated, there is unlikely The state of future funding, to be any easy bouncing back. extremely unknown visitor confidence levels, A five-year timeframe for recovery concerned local elections, restructures in Local seems likely, with difficult years Authorities and the return of staff ahead for some. from furlough are just some of the factors stoking this uncertainty. Concern for the future is most marked among Local Authority The past year has given many run services and Independents. Now organisations an opportunity to Nationals show slightly less concern Now refocus and experiment. They are about their fundamental survival, determined to show their resilience, but they expect to be operating to evolve and carve out new very differently. futures. However, this is tempered by significant levels of overstretch and exhaustion. Garden Museum, visitors back at the museum after the first UK lockdown, © Janie Airey/Art Fund 2020 11 12 Sources of emergency funding & financial support VISITORS AND OPENING IN 2020/21 in 2020/21 Government Job Retention Scheme Was your museum able to open following the first national lockdown? Local Authority grant Culture Recovery Fund Reopened when allowed to 15% do so Rate relief Not reopened at all Trusts and Foundations 15% Other Emergency Funding: Arts Councils 70% Art Fund On average, Emergency Funding: NLHF visitors were down 75% Now Other Now Sector Support organisations (eg AIM, MGS) — The vast majority of organisations managed to reopen some, if not Other Government support (eg loan, rebate) all, of their sites when allowed to do so in 2020, but visitor Crowdfunding numbers were hit very hard. — On average, visitor numbers None – have chosen not to apply were more buoyant at Independents than at London- Historic England based Nationals, or at Local Authority and University- Bank loan managed venues. None – ineligible for any support — Those with outdoor spaces have naturally fared much better None – unsuccessful applications than others. 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 % of respondents receiving types of funding support 13 14 FINANCES — Earned incomes fell sharply in — Universities and Local Authority 2020/21. Organisations that had services have been spared many increased the proportion of their redundancies so far, but the commercial income in recent future picture is very unclear. years were the most vulnerable. Already made redundancies — Many Local Authority staff have — More than a third of organisations been redeployed to work in other Making redundancies in the coming year are newly in deficit in 2021/22, services, such as Covid testing with a further third still unsure centres, foodbanks and on No redundancies of their financial position for business grants. These roles are the year ahead. New deficits still required in the new financial Currently unclear represent, on average, 25% of year and may impact museums’ organisations’ total operating capacity and readiness Other budgets. Organisations in for reopening. 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 England are more likely to have % of organisations a new deficit than those in other nations. — Almost a quarter of organisations Will you be operating with a new financial reported already making Now redundancies, with more Now deficit in 2021/22? expected in the coming year. However, the distribution of Yes redundancies has not been equally spread, with far more among larger organisations, No 32% 37% particularly Nationals and Independents. Not sure On average, income was down (2020/21) 62% 31% 15 16 “Like other central London museums, “Quite a few of the staff have been we rely as much on international visitors partially redeployed during this period as local/UK visitors; 50% across the including me. I’ve managed the Council’s year come from overseas and these are business support team for the whole also the visitors who spend more in our of the pandemic. That’s still going on shop and cafe. Forecasts suggest that and the Government is still producing the recovery of the international visitor more business grants that we’re going market won’t begin until at least 2022 to have to answer enquiries to, assess… and could take until 2024 to reach 2019 it just seems never-ending. So, how are levels. Being an independent museum we going to get back to being able to be that normally generates 100% of core fully open?” operating and programme costs through (Local Authority, England) activity onsite, we have worked hard, fast and successfully to adapt and develop “Northern Ireland has experienced 12 new income streams (and to cut costs), years of consecutive cuts, standstill if but nothing can replace the income lucky… Our sector depends on annual through onsite experience.” funding and every year is uncertain, more (Independent, England) so than ever now with Brexit and Covid.” (Independent, Northern Ireland) Now “In Scotland, there is not just precarity around Covid-19 and the medium to “As a national museum, I feel fairly long term economic outlook, but also confident that we can count on the In their own words In their own regarding the future political landscape, Government to continue with Grant- with elections to the Scottish Parliament in-Aid, but that barely covers half of imminent, and potential for a second our normal expenses.