The Victoria & Albert Museum in London is forecasting an 85% drop in visitors as a worst-case scenario after reopening © Hufton+Crow
Museums rushed to donate face masks and gloves to health workers at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, museum managers are wondering where they can buy protective equipment for their staff as institutions across Europe prepare to reopen. But the cost of masks, hand sanitiser and regular deep cleans will be the tip of a financial iceberg that lies ahead for cultural institutions.
The extra support Englands museums will need to reopen safely and remain vibrant over the next two to three years could be around £250m, The Art Newspaper understands. According to sources close to ongoing discussions with the UK government, Arts Council England (ACE) is taking the lead in making the case for a huge increase in public funding for the nations museums.
When institutions abruptly shut in March, they initially focused on the income lost during lockdown. As the UK government prepares to ease distancing restrictions, museum directors are grappling with the even greater financial challenge of reopening in an era of social distancing and reduced international and domestic travel.
Londons biggest museums are bracing for a huge drop in international tourists. At the British Museum and National Gallery, they account for more than 60% of annual visitors. The director of the Victoria and Albert Museum, Tristram Hunt, revealed this week in an online discussion that it is modelling an 80% to 85% fall in attendance in a worst-case scenario. Much is out of directors hands as post-lockdown attendance will depend on when and how museums can reopen and peoples willingness to visit London.
Leaders of major regional galleries say they are budgeting for a 50% drop in visitor numbers. All are watching how museums fare as they emerge from lockdown in countries such as Germany, Italy and Belgium.
While publicly funded UK museums face a looming financial crisis, independent institutions that must raise their own income are already fighting for survival. “Until we can reopen, all we have is philanthropy,” says Chris Stephens, the director of the Holburne Museum in Bath. It launched an emergency fundraising campaign in March, which has raised £130,000 from supporters, including £50,000 from crowdfunding. Stephens fears the autumn will bring a “perfect storm” as running costs rise while admissions income falls. He is counting on the reopening of the museums popular Grayson Perry exhibition to help it survive.
Marilyn Scott, the director of The Lightbox, a museum and gallery in Woking near London, says that many directors are now realising the challenges of reopening are greater than being in lockdown. She thinks that for some museums, rushing to reopen will be “financial suicide”. Revenue sources such as corporate hire, sponsorship, and income from cafes and shops willRead More – Source
[contf]
[contfnew]
the art news paper
[contfnewc]
[contfnewc]
