BP renewal of arts sponsorship prompts opposition
Opposition continues to BP sponsorship
The decision by oil giant BP to renew its arts sponsorship in Britain has been met with widespread criticism from Quakers and others.
The company has committed to spend £7.5m over five years. The money will be shared between the British Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, the Royal Opera House and the Royal Shakespeare Company.
A number of activist groups have campaigned against BP’s involvement in the arts, such as Earth Quaker Action UK, which engages in an act of prayerful witness in the British Museum every fortnight. The group believes that the British Museum’s partnership with BP is in direct contradiction with Quaker values.
Hannah Brock, a member of the group, said that it would continue to speak out against BP’s decision. She said: ‘As Quakers know from much experience, change can be a slow process and persistence is vital. We do not give up that easily!’.
Earlier this year BP’s twenty-six year sponsorship of the Tate Gallery and its thirty-four year sponsorship of the Edinburgh International Festival were ended, following years of protests, art interventions and dissent from prominent artists and performers.
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