We are a group of artists, arts workers and activists. We love the arts and care deeply about the global environment and human rights. We object to BP sponsoring the arts, as this provides the oil company with a ‘social license’ to continue driving climate change, damaging the planet and people’s lives.
• Find out more about our objections to BP.
We are a member group of the Art Not Oil coalition, and a branch of BP or not BP?
BP sponsors the annual Portrait Award through a deal with the National Portrait Gallery in London. We object to the recent renewal of this sponsorship deal. The prestigious Portrait Award should not rely on money from a company whose business is so destructive. Instead, the Portrait Award could be an opportunity for many smaller, more ethical companies to raise their profile by co-sponsoring the awards together. We also advocate increased public funding for the arts. Find out more here.
More and more arts organisations and artists are pledging to be ‘Fossil Funds Free’, and the Edinburgh International Festival and Tate recently decided against renewing their BP sponsorship deals. The new Scottish Portrait Awards, sponsored by the Scottish Arts Club charitable trust, demonstrate that arts awards do not have to rely on outdated businesses trying to improve their reputation.
The Scottish National Portrait Gallery hosts the BP Portrait Award each year, allowing BP to extend its artwashing to Scotland. As the gallery is committed to hosting the Portrait Award, Scotland’s national galleries will only be free from BP once London’s National Portrait Gallery cancels the sponsorship deal. We call on both institutions to cut ties with the oil giant.
• See what we’ve done to try to make this happen.
Links to Further Information
Fossil Funds Free – artists and arts organisations can sign up and join the movement!
“Picture This – A Portrait of 25 Years of BP Sponsorship” by Platform
“Not if but when: CULTURE BEYOND OIL” by Platform
“Artwash: Big Oil and the Arts” by Mel Evans
BP Out of the Arts Edinburgh – This related campaign urged the Edinburgh International Festival to drop BP – and won!
Contact Us
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/NoBPFundingScotland/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/NoBPFundingScot
- Email: scotland@bp-or-not-bp.org
If you would like to join our mailing list, please email us at the above address. We’d like to hear any questions, concerns, objections or ideas you may have!
BP or not BP? 