Glasgow’s art under threat after city council’s budget cuts
Kelvingrove Gallery's 'Floating Heads'
Pieces by Van Gogh, Andy Warhol and Salvador Dali are at risk as conservation teams are reduced.
Glasgow’s cultural sector is to see the biggest impact from the local authority’s budget cuts as almost a third of jobs are at risk.
According to union Unison, curators, conservators, technicians, and outreach assistants are among 37 posts under threat at Glasgow Museums and Collections.
The council says the move will save £1.5 million pounds but Unison’s Glasgow Life Convenor, Christopher Robertson, has revealed the staff are still on GCC’s payroll.
Museum staff fear that the reductions may compromise the world-renowned collections.
The Burrell Collection, home to the one of Auguste Rodin’s The Thinker sculptures, will have its conservation team cut by 40%.
Former head of conservation at the V&A, Joanne Hackett thinks the reductions could be disastrous: “A loss of this size will represent the loss of entire areas of specialism.
“In some cases there is just one conservator who deals with a particular object type.
“A staff layoff of this scale will see the loss of decades of institutional and collection knowledge and will severely impact the care of the artwork held in trust for the people of Glasgow.”
The Burrell Collection’s open-learning opportunities have proved helpful to families by allowing free experiences which might not have been affordable given the current cost-of-living crisis.
Bailie Patricia Ferguson think the council’s attempts at saving money may end-up backfiring: “I worry it won’t actually save any money.
“Some of this work, which is incredibly important when you have collections of international significance, will have to be outsourced to consultants and contractors who will do the work that the conservation staff were already doing.
“It seems the budget cuts are not only worrying for staff, but counter-productive.”
Glasgow Life, the charity which look after Kelvingrove Museum, The Burrell Collection and the Riverside Museum reported losses of £38 million during the pandemic.
A spokesperson for Glasgow Life said: Glasgow’s collection receives careful and considered care and this is going to continue.
“The savings Glasgow Life is making this year adds up to 9% of the annual service fee it receives from Glasgow City Council.
“The plans agreed in February ensure we will not have to close any venues.
“Wherever possible we have identified ways of making savings by reducing, rather than losing, Glasgow Life services, programmes and events; retaining the potential to rebuild them in the future.”
Unison says no strike-action is planned but is keeping in touch with its members as the budget cuts become live.
