THE NEW ART GALLERY WALSALL IN ENGLAND MAY CLOSE DUE TO FUNDING CUTS

The New Art Gallery Walsall, located in the West Midlands of England, is at risk of closing after the local council announced that it needs to reduce the venue’s funding by more than $610,000 between 2017 and 2020, Hannah Mcgivern of the Art Newspaper reports.

The gallery currently receives a subsidy of roughly $1 million each year, which the Walsall Borough Council has proposed reducing by $122,000 in 2017 and possibly as much as $476,000 in 2019. A spokesman for Walsall Council said it has to save $105 million by 2020.

According to a report released by the council, the free-admission gallery “will have to operate on a more commercial basis and become self-sustaining . . . or may close.” The final budget will not be decided until February.

The Arts Council England, which has a $760 million budget for the arts, grants the gallery around $977,000 annually. However, Peter Knott, the Midlands area director for Arts Council England, said, “We cannot use that money to replace funding lost from local authorities.” He added, “We remain confident that our partners recognize the great value of our combined investments into art and culture in Walsall.”

More than thirteen hundred people have signed a petition on change.org protesting the budget cuts, which they are calling unethical.