Joe Ware

Cop29news

A slither of hope: ‘artivists’ bring colour and snake-themed protest to Cop29

The Artivist Network organised a range of actions at the summit that both highlighted the serious costs of climate breakdown and interrupted what can be a drab visual environment

Cop29news

‘The forgotten factor’: nations at Cop29 call for official recognition of role culture can play in climate recovery

A campaign to give arts and heritage “a seat at the table” for negotiations at the annual summit already has the support of around 40 countries and more than 1,500 civil society organisations

‘A testament to change’: Arts Council England report details ways in which UK cultural sector is addressing climate challenge

The publication has been released as nations are meeting at the Cop29 climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan

In a gallery far, far away: new Star Wars-themed museum to bring together 1.5 million objects, including 15ft-long painting

The museum, whose owners are still searching for a building, seeks to merge the four largest current collections of Star Wars props, toys and works of art

Mixed news: the UK's culture sector reacts to Labour's Autumn budget

While a boost in funding for national museums has been welcomed by key figures, concerns remain among regional institutions

Gareth Harris. Additional reporting by Joe Ware

From the top down: UK art world figures call for government support to decarbonise sector

Experts at galleries, charities and more are hoping that the chancellor Rachel Reeves will announce measures that assist cultural institutions in reducing their carbon footprint

Unesconews

‘Indefensible’: fossil fuel extraction at Unesco sites set to rise by more than 70% in coming decades, report says

A study by Leave it in the Ground Initiative (LINGO) research group states that fossil fuel activities within Unesco sites across the world are due to produce 11.9 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide

Fairs are one of the art world's biggest sources of emissions, so how can they become more green?

Travel, shipping and temporary structures all have a huge environmental impact. So some of the biggest fairs, including Frieze, have now committed to monitor and reduce their emissions

Security guards at London's Science Museum and Natural History Museum to strike over pay

The workers, who will start the action at the end of this month, say they are treated as “second-class employees”

‘An irreplaceable portal to the past’: English Heritage launches campaign to help preserve more than one million artefacts

Funds are sought to help experts store, care for, catalogue and undertake new research on the UK charity’s vast array of objects

Performance of Rasheed Araeen's ballet on water cancelled after high levels of sewage found in London river

A public performance of the participatory art installation, organised by outdoor sculpture trail The Line, was due to take place today on the Waterworks River at Olympic Park

‘Symbols of innocence and comfort’: Qatar art installation brings together 15,000 teddy bears in tribute to children killed in Gaza

The work, by the Lebanese artist Bachir Mohamad, was inspired by footage of a child in Gaza crying while holding a cuddly toy

Charities defend English Heritage for refugee scheme after criticism aired by right-wing news outlet

Philip Kiszley told GB News that the initiative, which has been in place since 2022, encourages refugees to “learn how terrible we are”

London’s Courtauld Institute gets down to business with new art market-focused degree

The art and business MA is being set up to equip students with commercially valuable skills alongside an understanding of the history of the market

UK public proud of the arts above all else—even sport—study says

The British Social Attitudes Survey shows pride in arts and literature falling only 1% over the past decade, a much smaller drop than in other categories

Revamped Wiener Holocaust Library to reopen with exhibition on celebrated Jewish sculptor

The library, which houses the world’s oldest collection of archival material on the Nazi era, will present works by Fred Kormis in a newly renovated exhibition space

Cultural sector must do more to protect heritage, say campaigners, as Unesco sites most at risk from climate change revealed

A study by the climate risk firm Climate X has shown how drought, extreme heat and flooding has put historic locations across the world at risk

‘We need a shared language’: Scotland-wide festival highlights links between the arts and health

Healing Arts Scotland, organised by the Jameel Arts & Health Lab and Scottish Ballet in collaboration with the World Health Organisation, is the first national festival to explore the role of cultural engagement in health

Mysterious Stonehenge altar rock was transported 500 miles, finds study

Researchers have found that the six-tonne feature of the neolithic monument likely came from the Orcadian Basin in north-east Scotland, rather than Wales

Banksynews

Banksy unveils gorilla artwork at London Zoo—hours after his rhino was defaced

Depicting an ape breaking animals out of an enclosure, it is the ninth piece in the street artist's animal-themed series across the UK capital

Banksynews

Banksy’s fifth animal mural in less than a week appears in east London

The picture of a pair of pelicans joins others depicting elephants, an ibex goat, monkeys and a wolf that have popped up on structures across the capital

‘My grandfather would be horrified’: protests against National Trust’s links to Barclays take place across UK

National Trust staff, volunteers and members will lead parades, live music and protest picnics at 40 of the charity's locations

‘Don’t fudge the facts’: campaigners call on Science Museum to go further after cutting ties with oil giant Equinor

Questions have been raised about the UK museum’s decision to retain sponsorship from BP, in light of data relating to its alignment with the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement

Artist's climate change sculpture near Salisbury Cathedral sparks criticism from residents

Hilary Jack says she hopes the controversy around her work, showing a house falling into the sea, will help bring attention to the issue of global warming

Goldsmiths CCA closes until autumn amid pro-Palestine protests

The activist group Goldsmith’s for Palestine is calling for the institution to cut ties with the philanthropists Zak and Candida Gertler

Campaign launched to stop demolition of Museum of London for office building

Although the controversial project has been green lit, it may take years before building work begins

Where do the UK political parties stand on culture?

Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party—even the Animal Welfare Party—tell us about their policies for the arts

UK's Imperial War Museum plans to break with two unions

MPs have joined a campaign to stop the museums group from derecognising two of its three unions

Theft of Bronze Age gold artefacts from UK museum sparks fresh concerns about lack of government investment in sector

A bracelet and torc dating back thousands of years were taken from Cambridgeshire’s Ely Museum last week, shining a light on underfunding and its potential impact on security