Six full-time staff, including three curators, have been made redundant at the Whitechapel Gallery in London as part of a restructuring. Two people from the gallery’s development department and the director of commercial projects were also made redundant in a bid to cut costs. Former chief curator Lydia Yee and Candy Stobbs, a member of the curatorial team for more than 20 years, are among those affected.
The gallery’s curatorial team will now be led by director, Gilane Tawadros, supported by two existing curators, a special projects curator and a new position of exhibitions manager. Tawadros was appointed in May last year.
According to the gallery’s annual report for 2021-22, the gallery received income of £4.5m and incurred expenditure of £4.7m of the total funds, resulting in a deficit of £73,016 after investment gains.
A Whitechapel spokesman however says the gallery is running a “significant deficit” in the 2022/23 financial year due to rising energy costs, general inflation, slower than expected trading due to post-Covid consumer behavior and other pressures on business. model.
“On top of that there is the significant reduction in funding from Arts Council England (ACE). Whitechapel Gallery is committed to achieving annual surpluses from financial year 2023/24 and is making changes to its strategy and business model to ensure this is the case,” the spokesperson adds.
But Iwona Blazwick, the former director of the Whitechapel Gallery, says The arts journal“ACE’s reduction was relatively modest, so it is alarming to hear that very experienced curators and fundraisers are losing their jobs and programs are being cut. I hope the gallery maintains its commitment to the artists and its reputation as a platform for important art and ideas.ACE funding for the institution has increased from £1,510,168 per year (2018-22) to £1,437,955 (2023-26).
Tawadros adds in a statement: “Like so many art institutions today, Whitechapel Gallery faces the challenges of reduced ACE funding alongside rising energy costs and pressing environmental and social concerns. A strong business model is essential to ensure Whitechapel Gallery continues to serve artists, audiences and supporters in the future.
“To move from a large financial deficit in 2022/23, to 2021/22, we had to make the very difficult decision to do a little restructuring. It’s incredibly difficult for everyone involved, but we’re extremely grateful to the dedicated and passionate members of the team who have played and continue to play such an important role in making the gallery an inspiring organization.
The gallery’s board, led by academic David Dibosa, has endorsed the need for cost savings and does not make executive decisions in its governance role, the spokesperson adds.
