Tuesday 5 May 2009

Liverpool Culture of Capital


Where has all our Culcha gone. Where are all the exhibitions and Concerts that a Culchar'd city has as standard.
This year post 2008 is the worst year I have known for events.
Now, I don't like to be critical, but did they use all they had last year and they have now ran out of steam.
Richard Brooks threw a slant on the way Museums are being run with a Bonus Culcha. It made me think and I wondered how much has Our own museum director earned and more to the point how much was their bonuses for last year with the influx of tourists all spiked up with Capital Of Culcha.


http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article6067310.ece

As the recession bites, will the top staff at our museums and galleries waive their not-inconsiderable annual bonuses? I ask because Jonathan Stephens, permanent secretary at the Department for Culture, and his senior colleagues are to forgo theirs. And he has now written to the top galleries and museums pointing this out.
A veiled threat? After all, the bonuses can be as much as 20% extra on top of salary. Of course, a more sensible way forward would be to scrap the bonus culture in the arts, which often depends on meeting daft targets such as how many “yoofs” are passing through the doors. In fact, our museum and gallery bosses are hardly paid a fortune. Nick Serota, boss of the Tate, is top dog with £166,749 last year, including a £12,000 bonus, according to the latest issue of Museums Journal. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the low(ish) £130,000 for Neil MacGregor of the British Museum, Britain’s most-visited museum. He refuses to take any bonus. No wonder he is St Neil. Having already turned down a knighthood, surely the offer of an Order of Merit or Companion of Honour must soon be in the post.


So we have written to the Director of Liverpool Museums as follows.

Liverpool Preservation Trust
11-13 Holts arcade
India Buildings
Water St
Liverpool L2 0RR


Email: liverpoolpreservationtrust@gmail.com

Tel: 0151 236 1282

David Fleming
Director
NML
William Brown Street
Liverpool 3
4.5.09
Dear Sir.
We are concerned as to the lack of exhibitions this year of any note and would be critical of the lack of substance this current year after 2008.

We also note that there may be a bonus culture being used by Museum Directors, a sort of extra pay for extra visitors and I would request under the Freedom of Information Act details of any bonuses paid to any officials or Museum Directors at Liverpool for the last couple of years I look forward to hearing from you.
Wayne Colquhoun

1 comment:

  1. Could you also ask where the rest of the so- called world museum is? Where's the engines, the carriages, that fine collection of porcellain and the musical instruments? What happened to the bottle organ? Did Fleming take back the empties for a few quid from the offie?
    I've been in several times now and as far as I can see, the world museum is a load of dead bugs and butterflies, some rocks an infestation of ants and a load of coackroaches. I have enough of them at home thank you very much. As for the Topical fish they haven't a clue about current affairs,I think they were just miming to somebody chatting behind the tank.

    As for this monstrosity they are bulding at the Pier Head, the one that was supposed to be clad in some brilliant white marvel, I have heard they are now using Egg boxes which is where it got it's name. Is it to late to take a leaf out of Jeremy Benthams book and have Fleming stuffed and shoved in a glass case. bring back Floyd Grossman. Annoying voice but a decent chap who could also turn out a decent dinner in the cafe. Keep up he good work. Always an excellent read even if I am almost in tears or wanting to strangle somebody every time I read this blog.

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