In the Arts: London Cultural Institutions to Maintain BP Ties

BP’s agreement to finance a $20-billion compensation fund for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill will not cause it to dropp support to several of Britain’s major cultural institutions, Bloomberg writes.

A spokesman for the oil giant, which has lost nearly half its market value since the spill, said its sponsorship ties to the British Museum, the Royal Opera House, the Tate Britain, and the National Portrait Gallery are “completely unchanged,” and the four institutions released a joint statement praising the firm’s commitment to the arts.

In other arts news, Washington, D.C.’s Arena Stage is embarking on a radical change in an effort to develop new works, hiring five playwrights as employees with salaries, benefits, and office access, reports The Washington Post.

The change is part of Arena’s American Voices New Play Institute, established last year with a $1.1-million gift from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The dramatists will remain on the staff for three years, with the freedom to work on projects of their choosing.

Also, the Miami Art Museum has named Thomas Collins, as its new director, The Miami Herald reports. Mr. Collins, currently director of the Neuberger Museum of Art at State University of New York at Purchase, will oversee the Miami institution’s move into a new $100-million downtown facility scheduled to be ready in 2013.

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