Ben Uri future strategy Strategy document | Page 4

Purpose
Sustainability and Maximising the charity’s/museum’s return on
investment of human and financial resources to generate significant,
long term, distinctive public benefit
Objectives and Methodology
BURU: Ben Uri Research Unit
Centralise research and comprehensively record the
immigrant contribution to British visual arts culture
since 1900 to create Britain’s first online digital
Dictionary resource for widespread reference.
Record their lives in both their country of birth and
UK; their journeys here either forced through perse-
cution or displacement or, in more recent times, by
choice. Detail their careers against a set criteria and
generate a wide range of educational biographies
on-line, in print and on film.
This is an under-appreciated, under-studied segment
of the wider spectrum of Migration Studies, inspired
by the Jewish contribution studied for the past
15 years. It is set within the broader context of
Social Integration. The online dictionary references
and illustrations will link to the Ben Uri Collection
which is principally by immigrant artists, currently
from 34 countries of birth, and other relevant
museum collections.
BUC: Ben Uri Collection
Refine, expand and firmly establish, both nationally
and internationally the Ben Uri Collection as Britain’s
pre-eminent representative collection of works, prin-
cipally by émigré artists to the UK from 1900.
Establish an increased, continuous annual Collection
acquisition budget.
Redefine the current Collection and reshape it, through
disposals via sale and significant inter-museum gift
transfers, and further acquisitions to fit within the
revised collecting criteria detailed separately.
Curate a varied online exhibition programme and two
physical Collection exhibitions a year at the gallery
addressing themes of current focus and research.
When commissioned, continue to curate our tradi-
tional, more expansive, thematic or single focus exhi-
bitions to tour to national and international museums.
Justify an appropriately sized university, or museum
gallery exhibition space for the growing Collection to
be permanently seen and explored.
BURU & BUC
Both initiatives have no end date and are designed to
be ongoing and, in due course, to focus increasingly
on contemporary immigrant artists of the day.
Both divisions will be managed by BURU and will
further develop operating partnerships with univer-
sities and museums. If materially and long term
advantageous, these could lead to a permanent union
to maximise public benefit from both the Research
Unit and the Collection.
Redirected investment will be generated through
curator defined disposals (including inter-museum
and institutional gifts) to reflect the new Collection
definition and collecting disciplines. This will secure
and fund the expansion of the Collection (BUC) on
focus areas, the launch of the Ben Uri Research Unit
(BURU) and the Ben Uri Arts and Dementia Institute
(BUAD) which is separately detailed.
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The gallery will be open every Monday, on regular
evening events, study and open days and otherwise
by appointment. Rotating Collection highlights will, for
the first time, be on permanent display. Entry will be
Free to encourage visitor traffic and the opportunity of
discourse with our research and curatorial colleagues.
The division will be led by current Research fellow and
Head of Collections, Sarah MacDougall supported
by long time colleague Rachel Dickson, as senior
Research Manager with maintained responsibility for
curatorial services.
1915: Founded Whitechapel, London  2002: Re-opened St John’s Wood, North West London  2019: Maximising Public Benefit