Art galleries and museums run by universities have borne the brunt of major cutbacks across the UK sector but critics say closures represent a “lack of imagination” that will harm students’ employability prospects.
The University of Dundee recently announced it was considering shutting the doors of its Cooper Gallery in July next year, as part of its bid to save a further £20 million.
It becomes the latest institution to propose closing a public-facing exhibition space in a testing financial climate for higher education, with King’s College London to shut its Science Gallery London on 31 July.
The University of Sunderland has also faced heavy criticism for shutting its National Glass Centre and, in 2024, Middlesex University closed the 45-year-old Museum of Domestic Design and Architecture (MODA) – a year after the University of Brighton closed its Brighton Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA).
In all cases, institutions blamed the difficult financial climate for the decisions, which come at a time when universities are under renewed pressure to show their worth to local communities.
