Sustainability and Public Benefit Strategic Objectives 2020–40
The strategic objective is to be recognised as the pre-eminent authority and resource provider in these fields:
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A pioneering art portal to grow engagements progressively with and through benuri.org – enhanced by our physical gallery and art reference library in St. John’s Wood, London
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The Jewish, refugee and immigrant contribution to British visual culture since 1900, formalising, enveloping and considerably expanding our 20-year focus through the Ben Uri Research Unit - buru.org.uk and Diaspora-artists.net.
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Mental Health: The design, production and national dissemination of widely accessible digital arts programming for the growing 70+ demographic using our collection as the source. This addresses the practical needs of the residential care sector housing 5% of the quantum and, distinctively, the 95% often living in social isolation and/or with dementia.
The Sustainability and Public Benefit strategic plan was published in October 2018 (see below) and provides detailed methodology on a seismic shift in how small museums can operate impactfully and cost effectively by redefinition of core purpose and impactful delivery.
Core to this reassessment of the operational disciplines was the prescient transformation to the digital arena wherever possible to exploit the unlimited possibilities of a virtual world, benuri.org is the result which incorporates benuricollection.org, buru.org.uk and Diaspora-artists.net is a pioneer of a fullscale virtual museum and research centre.
The width and depth of content of benuri.org is unparalleled within the sector and expands continually. Benuri.org currently presents:
Research Centre
For the study and digital recording of the Jewish, refugee and wide immigrant contribution to British visual culture since 1900. Already some 1000 individual profiles have been published and some 1500 candidates undergoing research. On buru.org.uk which focuses primarily on the European contribution. In 2024, Ben Uri was hounoured by Prof. Eddie Chambers to be custodian of Diaspora-artists.net which has over 2300 profiles focusing primarily on the Black and Asian contribution. This long-term public benefit research centre generates new scholarship, films, podcasts, oral testimonies, exhibitions, publications and collection acquisitions all of which have wide and valuable applications.
Collections
Over 900 works including the 100-strong ‘pre-eminent’ collection trust. All works are fully digitised, searchable with full artist biographies.
Archives
Some 10,000 pages of archives since Ben Uri was founded in Whitechapel 1915, including a complete record of over 700 archived exhibitions since 1925.
Arts and MENTAL Health
We have pioneered researched, cost-effective, national digital arts programming for the exponentially growing 70+ demographic using our collection of principally Jewish and refugee / immigrant artists as its source.
