ARTS LEADERSHIP
FOR THE CRISIS
OF OUR TIMES

MURMUR: AN INTRODUCTION

Murmur, a registered charity, founded by leaders in climate strategy and the creative industries, enables the worlds of visual arts and music to play their part in combatting the climate crisis.

OUR VISION

A society in which artists, musicians and arts leaders are informed advocates, operating in climate literate and responsible industries, and collaborating with world-class environmental organisations.

OUR MISSION

To unite the visual arts and music industries in addressing the climate crisis with the highest possible ambition by:

  1. Funding initiatives to help our industries to decarbonise

  2. Empowering artists’voices to create major societal change

  3. Financing transformative climate work

 

THE POWER OF THE ARTS

Murmur is an opportunity for the leading voices and businesses in the art and music industries to show that they take responsibility for their impact on the planet and are committed to addressing climate change.  

Art can influence society by changing opinions, instilling values and translating experiences. Artists have previously helped to shape thinking and policy on major societal issues such as race, sexuality and the AIDS epidemic.  

Artists and the arts industries have the potential to ignite a critical mass of action on the climate crisis and to be leaders on this vital issue.

HOW IT WORKS

what you need to do

  1. MEASURE - calculate and estimate your carbon emissions on an annual basis

  2. REDUCE - establish an emissions reduction pathway and take actions to reduce your impact on the planet

  3. DONATE - make your annual contribution to Murmur’s shared fund

  4. COMMUNICATE - share your commitment with your network and benefit from Murmur’s donor information and events

RELY ON MURMUR TO DO THE REST

Our strategic climate fund and grant making mechanism will help you compensate for emissions you cannot yet remove in the most impactful and credible manner.

  • We’ll help quantify the financial value of your residual emissions

  • We’ll invest in organisations and projects that have the largest possible benefit to the earth

  • We’ll link you to the world’s most effective climate organisations and a network of likeminded arts leaders

HOW THE FUND IS DONATED  

Overseen by expert advisory groups, our shared fund will donate for maximum impact, directing finance towards these three areas:  

CHANGE THE INDUSTRY  

Initiatives that enable the arts and music industries to decarbonise and meet the 2030 goals  

CHANGE THE CONVERSATION  

Training artists and arts leaders to communicate confidently about climate change  

CHANGE THE WORLD  

The most impactful and effective projects and NGOs addressing the climate crisis  

who we are

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

CHRIS STARK - Head of ‘Mission Control’ for Clean Power 2030, UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, former Chief Executive of the UK Climate Change Committee and Chief Executive of the Carbon Trust; trustee of the V&A Dundee

CAIUS PAWSON (Chair) - Founder of Young, Ambassador for environmental NGO Client Earth

MATTHEW SLOTOVER - Co-Founder of Frieze; board member of Turner Contemporary, Sadlers Wells, the Arts Foundation and the Walpole Group, found member of the Gallery Climate Coalition

VICTORIA SIDDALL - Founding Director. Director of National Portrait Gallery. Co-founder and trustee of Gallery Climate Coalition; Non-executive Director of Frieze; Studio Voltaire and The Ampersand Foundation

WILL HUTTON - Head of Sustainability, the Premier League. Co-founder of the Music Climate Pact

FRANCES POLLITZER - Head of Legal and Business Affairs at Domino Recording Company

IMOGEN WALFORD - Director, Brunswick Arts

ELLIE FALLON - Associate at Climate Hub, Brunswick Group and at Groundswell, part of Global Optimism

VEDANTHA KUMAR - Climate Manager at Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF)

the team

DOLLY HAZLITT-POWELL - Director of Operations. Formerly Head of Operations for BAFTA albert, the home of environmental sustainability in the screen industries

KAREN EDWARDS -  Artist Support Programme Director. An editor and writer of 20+ years specialising in music artist interviews, travel and sustainability. Formerly Sustainability Editor at Wanderlust and author of The Responsible Traveller.

IAN STANTON - Sustainability Adviser (Music). Head of Sustainability at Beggars Group of independent record labels; formerly Head of Sustainability at Natural Environment Research Council and The Woodland Trust

CLIODHNA MURPHY - Sustainability Adviser (Art), Global Head of Environmental Sustainability Hauser & Wirth, formerly at the Tate and Frieze.

OUR PARTNERs

HAUSER & WIRTH, MENDES WOOD, THOMAS DANE, LUMA Arles & LUMA FOUNDATION, FRIEZE, BEGGARS GROUP with constituent labels 4AD, MATADOR RECORDS, ROUGH TRADE RECORDS, XL RECORDINGS, YOUNG, SECRETLY AFFILIATES with constituent labels SECRETLY CANADIAN, DEAD OCEANS, JAGJABUWAR, SADDEST FACTORY RECORDS, THE NUMERO GROUP, GHOSTLY INTERNATIONAL, drink sum wtr, NINA TUNE, BECAUSE MUSIC, !K7 and IMPALA

WITH THANKS TO

WOLFGANG TILLMANS Photography PETER SAVILLE Design NORTH DESIGN Design

Murmur’s Launch is supported by

The Kreitman Foundation A4 Arts Foundation Sutton PR The Groucho Club