Video showcasing Sekhemka goes online at Christies

A beautiful video, produced in terrible circumstances. If the sale goes ahead, it will be a sad and shameful day for Northampton.

Presentation by Ruth Thomas at Full (Northampton Borough) Council re Proposed Sale of Sekhemka

Ruth Thomas (Chair of Northamptonshire Ancient Egyptian Society)

   

 Much has been said about the proposed sale of Sekhemka; I would like to spend a few minutes outlining some consequences:

If moral and ethical considerations mean nothing to Councillor Mackintosh then I ask you to consider this. The sale of Sekhemka will yield only a portion of the cost of the proposed new museum. The recent announcement in the Chronicle and Echo showed plans for the extended museum, costing £14,000,000.

Our group has received an email this weekend from the National Art Fund which reads as follows: QUOTE  "Regardless of the final sale amount, due to the nature of the split with Lord Northampton and the need to pay a buyer’s premium, the Museum would only gain less than half of the total amount [raised] towards its planned works. Even without the ethical considerations, this sale therefore seems an ineffective route to pursue for long-term financial gain." UNQUOTE

The bulk of the finance needed for the museum would normally come from grants through government organisations which support heritage and museums. However, since the Museums Association and Arts Council have made it clear in the national press that Northampton Museum will lose its accreditation if the sale takes place, there will be no possibility of applying for a grant. Northampton Museum will simply not get the funding.

The proposed sale of Sekhemka is a bad move for Northampton Museum and not only because it makes Northampton Museum a pariah in the professional world of museums and heritage. It doesn’t even make financial sense ! The money raised from the proposed sale will be heavily outweighed by the loss of grants and financial support from government organisations. 

The Arts Council acknowledge the seriousness of the situation QUOTE: “We recognise through their actions that Northampton Borough Council does not care about losing accreditation” and that as a result of the proposed sale they say “grants and placements will not be possible in the future.” QUOTE

I would like to place on record this clear statement that the development of the museum and its collections are now under serious threat.

July 15th 2013 Submission in Support of the Redisplay of Sekhemka

The following statement was delivered at the council meeting on July 15th by SSAG:

"My name is Ruth Thomas and I am deputy Chair of the Save Sekhemka Action Group. I speak in support of the motion to redisplay the statue of Sekhemka.

Northampton Museum needs some good news ! The last year has not been a good one for the museum. The bad publicity surrounding the proposed sale of Sekhemka has given the museum national and international notoriety. The reputation of Northampton Museum has been tarnished.

The reasons put forward by the council for the removal of the statue from display include the expense of insuring it. However, a Freedom of Information request to the council has  revealed that the insurance cover in 2010, the year when Sekhemka was still ondisplay, was actually lower than it had been previously. Furthermore, no additional security arrangements were imposed by the insurers.

The Friends of the Museum have already offered £8,000 towards the purchase of an even more secure display case.

If the morality of the decision to sell were not enough, the legality has now become the key issue. The Deed of Gift of 1880 has strict provisos regarding the collection and preventing its disposal.

For nearly three years the statue of Sekhemka has not been displayed and, even worse, no member of the public has been allowed to see it. This is in contravention of the 1880 Deed of Gift which states that it be “accessible to the public at all proper times”.

This council has been accused of not listening to people. A change of heart would not be regarded as a sign of weakness but an indication that common sense has prevailed. A large body of informed opinion supports the redisplay of Sekhemka – he is now known throughout the world. There is no other object in Northampton Museum which receives such popular attention.

His redisplay would attract many visitors to Northampton Museum from within and outside the town. There would be a vast amount of really good publicity for Northampton Museum and a reawakening of interest in the ancient Egyptian collection - and the Borough Council would be respected for its good judgement."

The motion was defeated. Three people spoke in favour of the redisplay but the motion was defeated by a Conservative majority. The leader of the council David Mackintosh said that the council are determined to auction the statue as soon as possible.

The fight goes on.

Museum Attitudes to Sekhemka

In our campaign to stop the sale of Sekhemka the Action Group has contacted various large and prestigious museums.  We asked them to write in to request a view of the statue for research purposes.  We had hoped for replies or at least some encouragement in our campaign but...
So far we have had three replies:

One from Leicester saying they cannot get involved because they were commissioned by NBC to write a report on the “Significance of Sekhemka”; they cannot let us have a copy because they do not own the copyright.  NBC has refused our FoI request because we have “overspent” our allocated time and money on this subject!

One reply from Birmingham which is positive and they will try to obtain access – thank you and GOOD LUCK!
The final reply came from the British Museum’s Egyptian and Sudan Department. The say  their present research does not include this period of Egypt so they will not ask for access, nor do they wish to get involved due to the iffy ownership.

What about the rest of our UK museums?  Those we have contacted and those yet to be e-mailed – do you not care about this issue?  We know that every museum in the country has funding issues but selling off collections is surely the very LAST resort? Especially if one does not know if one OWNS the object?

No doubt the museum world is glad that a 69 year old grandmother and her colleagues are fighting this battle to set a precedent without endangering museum money BUT you could help!

Please help us by telling us WHERE – in addition to the British Museum and Lord Northampton’s archives – we can find reliable information on the 2nd Marquess’ Egyptian Collection and its “life” in particular the periods 1870 – 1880 and 1880 – 1899.

This may seem a parochial matter but it will ultimately affect ALL of you: Local Authority run establishments as well as the giant trusts. 

DO SOMETHING!

Gunilla Loe, Chair

Sekhemka Action Group Survey Results Published

The Save Sekhemka Action Group have today published the results of their survey on the proposed sale of the Sekhemka statue.

In summary, the survey received 80 responses of which around half were resident in Northamptonshire with half from institutions and individuals across the world.

The respondents to this survey show overwhelming support for protecting the museum's accredited status and keeping the statue.

You can read the results of the survey here:

You can view a copy of the survey questions here:

If you have any queries, questions or comments, please do get in touch sekhemka@gmail.com

Museums Association Say NBC Consultation Inadequate

The Museums Association told last week how the consultation completed by Northampton Borough Council was anything but the "extensive and full consultation" it had recommended in advice given several months ago.

The Museums Association website has more information here: http://www.museumsassociation.org/museums-journal/news/01122012-consultation-into-sale-provokes-criticism

A recent article in Northampton's Herald and Post details that 172 responses were received with a report being prepared for the council to consider next steps. Sadly, Councillor Brandon Eldred was quoted as saying "we are keen to sell the statue for as much money as possible", demonstrating that the full implications of losing accredited status and the impact on the museum's future is still not fully understood. The article is linked below.

http://www.northampton-news-hp.co.uk/News/Council-looks-to-maximise-statue-sale-profit-20121207140000.htm

This action group completed their own survey, the results of which will be available soon.

SUBMISSION TO CABINET CONCERNING SALE OF SEKHEMKA, NORTHAMPTON BOROUGH COUNCIL, 3 OCT 2012

My name is Ruth Thomas and I am Chair of Northamptonshire Ancient Egyptian Society. I speak both in this role and as a museum professional.

Northampton is one of the largest towns in the UK and has a diverse and cosmopolitan population. We are proud of this diversity and keen to celebrate it.

In fact, even when the town itself shied away from promoting ethnic groups other than its own host population Northampton Museum collected widely from across the world and was at the forefront in providing expression to this multi-ethnicity.

Our collections have been drawn from the four corners of the earth, whether it be the superb Chinese pottery horse of the Tang dynasty, the Hindu sculpture of Devi or the Italian renaissance paintings. For over a century the museum has not been small-minded and parochial in its collecting policy but aware of its role in promoting Northampton’s multi-cultural approach in a multi-cultural town.

And this is why the sale of the ancient Egyptian scribe Sekhemka is  such a retrograde step.
Sekhemka stands alone in its quality, antiquity and craftsmanship. It is part of a civilisation which existed on the continent of Africa for over two thousand years. For children of African and African Caribbean heritage this is unique opportunity to reconnect with their own roots and to understand that Northampton Museum has something which represents not only British history but encompasses the achievements of people from across the world.

It also gives the message that Northampton Museum is aware of its role in educating and inspiring all the people of the town – as one school pupil said to me as he admired Sekhemka on a group trip for the National Curriculum “Oh I didn’t know you did Egypt”. Well, we should do Egypt and a whole lot more.
The removal of Sekhemka from the museum is a dramatic and signal move away from a world view of our history to a small-minded and elitist approach which will inevitably alienate our visitors and supporters in the years to come. This is what really concerns all of us here tonight.

SUBMISSION TO OVERVIEW & SCRUTINY COMMITTEE, NORTHAMPTON BOROUGH COUNCIL, 24 SEPT 2012

My name is Ruth Thomas and I am Chair of Northamptonshire Ancient Egyptian Society. I speak both in this role and as a museum professional.

1. One argument which has been advanced as important in the decision to sell off Sekhemka is that it is “not part of Northampton’s heritage”. The statue has strong local connections. The 2nd Marquess of Northampton acquired it and his son lent the statue to the newly opened Northampton Museum. Alwynne Compton, son of the 2nd Marquess was Chair of the first Museum Committee without which Northampton Museum would not exist as it does today. The Northampton family were generous lenders and donors of much of the founding collections of Northampton Museum.

2.  Sekhemka has iconic status in Northampton Museum. Until two years ago he had been on display in the museum for longer than any other exhibit, at least ninety years and probably more. The statue is not only a part of ancient Egypt but also an art object and a social history object and has been displayed as such. He is well known to visitors. In fact, such is his importance that he is the icon chosen on Northampton Borough Council’s website to represent the archaeology collections at Northampton Museum.

3. Northampton Museum, like most local museums in the country, has wide ranging collections, and this is its strength. Exhibitions can be varied and pertinent to prevailing interests in society. Sekhemka has been at the centre of various exhibitions devoted to egyptology  - always a popular subject with the general public. 

4. On a wider point the breadth of Northampton Museum’s collections is what gives it such appeal to local people. The beauty of the art collections, the quality of the ceramics and the antiquity of Sekhemka and the egyptology collection provide an exciting kaleidoscope of our human heritage.

5. Finally, Northampton Museum is not just a shoe museum or even a social history museum of shoe makers in the  industry’s active period.  If this is the policy of the council then such a museum should be  called “The Shoe Museum”.  If Northampton Museum specialises only in shoes its appeal will be much more limited especially to local residents who increasingly have less connection with the shoe industry  and who need and want a far broader canvas of collections in their local museum.