Public sculptures becoming more diverse, study finds

Public sculpture in the UK is becoming more diverse, with representations of Black people and women on the rise, research has found.

A new report from Art UK, the art education charity that is digitising the UK’s 14,500+ public sculptures on its website, reveals that of the 59 new artworks it recorded in 2022, seven commemorate Black people and their contribution to British life and 10 depict named women.

According to the charity’s first ‘Public Sculpture Annual Unveiling Report’, 19% of the statues of named people unveiled in 2022 were dedicated to Black, Asian and other ethnicities.

This is considerably higher than the overall percentage for the UK’s public sculptures, which Art UK revealed last year is fewer than 2%.

Sculptures dedicated to named women account for 17% of the total.

Katey Goodwin, Deputy Director of Art UK, said: "The sculptures unveiled in 2022 have made a small contribution to redressing the balance of people celebrated in public art, with more women being commemorated.

“The largest number of public sculptures unveiled last year related to heritage and history. As our city centres and urban areas are redeveloped – with former centres of industry making way for new estates and social centres – these new sculptures are an important reminder to future generations of how our landscapes and lives have changed.”

Artworks unveiled and recorded by Art UK last year include The National Windrush Monument by Basil Watson, a statue of Black footballer Jack Leslie, and tributes to the palaeontologist Mary Anning, author Virginia Woolf and former prime minister Baroness Margaret Thatcher.

Despite the growing diversity of subject matter, the survey reveals that of the 51 artists creating works in 2022 the majority were white (78%) and male (63%).

Goodwin added: “We hope that our Public Sculpture Annual Unveiling Reports will help make a valuable contribution to discussions around how public sculpture reflects the diversity of the UK.”