Public Monuments and Sculpture Association

The Public Monuments and Sculpture Association (PMSA) was a United Kingdom charitable organisation devoted to the understanding, recording, preservation and promotion of public monuments and sculpture. Established in 1991, it brought together individuals and institutions concerned with Britain's monumental heritage, including historic monuments, war memorials, civic sculpture and more recent public commissions. Its remit extended from monuments associated with the Stuart period to works created in the contemporary era. The association emerged from a concern that public sculpture was insufficiently documented and vulnerable to neglect, alteration, removal and damage. Its founding group comprised Jo Darke, writer and broadcaster Paul Atterbury, Ian Leith of the National Monuments Record, and Catherine Moriarty, then coordinator of the National Inventory of War Memorials. The organisation was also encouraged from its early years by the sculpture scholar Benedict Read and by conservators Andrew and Janet Naylor. Membership subscriptions opened in May 1991, and membership later stabilised at approximately 250 people. PMSA combined advocacy with research, public education and professional exchange. It sought to raise awareness of Britain's monumental heritage through lectures, conferences, publications, newsletters, advisory work and dialogue with heritage bodies, conservators, academics and commissioning organisations. It campaigned for the listing, protection, restoration and responsible care of existing works, while also supporting the creation of new public monuments and sculpture. One of its most important long-term undertakings was the National Recording Project, begun in 1991. This initiative assembled information about public sculpture and monuments across Britain and provided the foundation for the multi-volume Public Sculpture of Britain series, produced in collaboration with Liverpool University Press. PMSA also helped establish the biannual Sculpture Journal, which became an important scholarly and professional publication. Its programmes were developed with organisations including English Heritage, the United Kingdom Institute of Conservators and University College Dublin. The association's later activities included the Custodians Handbook, published in 2005 and subsequently updated from time to time. The handbook was intended for families and individuals who inherited the work, studios, archives or memorabilia of sculptors and needed practical guidance on their care. PMSA also created Save our Sculpture (SoS), a public-monitoring campaign encouraging people to report damage, neglect or other threats affecting sculptures in their local areas. A digital database of public monuments and sculpture was another component of its documentation work. PMSA was governed by a board consisting of its director and trustees, collectively known as the General Committee. Its president was the Duke of Gloucester, while Sir John Lewis served as chairman. Events, research activities and campaigns could be organised through ad hoc subcommittees. The association was not a commercial consumer brand; its identity represented a specialist heritage, research and advocacy institution. In 2018, PMSA transferred catalogue data from its National Recording Project to Art UK. In July 2020, chairman Sir John Lewis informed members that the association would be wound up, citing financial considerations and the view that the transfer of the catalogue data had brought the recording project to a successful conclusion. The Sculpture Journal was sold to Liverpool University Press, while other assets were transferred to the Royal Society of Sculptors. Although some members challenged the decision, PMSA was wound up in the summer of 2020. A successor body, the Public Statues and Sculpture Association, was established in autumn 2020 with similar objectives and the Duke of Gloucester again serving as president.

The Public Monuments and Sculpture Association was founded in 1991 in response to the need for better public understanding and protection of Britain's monuments and sculpture. Its founding members were Jo Darke; writer, lecturer and broadcaster Paul Atterbury; Ian Leith of the National Monuments Record; and Catherine Moriarty, who was then coordinating the National Inventory of War Memorials. The organisation also benefited from the encouragement of sculpture historian Benedict Read and conservators Andrew and Janet Naylor. PMSA developed as a membership-based charitable company rather than as a commercial art business. Subscriptions opened in May 1991, and membership eventually settled at around 250. Its central purpose was to connect people interested in the production, history, conservation and future commissioning of public monuments. The association treated public sculpture as part of the nation's shared cultural infrastructure and addressed works ranging from historic monuments to modern civic commissions. Its work had several mutually reinforcing strands. It advocated the listing, protection, preservation and restoration of monuments and sculpture, and provided an information and advisory service to members and the wider public. It organised events, conferences and discussions with heritage and conservation organisations, including English Heritage, the United Kingdom Institute of Conservators and University College Dublin. Newsletters and newssheets helped circulate information about threatened works, research and activities. Documentation was at the centre of the association's institutional contribution. From 1991, PMSA initiated the National Recording Project, an effort to identify and catalogue public sculpture and monuments across the United Kingdom. The project supported a county-by-county approach to research and contributed to the Public Sculpture of Britain series published with Liverpool University Press. The association also helped establish the biannual Sculpture Journal, creating a durable channel for scholarship on sculpture and public art. PMSA's practical conservation work extended beyond monuments in public places. In 2005 it helped produce the Custodians Handbook, which offered guidance to families and individuals who inherited sculptors' studios, works, archives and personal material. The handbook was periodically updated. Through Save our Sculpture, the association encouraged members of the public to monitor works in their neighbourhoods and alert the organisation to damage, neglect or other threats. It also worked toward a digital database of public sculpture and monuments. Governance was provided by a director and trustees forming the General Committee, with additional ad hoc subcommittees for individual events, projects and campaigns. The Duke of Gloucester was president and Sir John Lewis was chairman. The association's London base was at 70 Cowcross Street. The organisation's final phase followed the transfer of its catalogue data to Art UK in 2018. In July 2020, Sir John Lewis wrote to members explaining that the association would be wound up for financial reasons and because the data transfer was regarded as bringing the roughly two-decade National Recording Project to a successful conclusion. The Sculpture Journal was sold to Liverpool University Press, and other assets passed to the Royal Society of Sculptors. Some members disputed the decision, but the challenge did not prevent the winding-up, which took place in summer 2020. A successor organisation, the Public Statues and Sculpture Association, was founded in autumn 2020. It adopted similar principles, retained the Duke of Gloucester as president and sought, among other aims, to continue and complete the published county-by-county survey of public sculpture begun under PMSA.

• 2020

  PMSA wound up

  [1]Public Monuments and Sculpture Associationen.wikipedia.org

  The association was wound up during summer 2020 after members were notified of a decision attributed to financial pressures and the conclusion of its principal recording project.

• 2020

  Successor organisation founded

  [1]Public Monuments and Sculpture Associationen.wikipedia.org

  The Public Statues and Sculpture Association was established in autumn 2020 with similar objectives and an intention to continue related documentation and advocacy work.

• 2018

  National Recording Project data transferred to Art UK

  [1]Public Monuments and Sculpture Associationen.wikipedia.org

  Catalogue data from PMSA's recording project was transferred to Art UK, later regarded by PMSA leadership as the effective completion of the project.

• 2005

  Custodians Handbook published

  [1]Public Monuments and Sculpture Associationen.wikipedia.org

  PMSA collaborated on a handbook intended to help people who inherited sculptors' works, studios, archives and memorabilia manage and preserve those resources.

• 1991

  Association founded

  [1]Public Monuments and Sculpture Associationen.wikipedia.org

  PMSA was established to unite people and institutions concerned with Britain's public monuments and sculpture, including their documentation, conservation, history and future commissioning.

• 1991

  Subscriptions opened and National Recording Project initiated

  [1]Public Monuments and Sculpture Associationen.wikipedia.org

  Membership subscriptions opened in May, while the association began its long-term effort to record public sculpture and monuments across Britain.

A specialist British heritage association positioned between public advocacy, scholarly research, conservation guidance and cultural documentation. PMSA focused on making public sculpture more visible and better protected, while connecting historians, artists, conservators, public bodies, custodians and interested members of the public.

• Research and documentation programme · 1991

  National Recording Project

  A long-running initiative to identify, research and catalogue public monuments and sculpture throughout Britain. It supplied the documentary basis for PMSA's broader advocacy and publications, including the county-by-county Public Sculpture of Britain series. Its catalogue data was transferred to Art UK in 2018.

• Publication series

  Public Sculpture of Britain

  A county-by-county publication series developed from PMSA's recording work in collaboration with Liverpool University Press. The series documented public sculpture and monuments and helped make specialist information available to researchers, heritage professionals and the general public.

• Scholarly journal

  Sculpture Journal

  A biannual journal associated with PMSA that supported scholarship and informed discussion about sculpture. The journal was later sold to Liverpool University Press as part of the arrangements following the association's winding-up.

• Conservation guidance · 2005

  Custodians Handbook

  A practical guide for families and individuals who inherit sculptors' works, studios, archives or memorabilia. First published in 2005, it was updated periodically and addressed the responsibilities involved in caring for these cultural assets.

• Public-awareness campaign

  Save our Sculpture

  A campaign encouraging members of the public to observe sculptures and monuments in their local areas and report damage, neglect or other threats to the association. It extended PMSA's professional preservation work into community participation.

• Save our Sculpture

  United Kingdom

  Save our Sculpture encouraged local residents to keep watch over public sculpture and report damage, neglect or poor maintenance. The initiative supported PMSA's wider objective of improving public awareness and protecting works in shared spaces.

  Outcome. It operated as one of PMSA's public-facing preservation activities until the association was wound up.

  Source

• 2020

  Decision to wind up the associationOther

  Background

  The association faced financial considerations, and its chairman stated that the transfer of the National Recording Project data had completed a major part of its historic mission.

  Action taken

  PMSA notified members in July that it would be wound up. Its journal was sold to Liverpool University Press and other assets were transferred to the Royal Society of Sculptors.

  Aftermath

  Some members challenged the decision without success. PMSA was wound up in summer 2020, and the Public Statues and Sculpture Association was founded later that year as a successor with similar aims.

  Source

• 2018

  Transfer of catalogue data to Art UKStrategy

  Background

  PMSA had maintained the National Recording Project for roughly two decades as a central part of its documentation mission.

  Action taken

  The association transferred the project's catalogue data to Art UK.

  Aftermath

  PMSA leadership later described the transfer as bringing the recording project to a successful conclusion; the decision was subsequently cited in the 2020 winding-up process.

  Source

1. 1Public Monuments and Sculpture Associationen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Public Monuments and Sculpture Association official websitepmsa.org.uk