The Chicago Architecture Biennial has defended its sponsorship deals with petroleum giant BP and energy company Exelon, amid a growing backlash over arts sponsorship from companies that contribute to climate change.
The biennial's executive director Todd Palmer said that funds from BP, which is the event's founding sponsor, and Exelon Corp, its presenting sponsor, allowed it to provide free access to exhibitions.
"Energy, land-use, and our changing climate are central to some of the most significant challenges facing architecture and its practitioners today," he said in a statement to Dezeen.
"This funding enables us to present an exhibition that is free and open to the public and to support research and the creation of new work." Climate change is one of the topics discussed at the biennale. Palmer added: "There is a clear separation between our funding and the Biennial's artistic direction."
However Palmer refused to answer questions about whether sponsorship from companies that contribute to climate change were appropriate.
Protestors accuse BP of culture-washing
Gender-equity advocacy group ArchiteXX has boycotted the event, claiming BP's involvement is an example of culture-washing.
"It is clear to us, and to others, that BP uses sponsorships in public facing, progress-oriented, events like the Chicago Architecture Biennial to position themselves as a socially responsible corporation when the reality could not be more distant," ...