Image: Sting Photo by Eric Ryan Anderson
The Wallsend-born star will perform at the Gateshead gallery’s fundraising gala on 30 October 2025, alongside Nadine Shah, with works by Damien Hirst and Anish Kapoor up for auction.
North East musician Sting has made a ‘major’ donation to the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art to kickstart a £10m Endowment Fund campaign. The fund is hoped to safeguard free access to Baltic’s exhibitions, building, and creative programmes.
The Wallsend-born musician will also perform at Gateshead art gallery’s fundraising gala on 30 October 2025.
The £10m is hoped to combat the ongoing challenge of rising costs that threaten free entry. Baltic asid it engages 183,000 children and young people through activities and programmes, which will also be maintained.
Sting said: “For me this is about legacy. The culture of the North East made me who I am, and I am proud of those roots. I want to acknowledge how lucky I have been and pay that debt back. Giving to Baltic is a way of saying Thank You and ensuring that the next generation of young people on Tyneside have access to arts and culture.
“I’m hoping that my donation to Baltic’s Endowment Fund will encourage others to give. We need to do everything we can to safeguard public funding through the Arts Council and bolster philanthropic giving. This is about investing in the future of the North East. It’s about unleashing the creativity of children and young people so they can dream and think big”.
Baltic’s Fundraising Gala will also stage an auction of unique experiences, and art works donated by internationally renowned artists Damien Hirst, Anish Kapoor and Cornelia Parker. Celebrated South Tyneside-born singer/songwriter Nadine Shah is confirmed to open the Gala’s proceedings.
Baltic director, Sarah Munro said: “Sting’s donation, and his performance at our Fundraising Gala will enable Baltic to leverage further support from donors and stakeholders. The Fund is key in our long-term strategy to protect Baltic’s sustainability and future success. We look forward to creating a memorable experience with Sting and Nadine Shah for our guests at the Gala on 30 October.”
Baltic Chair of Trustees, Kirsty Lang added: “The North East of England has a long history of creativity. New technologies that changed the world were invented in this region from the locomotive to the lightbulb and it is now the fastest growing region for video games development. We are fiercely proud of our Tyneside location. We want to nurture the creative spark in our young people so they can be optimistic about their future. Sting’s generous gift will help us do that.”
