Shipley Art Gallery scoops share of international craft prize
Sim Panesar at Art Fund Collect
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The Shipley Art Gallery, Gateshead is among the five museums to win a share of £75,000 to buy their selected object thanks to Art Fund Collect, an initiative aimed at championing contemporary craft and increasing its presence in UK collections. Art Fund Collect is run by membership charity the Art Fund and the Crafts Council, the national development agency for contemporary craft in the UK.
Art Fund Collect took place on 13 May, the preview day of COLLECT, the Crafts Council’s international art fair for contemporary objects at London’s Saatchi Gallery.
Ahead of private buyers, short-listed curators had one hour to go around the fair and pick an object to acquire on behalf of their museum or gallery. Final selections were submitted to an expert panel of judges, who decided which curators should win a share of the £75,000 funding pot to acquire their chosen object outright.
Amy Barker, Curator and Sim Panesar, Keeper of Art at the Shipley together are one of five winners of Art Fund Collect. This is a first-time win for the Shipley, who were short-listed last year. Sim and Amy selected Conservation, 2010, a duo ceramic piece by London-based maker Nicholas Rena for £10,800. The use of bold blue and vibrant turquoise exemplifies Rena’s style, which is also influenced by his early training as an architect.
Iain Watson, Acting Director, Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums, said:
“Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums is delighted that the Shipley Art Gallery is one of the winners of the Art Fund Collect 2010 initiative. The Art Fund has long supported an active acquisitions programme across our venues, including the Craft Collection at the Shipley. This initiative is an exciting and welcome addition to the Art Fund's continuing support for museums and galleries.”
Gateshead Council cabinet member for culture Cllr Linda Green said:
"The Shipley Art Gallery is a jewel in Gateshead’s cultural crown and this prestigious award is well justified. The Shipley is already home to an astonishing collection, and this latest honour and addition further cements the gallery’s excellent reputation, particularly in the field of ceramics."
Stephen Deuchar, Director of the Art Fund, said:
“It's a delight to see five winning curators each walking away from Art Fund Collect with an extraordinary new object for their collections. Art Fund Collect is a smart and swift way of boosting public collections with the best of international contemporary craft. It’s also frankly fun - offering curators from across the country a chance to mingle, exchange ideas and soak up the atmosphere of the fair, alongside the excitement of the competition itself.”
Rosy Greenlees, Executive Director of the Crafts Council, said:
“Once again, Art Fund Collect enables museums and galleries to acquire ambitious, bold and innovative contemporary craft. Making it possible for people to see contemporary craft in public collections is at the centre of the Crafts Council’s vision and Art Fund Collect is a key way that we make this happen. My congratulations to the Shipley on their success this year.”
The other four winners of Art Fund Collect 2010 are: Aberdeen Art Gallery; the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford; the Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery, Exeter; the Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester.
Now in its third year, Art Fund Collect was set up by the Art Fund and the Crafts Council in 2008 as a way of championing contemporary craft. Since winners are able to acquire their chosen objects on the spot, Art Fund Collect has proven to be an effective way of boosting public collections with international contemporary craft. Over the past three years, Art Fund Collect has made £200,000 available for contemporary craft acquisitions for public collections.
The Art Fund Collect judging panel comprises Art Fund Director Stephen Deuchar, Ex Chairman of the Crafts Council and the Art Fund Sir Nicholas Goodison, Executive Director of the Crafts Council Rosy Greenlees, Art Fund Trustee Jonathan Marsden and renowned ceramic artist Edmund de Waal.
A total of eleven museums and galleries were short-listed to take part in Art Fund Collect this year, out of a total of 21 applications from across the UK.
Last year, 23 institutions applied, ten were short-listed and five won a significant object to add to their public collections.
Each of the eleven objects chosen by short-listed curators can be seen at COLLECT, which runs from 14 – 17 May at the Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York’s HQ, King’s Road, London SW3 4SQ.