Art Fund Prize for Museum of the Year 2013 Judges Visit
26 Apr 2013
The winner will be announced live on BBC Radio 4's Front Row on 4 June.
The Hepworth Wakefield is one of ten finalists to be nominated for the prestigious Art Fund Prize ‘Museum of the Year’ 2013. Celebrating the very best UK museums and galleries, it is the country’s largest art prize, offering £100,000 to the winner for their achievements, innovation and creativity in bringing collections and exhibitions to life. The Hepworth Wakefield is also in the running for the Clore Award for Learning which recognises achievements in learning programmes in UK museums. The winner will be announced live on BBC Radio 4’s Front Row on 4 June.
On Thursday 25 April the gallery hosted a visit by four of the five members of the independent judging panel – Stephen Deuchar, Director of the Art Fund (Chair of Judges) ; Sarah Crompton, Daily Telegraph Arts Editor in Chief; contemporary artist Bob & Roberta Smith, plus historian, author and broadcaster Bettany Hughes. The judges were met by Simon Wallis, Director of The Hepworth Wakefield before joining Natalie Walton, Head of Learning and Frances Guy, Head of Collection and Exhibitions for a tour of the gallery, the learning studios, temporary exhibitions and collection displays. The judges also had a chance to meet with creative practioners and volunteers from the gallery discover more about the visitor experience and learning programmes.
Sarah Crompton, Daily Telegraph Arts Editor in Chief commented: “I’d never been to the Hepworth Wakefield before and I was thrilled to see how cleverly this relatively new gallery has built such an excellent programme around the core collection from their local heroine. The education programme is impressive too.”
Bob and Roberta Smith, contemporary artist commented: “For me the great British artists of the 20th and 21st century are all women – and they are all sculptors: Helen Chadwick, Lucia Norguira, Phyllida Barlow, Alison Wilding, Sarah Lucas, Tracey Emin, Susan Hiller – and it starts with Hepworth. The Hepworth Wakefield consists of beautiful galleries which explore her cerebral cool modernist aesthetic alongside a vibrant contemporary programme supporting younger artists, many of whom are women.”
