Towner Long-Listed for £100,000 Art Fund Prize 2010

Towner in Eastbourne is one of eleven institutions long-listed for the £100,000 Art Fund Prize, the UK’s largest single arts prize. The long list has been selected by a panel of Judges chaired this year by broadcaster Kirsty Young. Traditionally the long list comprises ten, but for the 2010 Prize eleven institutions have been nominated, attesting to the high quality and volume of applications received.

Towner, the contemporary art museum for the South East, is the £8.6 million new home of Eastbourne’s TownerArtGallery which opened to the public in April 2009. The dramatic new building provides Towner with a range of purpose built spaces that enable it to operate as a regional centre of excellence for the visual arts, allowing major exhibitions of contemporary and historical art to be presented alongside changing displays of the important Towner Collection. With its collection of mainly 20th century British Art, and an emerging collection of international contemporary art, Towner is at the forefront of gallery learning and research in the UK, and offers a wide range of public programmes.

Of the nomination, Eastbourne Borough Council Cabinet Member for Tourism, Cllr Susan Morris, said “It is a wonderful privilege that Towner has been recognised for the largest and most prestigious arts prize in the UK; this really is the icing on the cake at the end of an incredible first year for Towner. The prize is awarded to a museum or gallery that demonstrates originality, imagination and excellence, and we are thrilled that the judges have recognised all of these qualities in Towner. Now we really hope we can win the judges hearts and scoop the grand prize; please do your bit by visiting the Art Fund website and casting your vote in the online poll!”

The £100,000 prize is awarded to the museum or gallery for a project completed in the last year, that the Judges deem demonstrates the most originality, imagination and excellence. The Prize, which has been sponsored by the UK’s leading independent art charity, The Art Fund, for three years, aims to increase public appreciation and enjoyment of the UK’s museums and galleries.

One other new institution is celebrated through nomination; GreatNorthMuseum in Newcastle. The long list also includes the rescue and restoration of The Leach Pottery in St Ives, the world’s most influential studio pottery established by Bernard Leach and Shoji Hamada in 1920. Following a three year development, The Ulster Museum in Belfast also features.

The eleven long-listed museums and galleries are:

• The AshmoleanMuseum, Oxford

• BlistsHillVictorianTown, IronbridgeGorgeMuseum Trust

• GreatNorthMuseum: Hancock, Newcastle

• Hampton Court Palace, Surrey, for Henry VIII: heads and hearts

• The HerbertArtGallery and Museum, Coventry

• The Leach Pottery, St Ives

• The NationalArmyMuseum, London, for Conflicts of Interest

• The NaturalHistoryMuseum, London, for the Darwin Centre

• The Royal Institution of Great Britain, for Science in the Making

• Towner, Eastbourne

• The UlsterMuseum, Belfast

Kirsty Young, Chair of the Judges comments: “My fellow Judges and I deliberated passionately and at length, and even then it was impossible to select less than eleven for the long list. The quality of applications was simply outstanding. We are delighted with our selection and feel that this year’s long list demonstrates a snapshot of the UK’s incredible cultural offerings.”

Stephen Deuchar, Director of The Art Fund, comments: “This year’s long-listed museums and galleries have shown such depth of imagination and drive; they are a testament to the wealth of culture on offer right across the UK. I for one can’t wait to see how the judges’ journeys unfold from now until the end of June when the winner is announced.”

The Judges will travel the UK to visit each of the eleven long-listed museums and galleries before selecting a short list of four, to be announced at the end of May 2010. The winner of the £100,000 prize will be announced on Wednesday 30 June 2010 at the Royal Institute of British Architects in London.

The 2010 judging panel comprises:

• Kirsty Young (Chairman), broadcaster

• Kathy Gee, museums and heritage adviser

• Professor A C Grayling, Professor of Philosophy, BirkbeckCollege, London

• Professor J Steve Jones, Professor of Genetics, UniversityCollegeLondon

• Sally Osman, communications consultant and former Director of Communications, BBC

• Lars Tharp, Director, The Foundling Museum and BBC Antiques Roadshow expert

• Jonathan Yeo, artist

The public can vote for their favourite long-listed institution and leave comments for the Judges on the Art Fund Prize website telling the Judges why they should win. The poll results and online comments will be given to the Judges for their consideration when selecting the Short List and Winner. Visitors to the website can enter an exclusive competition to win a limited edition Jonathan Yeo print.

To vote, comment or for more information about the Prize go to the Art Fund Prize website.