Winners of Art Fund Collect 2008

'Neckpiece' by Adam Paxon; Photo: Mark Crick, 2007; Bought for Hove Museum & Art Gallery by Art Fund Collect

Four museums and galleries have today won a share of a £50,000 fund for contemporary craft from The Art Fund, the UK’s leading independent art charity.

Art Fund Collect, was launched by the Art Fund charity in partnership with the Crafts Council and aims to boost the quality and profile of public collections of contemporary craft in the UK.

The winning museums and galleries are:

Hove Museum & Art Gallery, Brighton and Hove
Hove Museum & Art Gallery won for its choice of ‘Neckpiece 2007’ by Adam Paxon, bought for £7,425. The necklace is vast in scale and demonstrates great skill in the detail of the bright neon colours and large oval and tentacle shaped beads.

mima (Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art)
mima won for its choice of ‘Monumental Vase IV’ by Julian Stair, bought for £25,263. The pot’s title is a deliberate reference to its towering scale which is made even more dramatic by the density of its intense grey colour and matt texture.

Ulster Museum, Belfast
Ulster Museum won for its choice of ‘A Silver Organism – Pine 2007’ by Junko Mori, bought for £8,865. This intricate piece, inspired by botanical drawings, has been beautifully crafted in silver. It will compliment the museum’s existing collection of botanical specimens making the acquisition relevant, not only to its applied art collections but to the Museum as a whole.

The Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester
The Whitworth Art Gallery won for its choice of ‘Shadow of the Wall, Gaza’ by Norma Starszakowna bought for £9,800. This evocative textile work demonstrates the maker’s experimental print and dye techniques and shows how craft has the power to express subtle and powerful political engagement. This was jointly funded by Crafts Council Patrons and The Art Fund.

David Barrie, Director of The Art Fund, said: “This new initiative offers the winning museums the means to make really significant purchases, which would otherwise certainly be beyond their reach. It will also give the British public the chance to discover some of the remarkable works of art being produced by craftspeople not just in this country, but around the world. “

Rosy Greenlees, Executive Director of The Crafts Council, said: “The Crafts Council is committed to creating opportunities for public collections to acquire craft. As Collect showcases the very best in contemporary craft, this initiative has been an ideal opportunity to get more craft into public collections for a broader audience to enjoy and appreciate.”

A total of 23 galleries and museums from across the country applied for the scheme, from which 10 museums were chosen to have privileged access to Collect 2008 at a special pre VIP preview this morning. Each museum submitted its final choice of object to the Committee, which selected the final four winners.

By providing preview access to the fair the scheme has provided the winning museums with the unique and exciting opportunity to compete with private collectors and expand their regional collections, whilst raising the profile of public collections of contemporary craft in the UK.

Notes to Editors

• Collect: the international art fair for contemporary objects is organised by the Crafts Council and staged at the V&A, London, from 25 to 29 January 2008. Now in its fifth year, it is the only event of its kind in Europe and provides a unique opportunity to view and buy contemporary craft from around the globe. Collect 2008 has over 400 international artists represented by 42 galleries from 16 countries, including 19 from the UK and 23 from as far afield as Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands and Scandinavia. Ten new galleries will be exhibiting in 2008, of which seven are from abroad, including Galleri Montan, Denmark, The Glassery, Sweden, and Guil-Guem Metal Research Centre, Korea

• The Art Fund Collect Committee members are: Chair, Jonathan Marsden, Art Fund Trustee; David Barrie, Director of The Art Fund; Sir Nicholas Goodison, collector and former Chairman of The Art Fund; and Rosy Greenlees, Director of the Crafts Council

• The Art Fund is the UK’s leading independent art charity. It offers grants to help UK museums and galleries enrich their collections and campaigns widely on behalf of museums and their visitors. It is entirely funded from public donations and has 80,000 members. Since 1903 the charity has helped museums and galleries all over the UK secure 860,000 works of art for their collections. In January 2007 The Art Fund successfully led the public appeal to save JMW Turner’s Blue Rigi for Tate, and in July 2007 was instrumental in putting together a unique funding package to ensure Dumfries House in Ayrshire was secured for the nation. Independent of government, The Art Fund is uniquely placed to campaign on behalf of public collections across the UK. Visit the charity’s website

• The Crafts Council is the national development agency for contemporary crafts in the UK and aims to position the UK as the global centre for the making, seeing and collecting of contemporary craft.

For images or other media enquiries about the Crafts Council please contact Jill Read, telephone: 020 7806 2549 or email: j_read@craftscouncil.org.uk or media@craftscouncil.org.uk