07 Jun Colchester’s Firstsite shortlisted for £100,000 national arts award
Firstsite has been shortlisted for the 2019 £100,000 Freelands Award.
The Freelands Award was established in 2016 by Freelands Foundation Founder, Elisabeth Murdoch, with the aim of raising the profile of mid-career female artists and supporting the work of cultural institutions across the UK.
The total value of the Freelands Award is £100,000, of which £25,000 is to be paid directly to the female artist chosen by the organisation.
The Freelands Award plays a pivotal role in enabling an art institution to realise a project which it could not bring to fruition without this funding opportunity, and it also strengthens the reputation of a mid-career female artist and enables them to create an ambitious new work, fulfilling their creative aspirations.
Sally Shaw, Firstsite Director says, “We are thrilled to be shortlisted for this incredible award and recognised by Freelands Foundation as one of the leading art organisations in the UK alongside our fellow nominees. Colchester has a radical history in relation to equality. Firstsite continues this legacy through its work celebrating women and female artists, such as co-commissioning Gillian Wearing to create her Millicent Fawcett statue for Parliament Square. We would be delighted to receive the opportunity, through this award, to support another female artist to create an extraordinary artwork which can be enjoyed by all in Firstsite’s fun and inclusive environment.”
The Colchester gallery, which recently welcomed its one millionth visitor, is competing against five other art organisations shortlisted – The Hepworth Wakefield, John Hansard Gallery at the University of Southampton, The MAC in Belfast, MK Gallery in Milton Keynes and Towner Art Gallery in Eastbourne.
The winning organisation and selected female artist will be announced in autumn 2019.
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