Theme for 2017
The theme of the 4th John Ruskin Prize is "Hand & Eye: Master of All Trades in The Age of Jack" - it's about the Artist as Polymath
This year’s theme: refers to the Artist as Polymath. Open to a range of interpretations and approaches, the theme is intended to lend itself to responses from artists and makers whose work celebrates the opportunity to marry diverse materials and disciplines.
In celebration of ‘Artist as Polymath’, 2017 marks the first year that The Prize will be open to makers and craftspeople, as well as fine artists. Alongside Ruskin’s own career as a polymath, the theme has been jointly inspired by The Year of Making in Sheffield, which took place throughout 2016, and The Big Draw’s year of STEAM Power, which celebrates the interconnections between Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths
The Awards
The Award is £5000 with- £3000 going to the winner, and
- £1000 going to both the Second Prize and Student Prize & Recent Graduate winners.
The Shortlist
The shortlist of 26 artists, makers and innovators was selected from over 1,000 entries.The artist / scientist parallel is apparent in the shortlist but there is also evidence of traditional craft combined with social commentary, skilful material manipulation and a visual wit within the selected artworks.In my experience this is an art competition which throws up some of the more interesting artists working today.
- Louisa Boyd - primarily works as a book artist
- Holly Brodie - a self-taught landscape painter brought up in rural Somerset and now based in suburban West London
- Nuala Clooney - a sculptor and a visiting lecturer at Birmingham City University
- Andrew Ekins
- Erin Dickson - a digital designer and fabricator. She's worked as the waterjet technician at National Glass Centre and is now the design and manufacturing technician at FabLab Sunderland. Her Twitter account is @Archiglass
- Paul Hazelton - a British artist based in Margate. His sculptures are intricately constructed using household dust, cobwebs, hair or cut paper, stuffed toys or other materials.
- Marielle Hehir - Did an MA Painting at the Slade between 2014-2016 - and was awarded a Distinction
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| The original Midland Line Railway Works 2 is the drawing which inspired Ann Howeson's work selected for the exhibition |
- Anne Howeson - an artist and a Tutor in Visual Communication at the Royal College of Art. Shortlisted for a stop frame 'moving drawing' called Regeneration and Revival at King's Cross
She devised the seminar series ‘DRAW’ which supports second-year MA students working on sustained drawing projects and welcomes a wide interpretation of ideas from any area or discipline
- Rebecca Ilett - Has a degree in sculpture and later trained to be a jeweller - trying to present jewellery as art and aims to create wearable art or wearable narratives
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| Rebecca Ilett 'Spinning Straw into Gold' (2016). Photo: Simon White |
- Shelley James - Trained in textiles, pursued a career in corporate design for international clients; studied Printmaking at the University of the West of England and has developed new techniques for encapsulating prints in glass. Her work is currently inspired by conversations with scientists
- Debbie Lawson - born in Dundee and lives and works in London. Graduated from Central Saint Martins and the Royal College of Art. A multi-media artist. Difficult to describe what she does.... but it's interesting
- Emily Lazerwitz - graduated from Slade School of Fine Art with an M.F.A in Fine Art Media with Distinction, June 2016. She makes Machine Knit Scarf made of 100% reredacted CIA documents from the FOIA archives
- Sue Lawty - Textile Artist in Residence at the V&A in 2005
- Bethan Lloyd Worthington - Ceramics Artist in Resident at the V&A in 2016. A London based artist who works with drawing, objects and installation to explore themes of place and fragmentation through time
- Hugh Miller - an award-winning contemporary applied artist specialising in studio furniture in wood. Hugh’s work is based on a set of design principles, developed during his Churchill Fellowship in Japan in 2015
- Rosa Nguyen - a London artist with an established practice based in ceramics. She makes objects, installations and displays which include ceramic, glass and botanical elements.
- Kyle Noble - Graduated with a Masters in Fine art from Edinburgh College of Art in 2013. He received the RSA Highland Society of London Award 2014, the RSA William Littlejohn Award 2013 and was selected for the Jerwood Drawing Prize 2013. Over the last two years Noble has devoted his practice to the description of an imaginary ancient culture called 'The Meiklians', who built the stone circles around his home in Aberdeenshire.
- Briony O Clarke - Artist in Residence (2014-2017) at Portmeirion Village, North Wales. MA in Communication Art & Design (2009-2011) at the Royal College of Art
- Sumi Perera - an interdisciplinary artist whose work draws on her background as a doctor and scientist. She generates multiple series from a given set of plates by combining hybrid printmaking techniques (etching, aquatint, drypoint, monoprint, chine-colle, collagraphs, mezzotint, lithography, kiln-fired screenprint decals etc.) with stitch and Computer Numerical Controlled methods (laser-cutting/engraving, sandblasting etc.)
- Shauna Richardson - produces realistic life-size animal sculpture created using crochet
- Conor Rogers - graduated from Sheffield Hallam University 2014 and one of his degree pieces was selected for the John Moores Painting Prize. Paints photo realistic depictions of everyday life and landscape in acrylic on found objects (e.g. crisp, cigarette and condom packets and beer mats)
- Fi Smart
- Serena Smith - trained in fine art lithography at the Curwen Studio (1984-96), and studied Fine Art at Central Saint Martin’s School of Art (MA); work has been selected for numerous exhibitions both in the UK and internationally
- Harland Viney - born and raised in Australia, resident in the UK since 1999. Work with film, performance, drawing, painting, printing and photography
- Simon Ward & Robert Mach - foil wrapper from a Tunnocks teacake gratefully received...
- Ray Winder - a Surrey-based artist and sculptor specialising in miniature paintings and finely carved sculptures in wood
Selection Panel
The members of The John Ruskin Prize 2017 selection panel who selected the shortlist from over 1000 submissions are:- Kirstie Hamilton (Head of Exhibitions & Displays, Museums Sheffield),
- Zachary Eastwood-Bloom (Sculptor),
- Mandy Payne (Artist), Julia Bell (Former Head of Partnerships, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art),
- Dr Rachel Dickinson (Director for Education, Guild of St. George / Principal Lecturer, Manchester Metropolitan University), and
- Kate Mason (Director, The Big Draw).
Private View and Prizegiving
The selection panel will announce the 1st Prize, 2nd Prize and Student Prize Winners (total prize fund of £5,000) at the Private View of the shortlist exhibition on 20th June 2017.The Exhibition
The exhibition is being held at Millennium Gallery, Sheffield between 21st June and 8th October 2017
Reference
- John Ruskin Prize: http://www.ruskinprize.co.uk/
What a fantastic idea. I would have loved to have taken part (but not good enough, alas) I draw sailing ships in P & I, paint ships, and am building a 5 metre long Maine Lobster Boat in Red Cedar.
ReplyDeleteThat 'Spinning straw into gold' is absolutely fantastic