Yorkshire Sculpture Park named as finalist for the Art Fund Prize for Museum of the Year 2014

[Image: Barbara Hepworth, The Family of Man, 1970. Courtesy The Hepworth Estate, Tate and YSP. Photography (c) Marc Atkins]

Situated in 500 acres of stunning historic parkland in West Yorkshire and with five indoor galleries, Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP)was the first sculpture park in the UK and is the largest of its kind in Europe. Mounting a world-class, year-round temporary exhibitions programme featuring some of the world’s leading artists, YSP has just been announced as one of six finalists for the Art Fund Prize for Museum of the Year 2014.

YSP presents work by some of the world’s most extraordinary artists in a completely unique setting and seeks to provide ‘great art for everyone’, enabling access, understanding and enjoyment of art and the landscape for all.

2013 was YSP’s busiest year ever presenting world-class exhibitions by acclaimed artists, such as Yinka Shonibare MBE, Amar Kanwar and Hans Josephsohn, to 350,000 visitors. The year also marked the momentous opening of Roger Hiorns’ Seizure, 2008/2013, an important and stunning addition to the Park.

[Image: YSP Centre. Photography (c) Marc Atkins]

Alongside the world-class exhibition programme, YSP’s learning programme has played a crucial part in the Park’s success. The vibrant programme offers tours, workshops, events and resources, alongside the development of groundbreaking outreach projects, vital in engaging new audiences and providing a unique art experience for hard to reach groups.

A £500,000 restoration project carried on the estate’s 18^th century chapel has transformed the building into a unique and versatile gallery space which will reopen to the public on 24 May 2014 with an exhibition by world renowned artist Ai Weiwei.

The six finalists were chosen by an independent panel of judges chaired by Art Fund director, Stephen Deuchar.  The Art Fund Prize for Museum of the Year, awarded annually with a value of £100,000, was established in 2003 (formally the Gulbenkian Prize for museums and galleries 2003-2007) to recognise the very best of the UK’s internationally acclaimed museums. Having funded the Prize from 2008, the Art Fund has also run the Prize since 2013. Previous winners include the William Morris Gallery, Walthamstow, London (2013); the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter (2012), and the British Museum, London (2011).

The six finalist museums are: Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft, East Sussex; Hayward Gallery, London; The Mary Rose Museum, Portsmouth; Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Norwich; Tate Britain, London; and Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield.

The winner will be announced at a ceremony at the National Gallery in London on Wednesday 9 July 2014.

Full information about the Art Fund Prize for Museum of the Year 2014 can be found at Artfund.org/prize

Follow the conversation on twitter using #MOTY2014

[Image: David Nash, Black Mound, 2013. Courtesy the artist and YSP. Photography (c) Marc Atkins]

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-OofO-8yGM