Wednesday 02 Jul 2008 @ 14:55
Arts Council England
Arts Council England
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Culture Secretary Andy Burnham to open £3million centre for artists in Wakefield
The Art House, an innovative and fully accessible centre for visual artists, will be formally opened by Culture Secretary Andy Burnham on Monday 7 July. The opening of this £3 million building in Wakefield realises a 14-year vision to provide leading inclusive workspace for professional artists.
The Art House supports the practice of professional artists – both with and without disabilities – with its combination of spacious studios and technician support as well as the provision of workspace and accommodation for short-term residencies. It has already attracted national and international artists.
Liz Whitehouse, Director of The Art House, says: “The Art House began with the vision of one disabled artist and it has taken 14 years of dedicated hard work to make that vision a reality. We are delighted that Andy Burnham will open our new building, where we already have a community of artists – both disabled and non-disabled – working side by side. The accessible accommodation provided within the building means that artists from across the UK and the world can use this unique facility.”
Andy Carver, Executive Director of Arts Council England, Yorkshire, adds: “We are excited to be a major investor in The Art House. Their new base is ground-breaking in the access and support it offers visual artists. It means that disabled artists will be able to create new work alongside their non-disabled peers as part of a creative network of artists. The opening of The Art House will also enhance Wakefield’s growing reputation as a centre for the visual arts. Our £1.4 million investment, through the National Lottery, has led to a nationally unique asset for Yorkshire.”
Karen Babayan, an artist member and studio holder at The Art House, comments: “The Art House is an organisation through which I have been able to keep up-to-date with opportunities available to me and a way of keeping in touch with other artists. Now as a studio artist, the Art House offers me a platform unequalled amongst studio groups in terms of quality of space, accessibility and support in the making of work and professional practice.”
The Art House is a national membership organisation with a catalogue of major projects, including its current residency project Space for 10, working with high-profile galleries including Kettles Yard, Arnolfini and Spike Island, and Northern Gallery For Contemporary Arts. Now with its own base, The Art House intends to develop and host a full programme of residencies.
The Art House forms a major part of Wakefield’s cultural regeneration. Work has begun on The Hepworth Wakefield, a landmark waterfront gallery designed by Stirling Prize winner David Chipperfield, which will celebrate the birthplace of modern sculpture. The new landmarks will join Yorkshire Sculpture Park, whose major Andy Goldsworthy exhibition won the Visual Arts Award in the prestigious South Bank Show Awards 2008.
The completion of The Art House was made possible with substantial funding from the lottery through Arts Council England, as well as ERDF, Yorkshire Forward and Wakefield Council.
Notes for editors:
The Art House was established in 1994 due to the frustrations encountered by artist and sculptor Patricia Sutcliffe. Patricia Sutcliffe has severe arthritis, and after receiving inadequate support through her Bachelor of Art degree found that it was impossible to find adequate workspaces in which to work alongside artists without disabilities. The Art House aims to support artists like Patricia Sutcliffe in an all-inclusive environment. www.the-arthouse.org.uk
Arts Council England works to get great art to everyone by championing, developing and investing in artistic experiences that enrich people’s lives.
As the national development agency for the arts, we support a range of artistic activities from theatre to music, literature to dance, photography to digital art, and carnival to crafts.
Great art inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves, and the world around us. In short, it makes life better.
Between 2008 and 2011, we will invest £1.3 billion of public money from government and a further £0.3 billion from the National Lottery to create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country. www.artscouncil.org.uk
The Art House supports the practice of professional artists – both with and without disabilities – with its combination of spacious studios and technician support as well as the provision of workspace and accommodation for short-term residencies. It has already attracted national and international artists.
Liz Whitehouse, Director of The Art House, says: “The Art House began with the vision of one disabled artist and it has taken 14 years of dedicated hard work to make that vision a reality. We are delighted that Andy Burnham will open our new building, where we already have a community of artists – both disabled and non-disabled – working side by side. The accessible accommodation provided within the building means that artists from across the UK and the world can use this unique facility.”
Andy Carver, Executive Director of Arts Council England, Yorkshire, adds: “We are excited to be a major investor in The Art House. Their new base is ground-breaking in the access and support it offers visual artists. It means that disabled artists will be able to create new work alongside their non-disabled peers as part of a creative network of artists. The opening of The Art House will also enhance Wakefield’s growing reputation as a centre for the visual arts. Our £1.4 million investment, through the National Lottery, has led to a nationally unique asset for Yorkshire.”
Karen Babayan, an artist member and studio holder at The Art House, comments: “The Art House is an organisation through which I have been able to keep up-to-date with opportunities available to me and a way of keeping in touch with other artists. Now as a studio artist, the Art House offers me a platform unequalled amongst studio groups in terms of quality of space, accessibility and support in the making of work and professional practice.”
The Art House is a national membership organisation with a catalogue of major projects, including its current residency project Space for 10, working with high-profile galleries including Kettles Yard, Arnolfini and Spike Island, and Northern Gallery For Contemporary Arts. Now with its own base, The Art House intends to develop and host a full programme of residencies.
The Art House forms a major part of Wakefield’s cultural regeneration. Work has begun on The Hepworth Wakefield, a landmark waterfront gallery designed by Stirling Prize winner David Chipperfield, which will celebrate the birthplace of modern sculpture. The new landmarks will join Yorkshire Sculpture Park, whose major Andy Goldsworthy exhibition won the Visual Arts Award in the prestigious South Bank Show Awards 2008.
The completion of The Art House was made possible with substantial funding from the lottery through Arts Council England, as well as ERDF, Yorkshire Forward and Wakefield Council.
Notes for editors:
The Art House was established in 1994 due to the frustrations encountered by artist and sculptor Patricia Sutcliffe. Patricia Sutcliffe has severe arthritis, and after receiving inadequate support through her Bachelor of Art degree found that it was impossible to find adequate workspaces in which to work alongside artists without disabilities. The Art House aims to support artists like Patricia Sutcliffe in an all-inclusive environment. www.the-arthouse.org.uk
Arts Council England works to get great art to everyone by championing, developing and investing in artistic experiences that enrich people’s lives.
As the national development agency for the arts, we support a range of artistic activities from theatre to music, literature to dance, photography to digital art, and carnival to crafts.
Great art inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves, and the world around us. In short, it makes life better.
Between 2008 and 2011, we will invest £1.3 billion of public money from government and a further £0.3 billion from the National Lottery to create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country. www.artscouncil.org.uk
Eleven exciting new and refurbished arts buildings will open in Yorkshire between 2008-11. Arts Council England, Yorkshire has invested over £40 million of lottery money in these projects and through them great art will play an even bigger role in making this region a vibrant place to live and visit. Projects include the refurbishment of the Grand Theatre in Leeds as the new home for Opera North; a new theatre for Hull Truck; a major refurbishment of The Crucible in Sheffield and The Hepworth, a significant new visual arts venue for Wakefield. Several other smaller projects, such as Mind the Gap in Bradford, The Civic in Barnsley and Kala Sangam in Bradford, will greatly add to the strength and diversity of the region’s arts provision.
