Five rising UK curators have been awarded funding to expand and diversify their museums’ collections through Art Fund’s New Collecting Awards. The Wolfson Foundation has committed £300,000 to the programme since it began six years ago, and in that time, a total of 35 early career curators have received over £1.8 million.
The funding from this round will go to curators at:
– National Galleries of Scotland
– Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford
– Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery
– V & A
– National Trust
The New Collecting Awards give curators 100% funding to research and buy works that grow their museums’ collections in new directions or deepen existing ones – such as commissioning new photographic portraits of people underrepresented in Scotland’s national collection and the acquisition of works by indigenous artists.
Each winning curator receives a budget for acquisitions alongside funding for research, travel, and training, plus the support of a mentor and Art Fund staff and trustees.
The programme invests in curatorial talent and allows museums to bring works of art and objects into public view.
The 2020 winners are:
Louise Pearson, Curator (Photography), National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh
Louise Pearson will use Scotland’s census data to identify groups which are underrepresented in the national photography collection and address these gaps by acquiring and commissioning photographs that reflect the true breadth of Scotland’s population. These groups are likely to include single parent families, people of a mixed ethnic background, individuals from the Pakistani and Polish communities and residents of the Scottish islands.
Marenka Thompson-Odlum, Research Associate, Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford
Marenka Thompson-Odlum will collect new works by indigenous artists from around the world to question and interact with the colonial past of the museum’s collections and find new ways of telling stories. The project will focus on the following indigenous cultures: Ainu (Japan), Haida (North America), Edo (Nigeria), and Polynesian (focusing on Hawaii). It is an extension of Thompson-Odlum’s Labelling Matters project, which explores the often-problematic historic language used within the Pitt Rivers Museum when referring to objects. The new indigenous works will focus on language and self- determination and include works that use written language, textile works, sculptures and performance art (video / digital art).
Andrew Ferrara, Project Curator, Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery, Norwich
Andrew Ferrara’s project will build a collection of exemplar medieval East Anglia coins, ranging from the 7th to 12th century, which will help expand the numismatic collections of Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery and deepen the understanding of the region’s medieval history.
Xiaoxin Li, Curator (China), V&A, London
Xiaoxin Li will research and collect contemporary Chinese studio craft, a field significantly under-represented both inside and outside China. Li will help expand the V&A’s expertise on the field by acquiring applied art works created using craft techniques from the 1980s to today.
Catherine Troiano, Curator, National Photography Collections, National Trust, Lacock
Catherine Troiano will develop a collection of photography since the 1970s, that represents diverse experiences of British heritage and speaks to local, regional and national histories. The project seeks to expand the Trust’s existing national collections of photography, which are richest in material from the 1840s to the mid-twentieth century. Collecting will focus on emerging and established photographers working in Britain, whose work engages with varied perspectives of identity, land and history.
Paul Ramsbottom, Wolfson Foundation chief executive said, “We are delighted to continue our long partnership with Art Fund. The finances of museums and galleries are under pressure, and so it is more important than ever to invest in curators. The items to be collected will be important acquisitions for the already remarkable collections at these five wonderful institutions.”
Jenny Waldman, Art Fund director said: “Supporting curators and their development is core to Art Fund’s charitable programme. Many museums’ collections are currently behind closed doors, but curators are still caring for, researching, and expanding them for the benefit of audiences. During a year in which we all are reflecting more deeply on critical issues including equality and diversity, we are delighted to support projects broadening representation when building collections.”
The New Collecting Awards programme is run by Art Fund and supported by a consortium of funders, including the Wolfson Foundation. For more information, please visit: https://www.artfund.org/supporting-museums/programmes/new-collecting-awards.
The charity is also fundraising to support museums through the urgent crowdfunding appeal Together for Museums aiming to raise £1m to help museums adapt to Covid-19 and evolve in the future.
(Photo clockwise from left: Xiaoxin Li, Curator (China), V&A; Marenka Thompson-Odlum, Research Associate, Pitt-Rivers Museum; Catherine Troiano, Curator, National Photography Collections, National Trust; Andrew Ferrara, Project Curator, Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery; Louise Pearson, Curator (Photography), National Galleries of Scotland)
