The £100,000 Art Fund Prize is awarded to the museum or gallery whose project demonstrates the most originality, imagination and excellence, and Woking's Lightbox hopes to impress the judges with its new contemporary space combining an innovative presentation of local history with a dynamic display of modern art.
Opened in September 2007, The Lightbox has been developed with strong community involvement and is the only attraction in the South East outside of London to have been selected.
“This is the most prestigious arts prize in the country and we are simply delighted to have been nominated,” said Marilyn Scott, Director of The Lightbox. “It is a true recognition of the hard work and support that we have received from the local community, in particular our volunteers.”
The Lightbox has two of the most exciting gallery spaces in the South East, boasting a huge range of exhibitions that change monthly. These include contemporary art from local and nationally famous artists, and loans from major museums and galleries in the UK and overseas.
As well as art and history, there’s often the chance to explore science and the natural world – often with a family-friendly theme. Children will be kept occupied with hands-on activities, particularly in Woking’s Story, where you can listen to people’s memories of life in the town and watch historical films.
The Lightbox runs award-winning education programmes, working with artists, schools and community groups to provide inspiring creative activities for all ages and abilities. Recent highlights include jazz brunches, Aardman Animation workshops, and art and crafts.
Classes from Woking College’s A-level applied art course are even held at the museum and gallery. Local students take over the centre’s education facilities for three days each week, to benefit from actually studying art in an art gallery with an inventive exhibition programme.
A recent highlight of the exhibition programme was Pavilion Recaptured. Telling the story of The Muslim Burial Ground on Horsell common and the Indian Army Soldiers who were once buried there, artist Said Adrus portrayed this forgotten slice of British war history using a mixture of archive material and his own multimedia work.
Over a million Indian Army troops were shipped to Europe to fight for Britain during the First World War. Between 1914 and 1916, wounded Indian soldiers from France were brought for treatment to special hospitals set up along England’s south coast.
Photographs, watercolours and videos combine with archive footage of the injured soldiers to link their story to the notion of memorial, identity and the rich history of Islamic architecture in Britain.
The current exhibition at the gallery features a ‘hidden’ collection of works by the icons of Modern British Sculpture including work by Jacob Epstein, Henri Gaudier-Brzeska, Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, Lynn Chadwick, Reg Butler, Eduardo Paolozzi, Elisabeth Frink, Anthony Caro, Leon Underwood and Kenneth Armitage.
2D - 3D runs until March 30 2008 and features rarely seen preparatory sketches and drawings next to their sculptural equivalents.
Again focussing on audience engagement and accessibility, The Lightbox is attempting to bring a fresh and original approach to a sculptural exhibition and 2D - 3D includes a number of interactive elements to enable visitors to engage with the work on display.
But will this community-minded gallery and museum sway the judges? Among the nine other exhibitions and projects on the longlist, The Lightbox is competing with well established institutions such as London Transport Museum, the British Library and the Welcome Collection.
Following judges’ visits, four museums and galleries will be shortlisted and announced in early April. The winner will be announced on Thursday May 22 at the Royal Institute of British Architects in London during Museum and Galleries Month 2008.
Before then we would like to know what you think. Do you think The Lightbox should win the 2008 Art Fund Prize? Vote for this exhibition or any others on the longlist here
