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More Than 1,000 Votes Flood In For Gulbenkian Prize People's Choice
By Graham Spicer
28/02/2007
Image: photograph of a museum gallery with screen interactives and a model of two young polar bears
Weston Park Museum had 120,000 visitors in its first three months of reopening. © Sheffield Museums Trust
The voting for the 2007 Readers' Poll for the Gulbenkian Prize is now closed
Votes have been flooding into the 24 Hour Museum’s People’s Vote for who you think should win the prestigious Gulbenkian Prize for Museums and Galleries.
More than 1000 readers have already cast their votes for who they would choose to win the £100,000 annual award from the longlist of 10 venues across the country.
“This extremely impressive number of votes shows the Gulbenkian is going from strength to strength and really capturing the public’s imagination,” said 24 Hour Museum Editor Jon Pratty.
“It’s great to see that people are really enthusiastic about their local museums and galleries. Our People’s Vote, though unofficial, allows ordinary visitors the opportunity to register their opinions and support their favourite venue.”
From the total of 1,183 submissions, Weston Park Museum in Sheffield has emerged as a clear favourite, with 373 votes to date. Its recent refurbishment has been warmly welcomed by local residents, 120,000 of whom have visited in its first three months of reopening smashing visitor targets for its first year nine months ahead of schedule.
Image: image of fabric sample in a museum
The Warner Archive commissioned major artists to design fabrics - this sample is by Graham Sutherland. Courtesy Braintree District Museum Trust
There is still plenty of time for others to catch up, however, as the People’s Vote doesn’t end until May 23 2007 - the day before the announcement of the Prize itself.
Along with the votes, we’ve had a wealth of comments from people praising their local venues’ initiatives.
Voter Adrienne Thornton was a big fan of Weston Park: “A truly brilliant museum. Weston Park Museum ticks all the boxes. Welcoming, entertaining, inclusive, educational and exciting!”
Second placed so far is the Warner Archive at Braintree District Museum in Essex, which has picked up an impressive 256 votes.
“Braintree has worked so hard to preserve some culture in the face of commercial growth and traffic!” wrote Mrs Bernie Ross.
Image: photo of a little girl pressing herself against a glass aquarium pointing at a fish
The Horniman's aquarium provides authentic habitats for more than 150 species of aquatic life. © Laura Mtungwazi
Third place currently goes to the Horniman Museum’s aquarium in south London. Its £1.5m transformation helped solve access problems and has already proved a highly popular free attraction.
“Considering what has just been announced in the news with children in England unhappy, neglected and poorly educated this is a place where the children are encouraged to be happy, cared for and educated,” wrote Anna Morris. “The Horniman has my vote and deserves to win.”
Next up is the Women’s Library in London with 95 votes, closely followed by Bexhill’s De La Warr Pavilion and Scotland and Medicine, a project linking medical collections across Scotland, both on 93 votes.
The rest of the longlisted museums are hot on their tails, and as mentioned, with almost three months of voting left, the race is still wide open.
While the Gulbenkian Prize judges will announce their official shortlist of four venues in April you can vote for any of the longlisted museums right up until the eve of the Prize’s announcement. So get voting…
Click on one of the links below to vote for the longlisted museum you think should receive the £100,000 prize.
To vote for Braintree District Museum in Essex, click here.
To vote for Horniman Museum in London, click here.
To vote for Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum in Glasgow, click here.
To vote for Kew Palace in Surrey, click here.
To vote for Pallant House Gallery in West Sussex, click here.
To vote for Scotland & Medicine in Edinburgh, click here.
To vote for The Jameel Gallery of Islamic Art at the V&A in London, click here
To vote for Weston Park Museum in Sheffield, click here
To vote for The Women's Library in London click here
Braintree District Museum
Town Hall Centre Gallery, Market Place, Braintree, CM7 3YG, Essex, England
Open: Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm including Bank Holidays.
Horniman Museum & Gardens
Horniman Museum & Gardens, 100 London Road, Forest Hill, London, SE23 3PQ, England
Open: Open daily: 1030-1730
Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, Glasgow
Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, Argyle Street, Glasgow, G3 8AG, Strathclyde, Scotland
T: 0141 276 9599
Open: Monday to Thursday and Saturday 10am to 5pm, Friday and Sunday 11am to 5pm
Kew Palace and Queen Charlotte's Cottage
Kew Palace and Queen Charlotte's Cottage, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Richmond, TW9 3AB, Surrey, England
Open: Kew Palace reopens this year on 24 March 2007 and will be open daily until 28 October (inclusive). Open hours are 10:00 - 18:00 Tuesday to Sundays (last admission 1700) and 11:00 - 18:00 on Mondays (last admission 1700).
Queen Charlotte's Cottage is open on selected dates during the summer months, please see www.hrp.org.uk for more information.
Pallant House Gallery, Chichester
Pallant House Gallery, 9 North Pallant, Chichester, PO19 1TJ, West Sussex, England
Open: Tues-Sat 10.00-17.00
Thurs 10.00-20.00
Sun & Bank Holiday Monday 12.30-17.00
Closed: All Day Mondays
25,26 December, 1 January
Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, South Kensington, London, SW7 2RL, England
Open: Daily 1000-1745
Fri 1000-2200
Closed: 24-26 December
Surgeons' Hall Museums, Edinburgh
Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, 18 Nicolson Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9DW, Lothian, Scotland
Open: Monday - Friday, noon - 4pm
Summer opening hrs 2008: 1 Aug - 7 Sept, Monday - Friday 10am -4pm, Saturday & Sunday, noon - 4pm
Weston Park Museum, Sheffield
Weston Park Museum, Sheffield Galleries & Museums Trust, Leader House, Surrey Street, Sheffield, S1 2LH, South Yorkshire, England
T: 0114 278 2655
Open: Mon- Sat 10am- 5pm
and Sun 11am-5pm
The Women's Library
The Women's Library, London Metropolitan University, 25 Old Castle Street, London, E1 7NT, England
Open: Exhibition Opening hours
Mon-Wed & Fri 9.30-17.30
Thurs 9.30-20.00
Sat 10.00-16.00
Sun Closed
Reading Room Opening hours
Mon Closed
Tues, Wed & Fri 9.30-17.00
Thurs 9.30-20.00
Sat 10.00-16.00
Sun Closed
Closed: The Women's Library, as part of London Metropolitan University, closes for brief periods over the Easter and Christmas holidays. It has an annual Closed Week for stocktaking and essential Library work. This is usually the first week of September. It is closed on Saturdays during the month of August. Please check our website for details.
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