The Hepworth Wakefield Garden – Tulips (16th April 2020). Photography by Jason Ingram.
Iniva is pleased to announce that it has selected The Hepworth Wakefield in West Yorkshire as its partner for the second year of Future Collect. Future Collect was established in 2020 with generous support from Art Fund, Arts Council England and Esmée Fairbairn Foundation. Future Collect is a three-year initiative to reimagine the future of public collections at major art galleries and museums throughout the UK and provide paid curatorial trainee opportunities.
The partnership will commission a major new work of art by an artist of African and/or Asian descent born or based in Britain for display at The Hepworth Wakefield in 2022. It will be supported with a wide public engagement programme and new research into Wakefield’s growing art collection. A paid, year-long Curatorial Trainee, jointly appointed by Iniva and The Hepworth Wakefield will be predominantly based in Wakefield, where they will be given an outstanding opportunity to develop a range of essential skills needed for the curatorial workforce today, including working with the commissioned artist, collection research, care and display, and audience engagement. The partnership also offers an opportunity for The Hepworth Wakefield’s Assistant Curator to spend time on secondment at Iniva, utilising the unique resource of the Stuart Hall Library as a space for critical enquiry and creative exchange.
Sepake Angiama, Artistic Director of Iniva, said: “We are delighted with our new collaboration with The Hepworth Wakefield to radically rethink new models for commissioning for our collections so that they are a better reflection of our contemporary culturally diverse society. Following our successful partnership with the Manchester Art Gallery we are very pleased to work with such a committed and dedicated team in engaging their community with culturally diverse practices.”
Simon Wallis, Director of The Hepworth Wakefield, said: “We are very excited to have been chosen for the second year of this important partnership initiative with Iniva. Wakefield’s collection was established, as a local Councillor said in 1923, ‘to nurture a public understanding of contemporary art and its relation to modern life’. The Hepworth Wakefield continues to pursue this founding mission to reflect contemporary society. We are committed to addressing historic gender and racial biases in the collection so that it reflects contemporary society and is inspiring and relevant to the broadest possible audience. This partnership with Iniva will help us tackle issues of inequality and racism which have long been prevalent in our sector, and which we need to be part of changing swiftly. We are thrilled to help nurture the next diverse generation of curators and directors through this partnership. It’s an excellent paid opportunity for someone with ambition and vision.”
The Curatorial Trainee post will be advertised widely from April and the selection process for the artist commission will begin in May.
ABOUT OUR FUNDERS
Art Fund is the national fundraising charity for art. It provides millions of pounds every year to help museums to acquire and share works of art across the UK, further the professional development of their curators, and inspire more people to visit and enjoy their public programmes. Art Fund is independently funded, supported by members who buy the National Art Pass, who enjoy free entry to over 240 museums, galleries and historic places, 50% off major exhibitions, and receive Art Quarterly magazine. Art Fund also supports museums through its annual prize, Art Fund Museum of the Year. artfund.org
Arts Council England champions, develop and invest in artistic and cultural experiences that enrich people’s lives. We support activities across the arts, museums and libraries – from theatre to digital art, reading to dance, music to literature, and crafts to collections. Between 2018 and 2022, we will invest £1.45 billion of public money from government and an estimated £860 million from the National Lottery to help create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country. artscouncil.org.uk
Esmée Fairbairn Foundation was founded in 1961 and is one of the UK’s largest independent funders. We aim to improve our natural world, secure a fairer future and strengthen the bonds in communities in the UK. We do this by contributing all that we can to unlock change by people and organisations with brilliant ideas who share our goals. esmeefairbairn.org.uk
For further press information please contact:
Olivia Colling, Director of Communications & Development at The Hepworth Wakefield on oliviacolling@hepworthwakefield.org
Sarah Mangan, Deputy Director at iniva on smangan@iniva.org