Prize Winner: Maggie Hargreaves and Runner up purchase prize: Mandy Payne.
Prize Finalists: Anny Evason, Alex Hamilton, Ben Lingard, Colin Maxwell, Catherine Sutcliffe-Fuller, Chris Shaw Hughes, Dr Dolores de Sade, Darren Reid, Evy Jokhova, Gillian Swan, Hannah Brown, Ian Chamberlain, Jennifer Morgan, Michael Cox, Maggie Hargreaves, Mandy Payne, Philip Sanderson, Ros Ford, Rebecca Upton, Roanna Wells, Sonia Stanyard, Sarah Taylor- Silverwood, Sean Williams.
Selection Panel: Gill Saunders (Senior Curator of Prints V&A), Laura Oldfield Ford (Artist), Kirstie Hamilton ( Head of Exhibitions & Displays, Museums Sheffield), Clive Wilmer (Master, the Guild of St George), Sue Grayson-Ford (Co-founder, The Big Draw).
Shortlist Exhibitions: The 2nd John Ruskin exhibition was shown in Sheffield's Millenium Gallery for five months accompanying the V&A tour of 'Recording Britain'. In November 2014 it had a second showing at London's Trinity Buoy Wharf, now the home of The Big Draw. The winner was announced at the private view: Former scientist and recent art graduate, Maggie Hargreaves, was awarded the £1,000 prize for two huge drawings revealing nature’s revenge on man’s despoliation of the countryside. Runner-up Mandy Payne’s evocative reliefs of Sheffield’s once notorious Park Hill Estate were created by spray painting concrete slabs inspired by the estate’s current redevelopment.
In 2014, artists across the UK were invited to submit ‘fresh, contemporary visions of the UK's urban, rural or social environment' for The 2nd John Ruskin Prize: Recording Britain Now. The selection panel considered 600 entries before agreeing on the final 23, which offered an engaging mix of materials, techniques and topical commentary, exploring urban sprawl, dereliction and the endangered British countryside.
Read exhibition review in Creative Tourist:
Winning Piece purchased by Millenium Dome Architect: Read Piece HERE
Maggie Hargreaves' prizewinning piece 'Slowly Creeping' (2014) - SOLD to Millennium Dome Architect Mike Davies.
Runner up Mandy Payne's artwork 'Past Imperfect' (2014), Aerosol on Concrete. Payne's shortlisted piece 'All that Remains' was acquired by the Guild of St George for The Ruskin Collection, Millenium Gallery, Sheffield.
Read our interview with Mandy HERE
THE 2ND JOHN RUSKIN PRIZE WINNER: MAGGIE HARGREAVES
The winning piece, Slowly Creeping, created by artist Maggie Hargreaves, is a study of the last remains of a Victorian cyanide works, which produced dyes for the Manchester textile industry. Her two epic charcoal drawings, both nominated for the Prize, show how we interact with, and affect, our environment, and how nature eventually takes its revenge.
"I am delighted to be in the ‘Recording Britain Now’ show, where the breadth of drawing practice today is clearly evident. I was hugely encouraged, by winning this prestigious award, to continue exploring our relationship with the world through drawing", said Maggie Hargreaves, winner of the 2014 John Ruskin Prize.
The Recording Britain Now exhibition included an eclectic range of drawings, paintings, prints and textiles by 23 artists shortlisted for the 2014 John Ruskin Prize. The works on display revealed a rich mix of techniques and topical commentary, exploring our endangered towns and countryside. Established and emerging artists presented fresh, contemporary visions of their urban, rural or social environment – from haunting pastoral vistas to evocative depictions of 21st century suburbia.
EXHIBITION REVIEW: CREATIVE TOURIST
"The John Ruskin Prize in Sheffield showcases emerging artists – the work on display is at once bleak, and beautiful.
Victorian artist, critic, writer and social reformer John Ruskin had a saying: “the greatest thing a human being ever does in this world is to see something… To see clearly is poetry, prophecy and religion all in one.” The 2014 John Ruskin prize asks exactly this of its entrants; to see and to absorb a theme – and the title of this year’s exhibition – Recording Britain Now. With recent political proclamations about the importance of “British Values” being met with a series of confused faces from many, it seems apparent that Britain is in a something of a state of flux. This year’s prize has honed in on this transitional period and, as a result, extracts an interesting variation of contemporary visions".
John Ruskin Prize, Sheffield: Recording Britain Now
Daniel Dylan Wray, Creative Tourist, Posted 11 Aug 2014. READ FULL ARTICLE HERE.