The Art Fund Museum of the Year is the UK’s largest museum prize, and includes galleries as well as heritage centres around the country. BBC news reports that for the first time in four years, all five finalists are located outside of London. The winner will be announced at the Museum of Liverpool on 26 June.
The final five include Belfast’s Golden Thread Gallery, Perth Museum in Perth and Kinross, Beamish in County Durham, Compton Verney in Warwickshire, and Chapter in Cardiff. Each of the shortlisted finalists will receive a prize of at least £15,000, with the winner receiving £120,000 and also benefiting from the publicity and kudos of being a national finalist.
Art Fund director Jenny Waldman said that this year’s finalists “are inspiring examples of museums at their best” and “deeply connected to their local communities, responsive to the world around them, and alive with energy and ideas.”
She added: “Each one offers a distinctive experience, showing the endless creativity and care that goes into making museums inspiring and exciting spaces for everyone.”
Here’s a closer look at the galleries on the shortlist.
Compton Verney, Warwickshire
Compton Verney is a Grade I listed 18th century mansion in Warwickshire, and it has six art collections as well as a sculpture park. The ethos of the gallery is to make art accessible to everyone, and it is a popular destination for schoolchildren, who have the opportunity to participate in creative projects.
The venue also encompasses a Dementia Café and works with young people with disabilities. The Sculpture in the Park exhibition during 2024 featured acclaimed artists such as Sarah Lucas, Permindar Kaur, Larry Achiampong.
Golden Thread Gallery, Belfast
Golden Thread Gallery is a contemporary arts space with two large galleries, and also holds Northern Ireland’s first visual art library and archive. The gallery reopened in 2024 and relocated to a new city centre address, where it has already received over 23,000 visitors to see exhibitions featuring Charlotte Bosanquet, Rob Hilken, Graham Fagen, and others.
Chapter, Cardiff
Chapter is an international centre for contemporary art in Cardiff, with a gallery, artists studios, and a theatre and cinema. It is committed to showcasing a diverse range of artists from all backgrounds and parts of the country, and has hosted exhibitions by international artists such as Adham Faramawy, Ntiense Eno-Amooquaye and Abi Palmer.
It also has a strong community focus, with a ‘pay what you can’ pricing policy, and an artist in residency programme with free studio space.
New funding model for Goldsmiths College
Elsewhere, The Art Newspaper reports that the prestigious Goldsmiths College, part of the University of London, has launched a new approach to funding that will encourage donors to give money or art, or entire collections to support teaching and finances.
The visual arts in the UK, including art colleges and university art faculties, are under increasing financial pressure as budgets are slashed and funds are redirected elsewhere. Many art departments and colleges have closed completely, threatening teaching and research, and undermining the rich artistic heritage of the UK.
The new Goldsmith Endowment Fund is backed by a £4m donation from philanthropist Peter Kelner, who is a former investment banker. He has bequeathed his modern and contemporary art collection to Goldsmiths, estimated to be worth £4m.
Richard Noble, head of art at Goldsmiths, says: “We’ve decided to try and create a model that could, we hope, draw upon some of the accumulated wealth within the contemporary art world, [encompassing] collectors and artists, possibly even gallerists.”
He added: “We’re open and flexible, but we’re trying to get people to think about us in a way they haven’t done so before. We’re suggesting that there’s another way to think about how your collection might help the art world ecosystem by supporting an institution like Goldsmiths, which artists attend from all over the world.”
The move reflects growing concern across the entire arts sector and beyond that successive governments undervalue the importance of art to society, culture, the economy, and the UK’s international standing.
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