The Marsh Awards for Excellence in Gallery Education celebrate the achievements of those working in learning and education within gallery or visual arts contexts. Four awards of £500 are offered each year to individuals who have exceeded the expectations of their role by showing dedication or innovation in their work.
In 2011, recipients were Karen Eslea, Head of Learning at Turner Contemporary, Margate; primary school teacher Sylvia Jones; and artists Laura Wilson and Tom Goddard who, alongside their art practices, work to enable greater access to and engagement with gallery programmes in London and Wales.
Wilson is part-time Offsite and Education Organiser at Chisenhale Gallery – running the Propeller Youth Forum as well as other education and community projects. “The award has helped to raise the profile of the Offsite and Education programme at Chisenhale Gallery,” she says. “It is great to be acknowledged for my hard work and particularly motivating going forward into the future.”
Goddard received nominations from Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Swansea and Oriel Myrddin Gallery, Carmarthen for the community engagement projects he has established that reach out to new, young and vulnerable audiences in Wales.
“I am incredibly proud to have been recognised in such a strong and competitive sector as gallery education,” he says. “I’ve since been invited to take part in conferences and seminars that have taught me about other galleries’, artists’ and organisations’ strategies for learning – and in turn how to improve my work in this area.”
Goddard has started a savings account with his £500 award, to help fund his MA studies.
Deadline for nominations for the Marsh Awards for Excellence in Gallery Education 2012 is 10am on Monday 24 September. For full details, including a nomination form, visit www.engage.org
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