Tate St Ives has been named Art Fund Museum of the Year 2018.
The £100,000 prize recognises museums that have delivered an exceptional project or innovative programme to engage their visitors.
The other finalists for the prestigious prize were Brooklands Museum, Ferens Art Gallery, Glasgow Women’s Library and The Postal Museum.
Stephen Deuchar, chair of the judges, said, “Tate St Ives tells the story of the artists who have lived and worked in Cornwall in an international context. The new extension to the gallery is deeply intelligent and breathtakingly beautiful, providing the perfect stage for a curatorial programme that is at once adventurous, inclusive and provocative. The judges admired an architect and gallery team who devoted some 12 years to this transformational change, consulting with the local community all the way.”
Judge Melanie Manchot added, “As soon as I walked into Tate St Ives I had an amazingly strong feeling that they’re doing something innovative. I’ve visited before, but now the whole building, the galleries, the views all feel different – they have been given a new lease of life. The extension has not so much been an addition as a complete reimagining. I was deeply impressed by the passion and knowledge of their guides to the collection and exhibition – all local to the gallery. Though they were closed for 18 months during their redevelopment they kept their members, which I feel speaks to a sense of belonging and a new Tate St Ives so much more embedded in its community. For me, it was a profound experience.”
