The ARTiculation prize: Yorkshire winner announced

The Yorkshire regional heat of this year’s ARTiculation Prize took place at The Hepworth Wakefield earlier this month. It was adjudicated by Dr Abigail Harrison Moore, Programme Director for the MA Art Gallery and Museum Studies in the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies, University of Leeds.

School students each delivered a ten minute presentation to an audience about a work of art, artefact or architecture of their choice.

The winner was Ella Weeks, from Benton Park School, who presented on Dmitri Vrubel's My God, Help Me to Survive This Deadly Love, 1990.

Dr Abigail Harrison Moore said of Ella’s winning presentation:

‘I chose this paper as it really demonstrated her research journey, from first encountering the image on a school visit to Berlin, to thinking about the graffiti that has been scrawled on it in relation to the debates about homosexuality and the Winter Olympics.’

Second place went to Sophie Lowe, from Wakefield Girls' High School, who introduced the audience to her own art practice during her paper on Barbara Hepworth, The Hospital Drawings, 1948. Third place was awarded to Breeze Harrison, from Airedale Academy, who spoke about Dana Schutz's, Shaving, 2010 which she first encountered on a school trip to The Hepworth Wakefield.

Dr Harrison Moore added:

‘I was delighted to adjudicate the local heat of 2014’s ARTiculations at The Hepworth Wakefield. All of the papers were inspiring and each of the presenters impressed me and the audience. They were confident, evidenced excellent research abilities and demonstrated their ability to articulate their passion for art.’

The final takes place at Clare College Cambridge tomorrow.

Ella Weeks came to the university last week to experience speaking in a university lecture theatre and Dr Harrison Moore gave her advice on confidently engaging a large audience. The BBC Culture Show filmed Ella's visit to the university, in addition to the regional heats. They will be filming again at tomorrow's final and a programme on the ARTiculation Prize will be broadcast on BBC Two on March 10.

The ARTiculation Prize in Yorkshire is a collaboration between The Hepworth Wakefield, Leeds Art Gallery, and the University of Leeds’s School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies, run by Roche Court Educational Trust.  It is an annual event designed to promote the appreciation and discussion of art.

More information can be found here