Results of Art Fund Prize announced

Roman Baths hears results of Art Fund Prize

 

At a ceremony last night in Tate Britain in London, the Chief Judge, Michael Portillo, announced the results of the final of the Art Fund Prize, the most prestigious award in the museums world.   The Bath & North East Somerset Council-run Roman Baths learned that it was pipped to the post by the British Museum in the final round of assessment by the judges.  The four short-listed museums, who had all completed popular and innovative development projects in 2010, were The Roman Baths, British Museum, the Polar Museum and the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum.

 

Mr Portillo said of the Roman Baths “The Roman Baths’ major redevelopment has brilliantly enhanced an archaeological site which attracts huge numbers of visitors, so as to enable it to flourish in the 21st century.  The Judges particularly enjoyed the very imaginative use of space, glass and light throughout the site, highlighting striking and unexpected views that allow visitors to be constantly surprised by new perspectives. 

 

“The renovated site effectively and engagingly presents visitors with a feeling for the contrast between the present and the past.  Judges were impressed by the variety of interpretation and the use of technology, particularly the audioguides and digital reconstructions, to bring Roman culture to life.”

 

Councillor Cherry Beath (Lib-Dem, Combe Down), Cabinet Member for Sustainable Development, said, “It was a terrific achievement for the Roman Baths to reach the last four for this prestigious award. The Council’s vision of Bath and North East Somerset as a place with world class arts and culture is well and truly demonstrated by getting this far, particularly during the ‘2011 Year of the Museum’ in Bath. The Roman Baths levers £92 million a year into the local economy and helps make this a great place to live, work and visit.”

 

Stephen Bird, Head of Heritage Services, said, “It is a credit to the team that has worked so hard on the Roman Baths Development, both in planning and implementing the project and in keeping the site open to the public without ever closing. We set out with the aims of transforming the accessibility of the Roman Baths and retaining its place as a leading UK visitor attraction and, while we still have more work to do, this is a significant milestone in achieving both.

“We would like to thank the thousands of people who voted for us on-line.  The judges took the popularity of the museum into account in their assessment and the huge following that the Roman Baths was able to demonstrate made us a serious contender for the prize.  When polling closed last week, the Roman Baths ranked second only to the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in popularity, a reflection of the enthusiasm with which the new developments have been received.”

 

The Art Fund Prize 2011 rewards excellence and innovation in museums and galleries across the UK for a project completed or undertaken in 2010. 

 

ENDS