THE Dean and Chapter of York Minster have launched the Talent Awards, through which they will commission large-scale artworks to celebrate the 1400th anniversary of the building’s foundation for the baptism of King Edwin of Northumbria in 627.
Two new or emerging artists will win a commission worth £10,000 and the opportunity to exhibit their work in the Minster for ten months, alongside a third, established artist. One commission will be a sound show — “an immersive audio experience that resonates within the Minster’s vast, atmospheric spaces”.
The other will be a contemporary art piece, “open to visual and interdisciplinary artists working in sculpture, installation, moving image, digital media, photography and beyond”.
The Minster is working with the York-based curator Cherie Federico, director of the contemporary art and culture platform Aesthetica, to run the competition. She said: “We are especially interested in how artists can explore themes of water and baptism — powerful symbols of renewal and transformation.”
The Dean of York, the Very Revd Dominic Barrington, said: “No visitor to the Minster leaves without a sense of the artistry that generations have poured into this place. . . These exciting artistic commissions offer a chance to rediscover, reassess, and reassert our mission today through the lens of contemporary art.” The deadline for submissions is 9 June.
The winners will be announced at the end of July. aestheticamagazine.com/york-minster-talent-award-open-for-submissions/
