Peter Bacon reports:

Two UK jazz composer/improvisers are among the ten recipients announced this evening by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation in their 2019 Awards of Artists scheme. Mark Lockheart and Laura Jurd, along with three other composers and five visual artists, will each receive £60,000 over three years. There are no strings attached to how they use the money.

Here are some bits from the press release:

“Paul Hamlyn Foundation (PHF) has announced the 2019 recipients of Awards for Artists, one of the most significant philanthropic awards for visual artists and composers in the UK. Launched in 1994, the awards support visual artists and composers with financial assistance at a pivotal moment in their careers. Since the inception of the awards, 175 artists have received a total of £7.2 million.”

Artists are left to right: Larry Achiampong, Laura Jurd, Ingrid Pollard, Mark Lockheart, Harold Offeh, Adam Christensen, Phoebe Boswell, Shiori Usui and Nathaniel Mann.
(Photo credit: Emile Holba)

The full list of this years’s winners:

2019 composer recipients:

Eleanor Alberga
Laura Jurd
Mark Lockheart
Nathaniel Mann
Shiori Usui

2019 visual artists recipients:

Larry Achiampong
Phoebe Boswell
Adam Christensen
Harold Offeh
Ingrid Pollard

The release continues:

“Each award offers recipients £60,000 over three years – with no obligations or conditions as to how the money is used. Not only the largest award of its kind in the UK, this ‘no strings attached’ approach sets the awards apart from other schemes by giving artists the time and freedom to develop their creative ideas and to further their personal and professional growth.

“Initially, the awards were made to artists from different artforms each year. The first awards were made in 1994 to composers, followed by choreographers in 1995, visual artists (sculpture and installation) in 1996 and poets in 1997.

“There has been a consistent focus on visual artists since 1998 and composers since 2007. Individuals are nominated by their peers, who are either artists or recognised professionals in the music or visual arts sectors. Each year, a panel of four new judges selects the recipients on the basis of talent, promise and need, as well as achievement. The awards might be made at any point in an artist’s career with no age restrictions unlike many other awards schemes; Gustav Metzger was 80 when he received the award in 2006.

“Previous recipients include visual artists Yinka Shonibare (1998), Jeremy Deller (2001), Phyllida Barlow (2007), Ed Atkins (2012), Michael Dean (2014), Sonia Boyce (2016) and Charlotte Prodger (2017). Composers include Sally Beamish (1994), Janek Schaefer (2008), Tansy Davies (2009), Eliza Carthy (2012), Shabaka Hutchings (2014), Daniel Kidane (2016) and Serafina Steer (2017).

“Jane Hamlyn, Chair, Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Chair of the Visual Arts judging panel commented: ‘A lot has changed since we set up Awards for Artists 25 years ago, but one thing hasn’t changed – the environment for artists is tough. The PHF awards give exceptional artists and composers an invaluable space to concentrate on their work and imagine how it can find its place in the world.’

“Moira Sinclair, Chief Executive of Paul Hamlyn Foundation, said: ‘The visual artists and composers announced this year join a pool of exceptionally talented recipients that we have supported over the last 25 years. We are grateful for the contributions of all our nominators and judges who have helped shape the programme, and we intend for the awards to continue as an unequivocal commitment to the vital contribution artists and musicians make to our culture.'”

LINKS: Mark Lockheart’s website

Laura Jurd’s website