Art gallery wins £100,000 award for youth projects

Wolverhampton Art Gallery has been awarded £100,000 to develop more opportunities for young people.

The cultural venue is one of three winners of the inaugural Freelands Awards, which recognise organisations with "progressive art education approaches with demonstrable impact".

The gallery was recognised for two projects within its arts and cultures youth programme, which provide free support for young people to develop their creative skills and careers.

ArtForum is a free, hands-on group for 14 to 25-year-olds, while MORE ART INC is aimed at emerging artists, aged 16 to 30, from the city and its surrounding areas.

Stephen Simkins, leader of the City of Wolverhampton Council, which owns the gallery, said the award was a "fantastic endorsement" of the gallery's work with young people.

"The art gallery youth programmes have created opportunities for young people from across the city, some who didn't think that art galleries were somewhere they belonged but have now gone on to start inspiring careers in the creative industries," he said.

The Freelands Awards were established by the Freelands Foundation, which said visual arts organisations gave important opportunities for lifelong teaching and learning, despite declining funding and rising operating costs.

The winners were chosen by a panel of judges who reviewed entries from arts organisations across the UK, before visiting those shortlisted.

The three winners will now work with the Freelands Foundation to create case study films about their programmes, which will be shared as resources for other organisations.

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