Prizes and Projects
Companions will remember that the Big Draw/Campaign for Drawing originated in an initiative of the Guild of St George. It is now a thriving independent charity with a global reach. In 2012, the Guild and the Campaign joined forces to hold an art competition, the John Ruskin Prize.
We are delighted to inform you that the winning shortlist of 30 artists competing in the third Prize (Recording Britain Now: Society) has now been announced. You can read all about it - and view examples of the artwork - online.
The Ruskin Library reports that the John Ruskin Book Prize 2015 shortlist has also recently been announced. An initiative of The Ruskin Society, the winner will be announced at a Ruskin birthday event at Bloomsbury's Art Workers' Guild on the afternoon of Saturday, 6th February (details will follow). That occasion will also provide an opportunity to celebrate the recent publication of the Cambridge Companion to John Ruskin. You can read about the Book Prize here.
The Ruskin Society's Chairman, Companion Dr Cynthia Gamble, has recently published Wenlock Abbey: 1857-1919. A generously illustrated and beautifully-produced history, it explores aspects of the lives and work of Ruskin's wide circle. You can read more here.
Congratulations to Ken Jacobson and Jenny Jacobson. Their breathtaking book, Carrying Off the Palaces: John Ruskin's Lost Daguerreotypes was awarded the Apollo Book of the Year: read more here.
To continue the prize theme, Companions might also be interested to know that the University of Roehampton -- home of Whitelands College which hosts the May Day Ceremony that Ruskin instigated in the 1880s and where the Guild annually now holds the Whitelands Ruskin Lecture -- has called for entries in their Ruskin Poetry Prize. Read more here.
The Guild is very pleased to confirm that the RUSKIN in SHEFFIELD project will continue next year, with the exemplary Ruth Nutter producing more events and initiatives in Sheffield and its communities. There will be a particular (but not exclusive) focus on the Ruskin Collection in a year which will see the staging of the third of our Triennial Exhibitions, In the Making: Ruskin, Creativity and Craftsmanship. Details of the launch and Private View on Tuesday, 26th January 2016 will follow early in the new year, but please mark the date in your diary, and remember to look at our Events page for other forthcoming Events.
The year ahead promises to be both stimulating and exciting. Companions can expect to hear about developments in the Wyre Forest as RUSKIN in WYRE unfolds new plans and projects. Our North American branch continues to grow, and anyone interested in finding out further information should write to our Development Officer, Dr Sara Atwood.
As always, we thank all our Companions and Friends, and especially the great number of you who have joined us this year. Your support is vital to the success of the Guild. The mutual benefit derived from sharing ideas, expertise and enthusiasm has already delivered a great deal, but the future has never looked brighter and we look forward to undertaking together the promising journey ahead. We always encourage you to write to us with your feedback and thoughts, suggestions and contributions.
With all good wishes for an enjoyable Christmas, here's to 2016 and beyond as we continue our quest to advance Ruskin's ideas and values today.