Ten museums across the U.K. compete for The Art Fund Prize for museums and
galleries, including two from Scotland - Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow and The National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. If people were voting with their feet the Kelvingrove Art Gallery was Scotland's most popular visitor attraction last year with 1,445,098 visitors compared with 614,894 visitors to the National Museum of Scotland (figures supplied by Association of Leading Visitor Attractions 2008).
Members of the public are invited to support their local museums over the weekend as they compete to win the £100,000 prize.
A range of events and activities for people of all ages will
run throughout the weekend at the museum. Free entry.
About the Art Fund Prize
The Art Fund Prize for museums and galleries is administered by the Museum Prize, a charitable company created in 2002 by The Art Fund, the Campaign for Museums, the Museums Association and National Heritage. Its trustees are Penelope, Viscountess Cobham
(Chair), James Bishop (National Heritage), Ylva French (Campaign for Museums),
Mark Taylor (Museums Association), Sam Mullins (London Transport
Museum), Sandy Nairne (National Portrait Gallery), James
Naughtie and Eleanor Updale.
The 2009 judging panel comprises:
David Puttnam (chair),
film-maker and educationalist
Robert Crawford, former Director
General of the Imperial
War Museum
Sally Osman, communications consultant and
former Director of Communications at the BBC
Grayson Perry,Turner Prize-winning artist
Mathematician and author Marcus du Sautoy
Maggie Semple, Chief Executive of The Experience
Corps
Journalist and broadcaster Mary Ann Sieghart
Last year's winner was The Lightbox museum and gallery
in Woking. Previous winners include Pallant
House Gallery in Chichester (2007), Brunel's
ss Great Britain in Bristol (2006), Big Pit: National Mining Museum of Wales,
Blaenafon (2005), The Scottish Gallery of Modern Art for Landform - part
sculpture, part garden, part land-art -
by Charles Jencks (2004), and the National Centre for Citizenship and the Law at the Galleries of
Justice in Nottingham (2003).