The Hearts for the Arts Award winners were announced this week.
The Awards, from the National Campaign for the Arts, recognise local authority support for the arts across three categories Best Arts Project, Best Arts Champion—Local Authority or Cultural Trust Worker, and Best Arts Champion—Councillor.
The judges, who include author Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason, playwright Jack Thorne and National Campaign for the Arts trustee Samuel West, have chosen the following from the shortlisted entries which covered a range of events including performance
Best Arts Project
- Of Earth & Sky from North Lincolnshire Council—a large-scale visual art trail constructed from poetry written by Scunthorpe residents.
- Intergenerational Connections Project from Mole Valley District Council and Surrey County Council—an initiative using music to grow connections between vulnerable young people and older members of the local community.
- Westminster Reveals from Westminster City Council—a programme of accessible art interventions supporting the sector during the pandemic.
Best Arts Champion—Local Authority or Cultural Trust Worker
- Zerritha Brown, 2020 legacy manager from the London Borough of Brent, for leading the borough's Cultural Olympiad and championing culture in the following decade
Best Arts Champion—Councillor
- Councillor Ffion Meleri Gwyn, an artist and a teacher, who has created and facilitated art projects for Cyngor Tref Criccieth Town Council
Samuel West said of the awards, “the pandemic has taught us that our needs, in the end, are simple. We need something to eat. We need somewhere to sleep. And we need cheap and interesting things to do to stop us losing our minds.
“Art has proved its worth through lockdown—music, books, TV drama, video games—have all given a lifesaving boost to our mental and physical health. What is harder in a pandemic is to feel part of a community. Care settings have suffered. Public spaces have been left empty. Loneliness and isolation have made an epidemic of their own.
“That’s why we cheer the people and projects celebrated by Hearts for the Arts. Times are hard and budgets are tight—sometimes the simple act of making anything feels like a reason to party. But we want to shine a spotlight on the arts heroes who go above and beyond, and give the cheer of encouragement that local authorities, artists and arts organisations need to keep going.
“Art has a superpower: to bring people together; to help people feel human. Because now, more than ever, there's no them and us. It's all us.”
The Hearts for the Arts Awards are presented by the National Campaign for the Arts partnering with Community Leisure UK, Creative Lives, the Local Government Association, Thrive, UK Theatre, and Wales Council for Voluntary Action. The Awards will be presented to the winners at a digital awards ceremony on 7 March.