Alexandra Reinhardt Memorial Award, Artist Commission 2020 to be hosted by The Tetley, Leeds

Engage and the Alexandra Reinhardt Memorial Award are delighted to announce that the 2020 Artist Commission will be hosted by The Tetley, Leeds.

The Alexandra Reinhardt Memorial Award (ARMA) was established in memory of the artist Alexandra Reinhardt and is supported by the Max Reinhardt Charitable Trust. The annual award, worth £15,000, funds an artist or artists to conceive and deliver a project which engages children and young people. The Award in 2020 focuses on the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people. Engage, the National Association for Gallery Education, has been working with ARMA on the programme since 2012.

In 2018 the Award was hosted by The Turnpike, Leigh. Artist Lindsey Mendick worked with local young people and invited contemporary artists to form The Turnpike Pottery: an artists’ collaborative working in clay. The project culminated in an exhibition held at The Turnpike in September 2018.

In 2016, Alison Carlier’s commission entitled ‘Flourish’ was unveiled at Aspex, Portsmouth and commemorated the gallery’s ten years in the historic Vulcan Building. In 2015, the commission by Anne Harild, entitled ‘We Approach’, was unveiled at Bluecoat, Liverpool. In 2014 New Walk Museum and Art Gallery, Leicester worked with Maria Zahle on ‘Sails and Dogs’, a residency and commission that explored physical play, while Elpida Hadzi-Vasileva’s research into Middlesbrough’s industrial past resulted in the launch of ‘HA[SOFT]RD’ at mima, Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art in 2013.

The successful artist(s) will work with The Tetley and a partner organisation between May and September to deliver a participatory project with young people. As an outcome of the project, the artist will realise an exhibition, performance or other form of public engagement in the Shirley Cooper Gallery, one of the main gallery spaces at The Tetley in summer 2020.

Helen Watson, Director (maternity cover) of The Tetley, said: “The Tetley are thrilled to have been awarded the prestigious Alexandra Reinhardt Memorial Award. The Artist Commission comes at a pivotal time for The Tetley as it places children and young people at the forefront of its participation programme. The Commission will be co-produced, bringing together children and young people with a contemporary artist to create an exhibition driven by their interests, whilst responding to relevant issues surrounding Mental Health.”       

Veronica Reinhardt, Trustee of the Max Reinhardt Charitable Trust, said: “ARMA are delighted to be working with The Tetley to offer a unique opportunity to vulnerable young people. With the support of a contemporary artist/s they will be exploring their thoughts and ideas on mental health through art. At the end of the project, they will then be able to share their work with a larger audience in a major exhibition at the gallery. ARMA hopes the project will continue to demonstrate how small projects can have profound effects on all participants, particularly when curatorial and education departments work closely together.”

Jane Sillis, Director of Engage, said: “We are delighted to be working with The Tetley on ARMA 2020, which focuses next year on the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people. The Tetley’s proposal supports young people to engage with an artist and their work and will shine a light on The Tetley’s excellent participation and education programmes. Engage is privileged to have been working with the Max Reinhardt Charitable Trust on the delivery of ARMA since 2012.