Harlow Sculpture Town Wins Heritage Lottery Funding
Henry Moore, ‘Family Group’, 1954-55.
A grant of £55,300, made possible by money raised by National Lottery players, is set to launch and new volunteer scheme and restore 18 precious sculptures in need of urgent care in Harlow, Essex, including Henry Moore’s iconic Family Group. The grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund will enable Harlow Art Trust (HAT) to lead the ‘Access Harlow Sculpture Town’ project. The project aims to protect the collection for generations to come and engage people of all ages with Harlow’s unique sculptural heritage.
It marks the 10th anniversary since Harlow became the UK’s first and only Sculpture Town in 2009, which recognises the town’s nationally significant collection of public sculpture which includes work by Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth and Elisabeth Frink. Alongside physical conservation, Harlow Art Trust will recruit and train a team of volunteer ‘Sculpture Guardians’ in conservation techniques and condition reporting processes to help keep the collection in good condition for the future. Volunteers will also be supported to lead tours for locals and visitors alike around new specially designed sculpture trails.
New learning and visitor resources including an updated map, website and interactive app will be developed and promoted during ‘Sculpture Week’, a week long launch involving all 31 schools in the Harlow area. Activities will also be delivered in partnership with Art UK’s Sculpture Project, the Public Monuments and Sculpture Association, Essex County Council and Harlow District Council.
Chair of Harlow Art Trust Chris Snow said:
“Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, we can make sure our collection is safe for the people of Harlow for many years to come and raise its profile as the UK’s only Sculpture Town. We are looking forward to holding events and creating new resources to enable even more people to enjoy and learn more about our fantastic collection. We are delighted that the Heritage Lottery Fund recognises the national importance of our collection in Harlow which includes work by Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth and Auguste Rodin."
Robyn Llewellyn, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund, East of England said: “Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players we are thrilled to support this inspiring project which will repair these significant sculptures and enable more people to fully appreciate them.”
Notes to Editors
Conservation report
Harlow Art Trust commissioned Plowden & Smith, an expert team of conservators, to carry out a study of the 90 sculptures in the collection. They identified 18 in urgent need of repair. These are the sculptures that will be conserved with Heritage Lottery Funding. They include Grade-II listed works ‘Family Group’ by Henry Moore and ‘Trigon’ by Lynn Chadwick.
About Harlow Art Trust
The charity Trust was set up in 1953 and has responsibility for key assets within Harlow.
- The Gibberd Gallery; the main gallery space located in the Civic Centre.
- A public collection of 90 sculptures, situated in squares, public buildings and open spaces across the town.
The Gibberd Gallery hosts an annual programme of exhibitions, talks and events that includes group and solo shows by established and emerging artists. The Trust continues to commission and work with other public and private organisations to add to the sculpture collection. Two new sculptures were added in 2018. Next year, 2019 will be the 10th year anniversary since Harlow became the UK’s only Sculpture Town and this is an opportunity to hold public events.
About the Heritage Lottery Fund
Thanks to National Lottery players, we invest money to help people across the UK explore, enjoy and protect the heritage they care about - from the archaeology under our feet to the historic parks and buildings we love, from precious memories and collections to rare wildlife. www.hlf.org.uk. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLottery and #HLFsupported.
Further Information
For further information, images and interviews please contact Kate Harding, Artistic Director.
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