As an artist working in Hull I have to say it’s a really exciting time, thursday the 28th of May was an amazing day for the City of Hull.
It started well with news of the Turner prize coming to The Ferens Art Gallery in Hull in 2017 a huge win for the city and for the City of Culture Team, it is one of the biggest events in British art, when it is UK City of Culture in 2017. Unfortunately at 51 I’m too old to be in it but I’m really looking forwards to seeing it!
The Turner prize and corresponding exhibition will be staged at the city’s Ferens art gallery. It is the first event to be announced for Hull’s City of Culture year. The gallery will get a £4.5m facelift to bring it up to the required standards.
Hull 2017 chief executive Martin Green said the prize would boost Hull’s image in the art world and attract more visitors to the city.”You can only see it if you come to Hull and that’s what’s great about these major events. They act as a honeypot,” he said.”All those people who come will spend money here and stay, drink and shop here. So this is great world-class culture being used as a regenerative and economic boost to the city.” Martin Green is hoping that the year’s festivities will attract a million visitors to Hull and be worth £60m to the city’s economy.
Darren Henley New Chairman of the Arts Council’s inaugural speech from the Ferens – great stuff..
Martin Green says he believes UK City of Culture is a “once in a generation opportunity” to transform the city. I say:
“Let’s make the most of it!”
Martin spoke a lot about the strategic vision and national and international partnerships the team are making and I was really impressed by his speech and the amount of work the team has already done on the City of Culture 2017 planning.
Here is the new City of Culture film that was part of the presentation made by the City of Culture team at Hull Truck on thursday afternoon. Hull 2017:The Seasons
Governments do come and go and I’m really not a fan of politics but it is nice and extremely positive however that for a while a light will be shining in, on and from Hull and the towns and cities of the M62 corridor. It is no accident that Darren Henley’s inaugural speech was made at the Ferens Art Gallery which will be refurbished for the 2017 Turner prize in Hull City of Culture 2017. Interestingly Darren Henley’s speech included the words “Imagine a corridor of culturally driven regeneration all along the M62, linking Hull with Liverpool, and taking in Manchester and Leeds. I call it ‘The M62 Corridor of Culture’.” Which to my mind signals some strategic funding commitments from the Arts Council to Hull, Yorkshire, Lancashire and Merseyside.
Quentin Budworth 