DASH, which supports and commissions the work of disabled artists, has won the 2021 Ampersand Foundation Award it was announced today.
“To be awarded the Ampersand award for this surreal intervention will not only have a massive impact on Disability arts but will show that the visual arts institutions are now open and willing to change.”
Mike Layward, DASH’s Artistic Director said:
DASH has a long history of producing provocative interventions that continue the legacy of Dada, Absurdism and Surrealism into the 21st century. DASH’s Ampersand Award project, created in the spirit and essence of Dada, will involve 47 established and younger generation disabled artists.
“What we want to achieve with this award is to enable curators and directors working in an extremely tough funding environment to realise a project that they always have dreamt of doing but have been unable to do so far due to funding pressure. We hope DASH’s winning project will be realised in a post-pandemic world and will help with the re-vitalisation of the sector.”
Flor Souto, CEO of the Ampersand Foundation
The Award is open to the 48 members of the Plus Tate network. It aims to enable the winning institution to realise its dream project in the form of an exhibition, new commission, public space intervention or any other kind of project. There are no restrictions on the subject or format of the proposal except that it must be delivered by a curator, director or a team of curators working within the institution. The winner is awarded £125,000 to realise their proposal, and an additional £25,000 to produce a related publication. The remaining shortlisted institutions each receive £5,000.
The 5 shortlisted institutions for the 2021 edition of the Award were:
De La Warr Pavillion, Bexhill-on-Sea, Turner Contemporary, Margate, DASH, Shrewsbury (winner), Focal Point Gallery, Southend-on-Sea, MK Gallery, Milton Keynes.
The winner was selected by a judging panel composed of the following five members:
Jack Kirkland, Chairman, The Ampersand Foundation, Amalia Pica, Artist, Victoria Siddall, Trustee, The Ampersand Foundation, Alastair Sooke, Trustee, The Ampersand Foundation and Jonathan Watkins, Director, Ikon Gallery (and winner of the TAF Award inaugural edition)
The Ampersand Foundation
The Ampersand Foundation was founded in 2011 by businessman, collector, and philanthropist Jack Kirkland to support the visual arts. The Foundation supports high-quality exhibitions and projects, provided they are free to the public at least one day per week. It also supports public collection expansion. The Foundation is focused mainly on supporting institutions and projects within the UK. theampersandfoundation.com
About DASH
DASH is a Disabled led visual arts charity. It creates opportunities for Disabled artists to develop their creative practice. These opportunities take many forms, from high-quality commissions to community-based workshops, the work it creates is centred around its vision and mission.
With a history of work including visual arts, dance, theatre, live arts and festivals in Shropshire since the mid 1990’s, DASH became a limited company and registered charity in 2001 and in 2004 secured revenue funding from Arts Council England. In 2009 DASH took the decision to specialise its work in visual arts, while expanding its geographical boundaries.
During the last ten years DASH has undertaken truly ground-breaking work – projects that have challenged perceptions, fostered and mentored new Deaf and Disabled artists, encouraged professional development and helped to engineer change in the sector.
