THE ART FUND  and the Crafts Council are delighted to announce that for the second time, the Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester has won an out- standing piece of contemporary craft to add to its permanent collections through nationwide initiative Art Fund Collect. The Whitworth is one of five museums to win a share of £75,000 to buy their selected object thanks to Art Fund Collect, an initiative aimed at championing contemporary craft and increasing its presence in UK collections. Art Fund Collect is run by membership charity the Art Fund and the Crafts Council, the national develop- ment agency for contemporary craft in the UK. Art Fund Collect took place in May during the preview of COL- LECT, the Crafts Council’s inter- national art fair for contempo- rary objects at London’s Saatchi Gallery. Ahead of private buyers, short- listed curators had one hour to go around the fair and pick an object to acquire on behalf of their museum or gallery. Final selections were submitted to an expert panel of judges, who decided which curators should win a share of the £75,000 funding pot to acquire their cho- sen object outright. Jennifer Harris, Deputy Director of the Whitworth, is one of five winners at Art Fund Collect. Jennifer selected Untitled (Long Indigo Hanging), 2009 by Japan-based maker Shihoko Fukumoto for £12,750. Made from hemp and cotton, this large textile piece is striking in its combination of vivid indigo and paler tones. The material itself comes from a traditional kimono, originally used for every day work. Jennifer Harris said: “I am thrilled that the Whitworth has been successful a second time! Art Fund Collect is helping us to build a nationally important collection of art tex- tiles from makers who are signif- icant in an international context.” Stephen Deuchar, Director of the Art Fund, said: “It's a delight to see five winning curators each walking away from Art Fund Collect with an extraordinary new object for their collections. Art Fund Collect is a smart and swift way of boosting public collections with the best of international contemporary craft. It’s also frankly fun - offering curators from across the country a chance to mingle, exchange ideas and soak up the atmosphere of the fair, alongside the excite- ment of the competition itself.” Rosy Greenlees, Executive Director of the Crafts Council, said: “Once again, Art Fund Collect enables museums and galleries to acquire ambitious, bold and innovative contempo- rary craft. Making it possible for people to see contemporary craft in public collections is at the centre of the Crafts Council’s vision and Art Fund Collect is a key way that we make this hap- pen. My congratulations to the Whitworth on their second time win.” In 2008, the Whitworth walked away from Art Fund Collect with Shadow of the Wall, Gaza, a hanging textile piece by Scottish- born maker Norma Starszakowna. The work represents the wall of a building in Gaza and was cre- ated with digital print, screen print & stencil print with various media on silk. The other four winners of Art Fund Collect 2010 are: Aberdeen Art Gallery; the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford; the Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery, Exeter and the Shipley Art Gallery, Gateshead. Now in its third year, Art Fund Collect was set up by the Art Fund and the Crafts Council in 2008 as a way of championing contemporary craft. Since win- ners are able to acquire their chosen objects on the spot, Art Fund Collect has proven to be an effective way of boosting public collections with international contemporary craft. Over the past three years, Art Fund Collect has made £200,000 available for contemporary craft acquisitions for public collections. The Art Fund Collect judging panel comprises Art Fund Director Stephen Deuchar, Ex Chairman of the Crafts Council and the Art Fund Sir Nicholas Goodison, Executive Director of the Crafts Council Rosy Greenlees, Art Fund Trustee Jonathan Marsden and renowned ceramic artist Edmund de Waal. A total of eleven museums and galleries were short-listed to take part in Art Fund Collect this year, out of a total of 21 appli- cations from across the UK. Last year, 23 institutions applied, ten were short-listed and five won a significant object to add to their public collections. Whitworth Art Gallery Scoops Shares of £75,000 Art Fund Collect Funding Pot for Second Time 8 THE  ART OBSERVER July 2010 Jennifer Harris, Deputy Director, with Untitled (Long Indigo Hanging), 2009 by Fukumoto (£12,750) Photo by Mark Crick