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BE
PART OF CAPITAL OF CULTURE
THE final deadline for artists to
enter the prestigious John Moores Contemporary Painting Prize is
just over two weeks away. Artists must enter by 15 February 2008 to
stand a chance of winning the first prize of £25,000.
This year’s competition promises to be
more exciting than ever with conceptual artists Jake and Dinos
Chapman on the jury. The Chapman brothers, who work almost
exclusively together, came to prominence during the 1990s as part of
the generation of so-called YBAs or Young British Artists.
Other judges for the competition are art critic Sacha Craddock and
artists Paul Morrison and Graham Crowley, both former John Moores
prize-winners. The judging will take place throughout 2008 and will
result in an exhibition at the Walker Art Gallery from 20 September
2008 to 4 January 2009, forming a central part of the Liverpool
Biennial.
The John Moores Contemporary Painting Prize is an open submission
competition available to all UK-based artists working with paint.
Previous winners include David Hockney, Peter Doig and Michael
Raedecker. Fifty years on from the first exhibition, the 25th is
taking place during 2008, when Liverpool is the European Capital of
Culture.
Reyahn King, director of art galleries at National Museums
Liverpool, says:- "The John Moores competition offers
contemporary artists not only a £25,000 prize but participation in
the John Moores exhibition. The exhibition at the Walker Art Gallery
is a central strand of the Liverpool Biennial, and will be a
showcase for contemporary artists during Liverpool's time as the
European Capital of Culture in 2008.”
Littlewoods founder Sir John Moores, a keen painter, started the
exhibition in 1957. In the last 50 years nearly 2,000 artists have
exhibited and almost 100 people have sat on the jury, including
singer Jarvis Cocker, writer Germaine Greer and artists Peter Blake
and Tracey Emin. The Moores family remain involved through the
Walker’s partnership with the John Moores Liverpool Exhibition
Trust.
The final deadline for artists to register is 15 February 2008,
registration details can be found
online or from the Walker Art
Gallery. Images must be sent in by 29 February 2008 and winners will
be announced at the opening of the exhibition.
This year artists will be able to submit digital images for the
first time for Stage 1 of judging. Entries have to be original new
or recent paintings within a set size, designed to hang on walls, by
someone who lives, or is professionally-based, in the United
Kingdom. Full conditions are in the call for entries leaflet and on
the website. Judges will see all shortlisted artworks at Stage 2 of
the judging process which will take place in Liverpool.
Did you know?
§ There is a first prize of £25,000
(cash prize) and four further prizes of £2,500 each for runners up.
§ Visitors’ Choice prize of £2008, sponsored by Rathbones.
§ John Moores Contemporary Painting Prize is organised in
partnership with the John Moores Liverpool Exhibition Trust.
§ Supported by A Foundation and official hotel partner, Radisson SAS
Hotel, Liverpool
§ The fifth edition of Liverpool Biennial (20 September 2008 to 20
November 2008) will be even more impressive in scale and ambition
than its predecessors. Liverpool’s cumulative experience of curating
exhibitions by commissioning ambitious and challenging new artworks
by leading international artists for gallery and public spaces
enables it to realise exhibitions of a scale and ambition not to be
found elsewhere in the UK, and has made its Biennial an example to
others worldwide and a magnet to art lovers and professionals. Visit
www.biennial.com.
§ The Walker Art Gallery on William Brown Street, Liverpool is Open
Monday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm and on Sunday from 12 (Noon) to
5pm. Admission is FREE! |
Trust maintaining its position as cleanest hospital in the Northwest
FIGURES released by the Health
Protection Agency on 30 January 2008 have confirmed that Southport &
Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust has maintained its position as the
cleanest hospital in the Northwest and one of the cleanest in the
country.
"Between July 2007 and September 2007 we had fewer cases of MRSA
Bacteraemia than in the previous quarter, a reduction from six cases
to five, and over the whole of the period for which figures have
been reported (since April 2001) we still have the fewest cases of
any non-specialist hospital in the northwest and the fifth fewest in
the country.
We also had the fewest cases of clostridium difficile of any acute
hospital in the Northwest with only 29 cases, which keeps us
comfortably within the top 10 nationally." Matthew King,
Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust told the press.
Geraldine Boocock, Director of Infection Control said:- "These
figures show that we have an underlying ethos of cleanliness within
our hospitals. It is embedded into our culture, rather than just
relying on one-off, knee-jerk initiatives. The figures come less
than two weeks after another independent report stated that good
infection control is an integral part of the way we operate.
Of course, while it is pleasing to see where we stand in the
country, the importance to us is what is happening locally in our
hospitals and that we continue to provide our patients with the
highest standards of cleanliness. Via our intranet, staff can see at
a glance how well we are doing, as the number of days since the last
infection is displayed on the front page. Currently, it is 86 days
since the last case of MRSA Bacteraemia in either hospital.
I believe the fact that we have had consistently low numbers over
this time is testament to the hard work of our staff and the
co-operation of our visitors, and my thanks goes to all for their
efforts."
Letters to the Editor:- "Better breakfasts make for better
brains!"
"DURING my time as a teacher and
school inspector I noticed how much diet and education are linked.
Children living in poverty are the
most affected, having worse health and lower aspirations and
educational achievements.
But something as simple as running a breakfast club, an after school
club or volunteering your time during the day in a school can make
all the difference.
Research shows that providing
children with a decent meal before the start of a school day can
help reduce truancy and improve pupils' academic performance, and
this is something we can all help with.
The Dare to Care: Make time to help end child poverty campaign, is
being run by CSV, the UK's leading volunteering charity and the
Campaign to End Child Poverty, and aims to recruit 35,000
volunteers.
As part of Health Month we are
encouraging people to give their time to help disadvantaged children
by running breakfast clubs, after school clubs or giving their time
to volunteer in primary schools.
To find out more visit
www.daretocare.org.uk or call
FREEPHONE 0800 284533" Professor Gervase Phinn D.Litt,
D.Univ, Author and broadcaster |
