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The Helen Keller International Award

 
7th Helen keller International Award Catalogue front cover

7th Helen Keller International Award

Our 7th Helen Keller International Award exhibited at the Collin's Gallery, Glasgow from the 13th January - 10th February 2007.

Dr Helen Keller, the deafblind woman known worldwide for her inspirational life and work, visited Scotland in 1933 to accept an honorary degree from the University of Glasgow. On this visit, she established a trust fund to be applied in the interests of deafblind people.

Sense Scotland became the trustees of this fund in 1989, transforming it from an annual essay competition, into the Helen Keller International Award, a cross-art form competition open to professional and non-professional artists. Now co-ordinated biannually, the award attracts entries from across the globe. The brief of the Award is to produce art that challenges perceptions of deafblindness and the work is judged as anonymous creating equal opportunity for professionals, non-professionals, deafblind and disabled people as well as mainstream artists. A shortlist was launched at the opening of the exhibition, but the identities of the winners was undisclosed until the Awards ceremony towards the end of the exhibtion.

Click here for a list of all the winners and commended entries

The Helen Keller International Award online gallery is available to view all shortlisted entries. Click here to go to the Gallery.

Prizes

There are four prizes:

  • The competition winner received a trophy and cheque for £1500.
  • Two runners up will each received a certificate and cheque for £200.
  • Further commendations were made at the discretion of the judges.

The winning entry from the Under 16's category received a certificate and cheque for £100.

For this round of the award, over 280 entries have been received from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Holland, India, Kenya, New Zealand, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, United States and across the United Kingdom. Due to the volume of responses and with the addition of a new category for Under 16's, our judging process has included the creation of a long-list of works to be exhibited at the Collins Gallery, as selected by the panel of independent judges. Only exhibited works will be considered for short-listing for the award and will be presented within this catalogue, but all work submitted will be accessible via the Sense Scotland website. Sense Scotland would like to thank every artist who has contributed to this competition and to the exhibition.

Event Details

Venue:
Collins Gallery, University of Strathclyde, 22 Richmond Street, Glasgow G1 1XQ
Dates:
13 January - 10 February 2007
Gallery telephone:
0141 548 2558
Opening hours:
Mon-Fri 10am-5pm
Sat 12noon-4pm
Sundays-Closed
Further Information:
Free entry.
Wheelchair entry on Richmond Street.
NCP car park off Montrose Street.

Acknowledgements

All staff and service users who have participated and contributed to the success of the Award.

Collins Gallery

Thanks to Laura Hamilton and staff at the Collins Gallery, University of Strathclyde.

Catalogue

Andrew Crossan for photography and design.

Judging

Sense Scotland would like to thank our esteemed judges for their contribution to the success of the International Helen Keller Awards. For the 7th Helen Keller International Awards, the participating judges are:

  • Pauline McLean - BBC Arts correspondent
  • Matthew Dalziel - Artist, University of Dundee
  • Mark O'Neill - Head of Museums and Galleries, Glasgow City Council
  • Francis McKee - Curator, Glasgow International
  • Monica Callaghan - Head of Education, Hunterian Art Gallery
  • Hugh Murdoch - Artist, The Farm House

Judging is carried out by an independent panel and the identity of the artist is undisclosed until judging is complete.

Helen Keller Award history

  • 2005: The winner was Welsh artist Matthew Humphreys, whose film 'The Lost Reels' was a moving piece about his father who was deaf and then became blind. This award received over 220 entries from 9 countries and exhibited in the Collins Gallery.
  • 2002: The winning entry came from Gill Horn for her piece titled 'I don't know' which comprised of a series of heads with veils, glasses and headphones offering a very direct look at deafblindness, with some subtle touches such as hand written braille round the veils. Over 180 artists entered and exhibited in the Kelvingrove Gallery.
  • 2000: The winning entry came from Joseph Fenton for an acrylic painting. Peter Howson donated a pastel drawing, the auction of which raised £1,300 for Sense's Arts Development Programme. Around 90 entries were received and the exhibition was held in Kelvingrove Art Gallery.
  • 1998: The winning entry came from the Sense West Sculpture Group who produced a collaborative work made by six deafblind artists based in Birmingham. Around 80 entries were received and the exhibition was held in the Mackintosh Room at the Glasgow School of Art. The award was presented by Princess Anne.
  • 1995: Lewis Scott, an artist who is supported by Sense Scotland, won with a painting which was bought by Glasgow City Council.
  • 1992: This was the first Sense Scotland, Helen Keller Award. Paul Somerville, then aged 9, won the first award with a painting titled 'Me'. Around 60 works were received.

Purchasing Art

Many of the artworks submitted for exhibition are for sale. The artist will receive 60% of the sale price, with the remaining 40% going to further the work of Sense Scotland. For further details contact:

Arts and Wellbeing
Sense Scotland
43 Middlesex Street
Kinning Park
Glasgow G41 1EE

Tel:     +44 (0)141 429 0294
Fax:    +44 (0)141 429 0295
Text:   +44 (0)141 418 7170