Freelands Foundation Names Three UK Arts Organisations for New £100,000 Education Award

The Freelands Foundation, established by Elisabeth Murdoch, has revealed the recipients of its inaugural Freelands Award, which grants £100,000 each year to three arts organizations in the UK over a five-year span, amounting to £1.5 million. Initiated in January, the award focuses on improving educational initiatives within the arts sector. This year's honorees include Wolverhampton Art Gallery for its career development projects, The Burton in Bideford for its outreach initiative, Burton Futures, and Signal in Barrow-in-Furness for the Artist Development Lab. Chaired by Henry Ward, the judging panel featured Ben Street, Joy Gregory, Gemma Cairney, and Jenni Lomax. The award succeeds a former prize for mid-career female artists and responds to demands for greater investment in arts education in UK schools. The foundation also backs Art UK's 'The Superpower of Looking' program.