Best of the West Awards 2010
Renaissance West Midlands' annual awards ceremony for museums and galleries in the region seeks to reward excellence and highlight best practice across the sector. It is a chance to raise the profile of West Midlands museums and galleries with the opportunity to develop networks, enhance existing partnerships, and congratulate successes.
A souvenir booklet celebrating Best of the West 2010 is available below.
Best of West 2010 Winners (PDF 1.7MB)
Just before Christmas 2009, nominations were submitted for 11 award categories from those that wished for their organisation, exhibition or colleague to be recognised at a regional level as Best of the West. We received nearly 80 nominations, the largest submission so far!
Shorlisted nominees and winners of each category were determined by an independent judging panel, consisting of:
- Hedley Swain, Director of Programme Delivery for MLA
- Lindsey Wyke, Cultural Partnership Manager for Advantage West Midlands
- Ian Danby, Head of Visual Arts for Arts Council England (WM Office)
The venue for this year was the Barber Institute for Fine Arts, considered ‘one of the finest small galleries in Europe’. The event took place on Friday 26 February 2010 and was presented by Nina Nannar, journalist and broadcaster. After a successful production last year, Herbert Media were once again asked to work on this years awards.
The team were delighted that Advantage West Midlands (AWM) continued with their sponsorship of the Awards. Nigel Russell, Head of Tourism & Culture for AWM, spoke about the importance of tourism and culture in our region.
165 guests attended including the Lord Mayor & Lady Mayoress of Birmingham; Lord Mayor & Lady Mayoress of Stoke on Trent; Deputy Mayor of Wolverhampton; Hedley Swain, Director of Programme Delivery MLA; Hugh Carslake, Chair of Henry Barber Trust; and staff and volunteers from museums and galleries across the West Midlands. The Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Michael Wilkes, presented the bespoke ‘Best of the West’ award to Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust.
The Renaissance West Midlands team would like to thank all who took the time to submit nominations and also to those who attended and assisted on the evening making the event so special. See below for the programme with information for all shortlisted nominees, the Best of the West Winners and also images from the evening.
Best of the West Programme (PDF 6.5MB)
Images from the event are available here with backstage images here.
If you require any further information please contact Paulette Francis-Green on +44 (0) 121 464 3886 or paulette.francis-green@birmingham.gov.uk.