Merseyside Civic Society (MCS) is delighted to announce recent winners of two awards. The Awards take the form of a framed certificate designed by Trevor Skempton, who recently stepped down as a long-standing member of the MCS Council at our AGM and was thanked for this and his many other contributions. Each award was presented to the winner in separate events during November.
Felicity Wren Award for Public Art
The Felicity Wren Award for Public Art is part of Merseyside Civic Design Awards and is a new award from MCS, organised by our Vice Chair, Andrew Jackson. It is named in memory of Felicity Wren (1948-2019) and assesses recent public artworks in Liverpool city centre, where Felicity lived and where she ran her popular Domino Gallery for many years. Felicity was also an active member of the MCS Council, where she worked with Andrew to deliver a forerunner to the Merseyside Civic Design Awards over a decade ago. For the 2024 Felicity Wren Award, artworks created within the last five years were assessed.
The awards were judged, and then presented at the MCS AGM in November by Bryan Biggs, Director of Cultural Legacies at the Bluecoat. Commenting on the judging process, Bryan said:
‘Walking the city centre provided a rewarding opportunity to see recent public artworks in situ. Our route was also a reminder of how much Liverpool’s urban fabric is changing. Murals in particular, often temporary and subject to the elements, reflect this transience; visual manifestations of a city in flux, as old buildings decay and are demolished while new developments take their place.
All the murals and sculptures we assessed are, in their different ways, enlivening the built environment. Much inventive use is made of enormous gable ends – the bold, colourful images of these paintings providing unusual juxtapositions with both their host buildings and their surroundings. It was perhaps the surprise of encountering the works that contributed to their appeal; bumping into a larger-than-life bronze Brian Epstein on Whitechapel, or turning a corner to discover a lively abstract composition animating an otherwise bland brick wall on the edge of Liverpool ONE.
The variety of techniques used, the context of their siting and the overall quality of the artworks made selecting the winners very difficult. However, after much deliberation we decided upon two deserving winners.’
Best New Mural – ‘Katarina Johnson-Thompson’ by Paul Curtis
Paul Curtis’ work here is a great example of mural art as civic celebration in its dramatic depiction of Katarina Johnson-Thompson. The image captures both the determination of the locally born athlete and local pride in her continuing success, which went on to include the 2024 Paris Olympics. Inspirational and aspirational words along the tops of receding hurdles add to the sense of ‘powering positivity’ emblazoned on her vest. The largest mural in Liverpool city centre, it has real impact.
Best New Mural: ‘Katarina Johnson-Thompson’ by Paul Curtis
Best New Sculpture – ‘The Runner’ by Faith Bebbington
Faith Bebbington’s installation of figures high up along one of the roofs of the Hilton hotel is both a visual delight and completely unexpected. From the ground it’s barely visible, but climbing the winding pathways of Chavasse Park it gradually reveals itself – a subtle triumph of form animating site. Quite unintentionally, both winners share a running theme!
Best New Sculpture: ‘The Runner’ by Faith Bebbington
Bryan Biggs with Laura McCann (representing Paul Curtis) and Faith Bebbington – winners of Felicity Wren award
Rita Cheesman Award for Heritage Interpretation
Rita was born in Granby Street, Liverpool and loved the city, its character and its history. She was a pioneering MerseyGuide, and later a Blue Badge Guide from 1984. In this way she did much to interpret the heritage of
Liverpool and the wider City Region for residents and visitors alike. Rita Cheesman died in the Autumn of 2012 and the collection made in memory of Rita at her funeral was kindly donated to the Merseyside Civic Society in her memory by her family. The Society decided to use this unexpected fund to establish an award to support and promote heritage interpretation. This was a topic which we felt deserved more recognition and attention, and, also to celebrate and to promote a better record of achievement across the city region.
Rita Cheesman Award for Heritage Interpretation 2024: “Tree Story”.
Award organiser, David Massey said:
“In selecting Tree Story: A History of the Liverpool City Region Through its Trees” Merseyside Civic Society recognises a project which takes an innovative step into the digital world, engages with individuals, families, schools and communities and reaches out to the whole Liverpool City Region. The TreeStory.me website, with its helpful guidance and easy to use means of submitting written and spoken personal and group stories of particular trees together with the use of digital photography is for us a new and welcome way of broadening the creation and interpretation of heritage in different ways. Inspired by the city region’s diverse heritage of trees, we applaud the way in which TreeStory.me reaches out to new audiences.
MCS also recognises not only the innovative character of the project, but also the creative enterprise, inter-agency cooperation and personal contributions which have come together to make TreeStory.me an exemplar MCS is pleased to recognise and commend. That recognition goes to the three project partners: Dot-art, Open Eye Gallery and The Mersey Forest, each of which was presented with their award certificate at separate events during November.”
Rita Cheesman Award: dot-art certificate being received by Lucy Byrne from MCS Chairman, John Belchem
Rita Cheesman Award :The Open Eye Gallery Certificate being received by Maria Gulina from MCS Vice President, Roger Phillips:
Rita Cheesman Award: The Mersey Forest Certificate being received by Paul Nolan from MCS Vice president, Peter Brown