Museum calls on Midlanders to vote

The Wedgwood Museum, an independent museum in Stoke on Trent, is calling upon Midlands people to support them in an on-line vote which could help the museum win the arts world’s equivalent of The X-Factor, and provide a significant boost to tourism in the region.

The Wedgwood Museum at Barlaston, near Stoke on Trent, has already beaten off competition from a host of other galleries and museums throughout the UK to get to the final four in The Art Fund Prize for museums and galleries 2009, one of the most respected competitions in the world of galleries. The winner will be announced on 18 June and secure a £100,000 prize.

“This is one of the most prized awards in the arts world, receiving national and international attention. Even getting down to the final shortlist is a huge achievement for the museum, especially as we only opened last October, but winning would be fantastic for both us and the wider community; previous award winners have seen a surge in visitors, giving a much needed boost to the local economy,” says Gaye Blake Roberts, director of the charitable Wedgwood Museum Trust.

“The final decision will be made by a panel of seven judges, but the public can help by joining the on-line vote – whoever wins the public choice will automatically receive a bonus vote – effectively securing 14% of the vote, which could easily swing the decision.”

Prospects are looking good for the Wedgwood Museum, which, as of 27 May, has 46%* of the vote, but Gaye remains cautious: “We can’t afford to think that this is already in the bag, as there are still almost four weeks of voting remaining, so anything really could happen, but if we continue to get the support from people throughout the region, there is a strong possibility that we could win the public vote, and hopefully the final prize, too!”

Winning the award would be a huge achievement for the Wedgwood Museum Trust, which worked tirelessly for nearly 10 years raising funds to build a museum to house some of the vast collection of Wedgwood editions, as well as an extensive archive of social history documents, from copies of birth certificates to details of employees who have worked for the Wedgwood company over the last 250 years!

The public can vote – and monitor the current voting status – by visiting artfundprize.org.uk. Voting closes on 11 June.

The Wedgwood Museum is open daily from 10.00am to 5.00pm (from 9.00am on weekdays). Admission is £6.00 for adults, £5.00 for concessions or £4.50 for children (under fives go free). For more information, visit wedgwoodmuseum.org.uk.

* Please note, the votes are counted and updated every 60 seconds, so the figures are constantly changing. For the most up-to-date total, visit artfundprize.org.uk.