Date: 30/06/06
Source: Yorkshire Evening Post
Author: Stuart Robinson
THE final piece in Wakefield’s £26m art gallery jigsaw has been put in place after a £5m lottery boost.
The Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded the funding to The Hepworth Wakefield gallery and work on the project can now start in August, with the opening planned for October 2008.
Peter Box, leader of Wakefield Council, said: "This is marvellous news for the city and great news for the arts.
"The Hepworth Wakefield will be a building of national and international significance and will put the city on the cultural map of Britain."
The announcement comes just weeks after a charitable trust was launched to oversee the development of the gallery and generate further funding.
SignificantThe building, designed by renowned architect David Chipperfield, will feature Wakefield Art Gallery's outstanding collection of works by Barbara Hepworth and other major 20th-century British artists including Anthony Caro, Ben Nicholson, LS Lowry and Wakefield-born Henry Moore.
John Foster, the council’s chief executive, said: "This award represents significant support for the vision the council has to transform the Waterfront and the rest of the Wakefield District. This project takes our rich heritage and culture and puts it in a modern context. It is further evidence that Wakefield really is improving."
The gallery will feature a unique collection of 30 original plasters used by Barbara Hepworth when casting her bronze sculptures. The casts were donated by the Barbara Hepworth Family Trust.
The building will also feature a public garden and a footbridge across the River Calder linking the gallery and the waterfront to Wakefield city centre.
Wakefield Council has secured funding from The Arts Council as well as the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Other funding will come from the council, Yorkshire Forward and the European Regional Development Fund.
A further £2m is needed to see the whole project through to completion.
