An exhibition at the Ferens Art Gallery has been shortlisted for a Museum and Heritage Award. The global awards celebrate the very best in the world of museums, galleries, and cultural and heritage visitor attractions.
51,623 people visited the Jason Wilsher-Mills: Are We there Yet Exhibition, displayed at the gallery in 2024. Visitors were taken on a colourful journey into the imagination and experiences of disabled artist Jason Wilsher-Mills through theatrical portraits and sculptures reflecting aspects of his personality, memory, and disability.
Jason’s work details his life as a disabled person. He uses iPads and Wacom tablets to create paintings that are transformed into large interactive sculptures, using augmented reality technology to interact with the viewer.
Though the exhibition has now ended, Jason’s work can still be found in the gallery. Huge inflatable sculpture ‘The Withernsea 2’ is currently the first thing visitors can see when they enter. A lasting legacy of the exhibition, the sculpture was inspired by Jason’s childhood memories of holidays in Withernsea and the Roos Carr figures in Hull Museums collection, and was commissioned to become part of the Ferens permanent collection.
Artist Jason Wilsher-Mills said: “Are We there Yet? was such an important show for me, as not only did I work with such a wonderful and supportive team at Ferens, but I was also given a chance to put into practice my manifesto for supporting other up-and-coming disabled artists in Hull, through providing them with professional opportunities. We were able to fund two local disabled artists to create work, in response to my exhibition, for which they were paid.
“This makes me incredibly proud and I would like to take the opportunity in thanking the team at Ferens for all of their care and support, which ultimately made the show such a success.
“I am also incredibly grateful that they believed in my work so much that they purchased it for their collection.”
Esther Hallberg, Access and Inclusion Manager said: “We are so proud that Jason’s exhibition has been shortlisted for this prestigious award, shining a light on the talents and experiences of disabled people. Through this exhibition, we have learnt so much about making our exhibitions and programme accessible that we will apply to our future programmes, improving access for everyone.”
The gallery has been shortlisted in the Temporary or Touring Exhibition of the Year category – for exhibitions with a budget up to £80,000. The award ceremony takes place in London on 15 May.
Ferens Art Gallery is open 10am-4.30pm Monday to Saturday and 11am-4pm on Sunday. Find out more at www.ferensartgallery.co.uk
