Art supports art at York Minster

Art Week, 27 May to 2 June 2013

Grand Art Show and Auction, 7 June 2013

Beautiful contemporary pieces of art will support the restoration of some of York Minster’s medieval stained glass later this month, when the gothic cathedral will host a fortnight long art exhibition (27 May to 7 June 2013), followed by the unique opportunity to purchase all of the pieces on display in a Grand Art Auction, taking place on 7 June 2013.

Art Week, which runs from Monday 27 May to Sunday 2 June, will showcase a wide range of paintings by 21 local artists which have all been donated to help raise money for the York Minster Fund.  The works have been given by amateur and professional artists, including some members of the York Minster staff and worshippers.  There is also a number of limited edition prints which form part of a group of rare architectural drawings recently discovered in the Stoneyard Archives.  In total, 50 paintings will be displayed in the North Transept, to be enjoyed by visitors throughout the week.

“The York Minster Fund was established to raise funds to save the Central Tower from collapse in 1967; its work today contributes to many different aspects of maintenance and conservation on the Minster, including the York Minster Revealed project, for which we will need to have raised £9.5million by completion,” comments Richard Shepard, Chamberlain of York Minster.  “A significant portion of the York Minster Revealed project is the conservation of the Great East Window, a world-renowned piece of medieval art, so it is wonderfully fitting that these donated paintings will help support this landmark work and we are hugely grateful to the artists for their support.”

The Grand Art Auction starts at 7.30pm with an opportunity to look at the paintings one last time.  Tickets cost £5.00 and are available from York Minster Box Office and the welcome desks in York Minster, or online at www.yorkminster.org or by telephone on 0844 9390015.

Families inspired by all the art on show, and the Minster’s glorious interior, will have the chance to create their own masterpieces at a Family Art Day on Saturday 1 June run by Jake Attree, one of the professional artists involved with the Grand Art Auction.  The fun-filled workshop will be based on the King’s Screen and culminate with participants making their own life-sized king!  The workshops will take place at 10am-12 noon and 1pm-3pm and are suitable for ages seven and over.  The cost is £5 which includes all materials.  Normal admission charges apply.

Visitors enjoying York Minster’s Art Week will also be amongst the first to experience Revealing York Minster, the new visitor attraction within the Undercroft, which opens on Saturday 25 May.  The new attraction – the largest within a cathedral in the country – takes visitors on an immersive journey through 2000 years of the history of the site, from the Romans to the present day.

For more information on any events at York Minster, please visit www.yorkminster.org

ENDS

Notes to Editors

Children from four York Primary Schools will also be exhibiting artwork at the Minster, from 20 May to 2 June.  ‘North, South, East, West’ is the culmination of work Tang Hall Primary, Derwent Infant and Juniors, Clifton Green Primary and Haxby Road Primary undertook with York Minster Revealed’s Community Engagement Project ‘Minster on the Move’.  Each school used the stained glass windows in the north, south, east or west of the Minster to show their interpretation of the building.  There will be a private preview event for the schools involved on the evening of 20May.

About York Minster Revealed

The York Minster Revealed project is a five-year project scheduled for completion in early summer 2016. It is the largest restoration and conservation project of its kind in the UK. The cost of the whole York Minster Revealed Project is £20 million, of which £10.5m has been generously supported with a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). The remainder of the fund has been raised by York Minster.

State-of-the-art multi-media galleries, new displays of historic collections and interactive interpretations will create new learning opportunities for all ages. Also improved access to the South Transept, Undercroft, Treasury and Crypt will totally transform the experience of visiting York Minster.

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