Articulation Alumni Network
Our growing network for over 450 former Articulation Prize participants
About
The network creates and finds opportunities for Articulation Alumni, such as work experience in arts organisations, the chance to present their talks at conferences, or develop their presentations into written articles.
Since officially launching in 2016, there are now 450 former Articulation Prize participants in the Alumni network.
The network continues to grow, with more and more institutions calling on Alumni to engage audiences at their exhibitions and special events and within the digital world.
See what some of our Alumni have been up to:
At the National Gallery
Articulation Alumni have already taken part in diverse programmes around the National Gallery including nine alumni presenting at Friday Lates. Alumni have also done Picture of the Month, Talk & Draw and filmed Members' content.
Alumna Rosy Akalawu‐Ellman (2020, Whitworth) spoke on 'The Art of the Uniform' at the Association for Art History's conference, 'Ways of Seeing', held at the National Gallery.
Below, you can also watch Rosy talking to the audience at the 2023 Grand Final about her Articulation experience:
Image: Rosy Akalawu‐Ellman with Greg Perry, CEO at the Association for Art History and Trevor Horsewood, Head of Engagement at the Association for Art History
This is a YouTube video player. Below the video are the title, view time and description. Below that is a carousel of video thumbnails. Clicking a thumbnail will load and play that video.
Responses to 'Sin'
Some of our Alumni attended the 'Sin' exhibition (2020) at the National Gallery. You can read some of their responses to one of the works in the exhibition, Ron Mueck's 'Youth':
Image: Detail from Ron Mueck, 'Youth', 2009/11. Copyright Ron Mueck, courtesy Ron Mueck and Thaddaeus Ropac, London
Image: Detail from Ron Mueck, 'Youth', 2009/11. Copyright Ron Mueck, courtesy Ron Mueck and Thaddaeus Ropac, London
Katie Spurgin - Articulation Alumna (2020)
To me, the most powerful message of Ron Mueck’s 'Youth' lies in the way in which the figure lifts his shirt. It is as if he is lifting the curtain on the failings of society, revealing the hardship that may experience as a result of the fundamental issues of racism, gang crime and violence. This is further emphasised by Mueck’s use of hyperrealism in that we, as the viewers, have no choice but to recognise his suffering as reality. The piece humanises victims of violence more than is often the case in the media, where many become statistics, losing their identity entirely. It is a powerful statement
Elia Yousf - Articulation Alumnus (2020)
I found the piece quite confusing due to its glaringly lifelike attributes, yet, as I looked at it further, I saw another museum-goer like myself, standing there with a clear sadness in their eyes. Initially, I wasn’t entirely sure what I was looking at and thus consulted my younger sister. Coming from a religious household, she drew parallels between the young man’s stab wound and that of Jesus Christ. It is quite unnerving to see someone, who is roughly the same age as you, suffer from a stab wound. He is surprisingly numb and he remains standing rather than crawling in agony on the floor. This created a level of reverence, yet it still begged the question: who is he?
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One painting, many voices
Alumnus Elliot Brown (2019, Bishop Vesey’s) contributed to the Gallery's ‘One painting, Many Voices’ video series.
He gave his reflections on Holbein's 'The Ambassadors':
This is a YouTube video player. Below the video are the title, view time and description. Below that is a carousel of video thumbnails. Clicking a thumbnail will load and play that video.
Art Friends of Cambridgeshire
Alumna Temi Erinle (2020, V&A) spoke on Exekias’s 'Attic Black figure Amphora, 540‐530 BC', which was followed by Craig Clunas, Professor Emeritus of the History of Art, University of Oxford who spoke on 'Doubts about Modern Art in China: A Tale of Two Xu'.
All the proceeds from the event were donated to Articulation.
Image: Craig Clunas (left) speaking with Temi Erinle (right)
Alumni supporting young voices
Alumnus Manav Ponnekanti (2020, MK Gallery) has taken on the position of Articulation Ambassador as part of the Start Talking project in Buckinghamshire.
Alumna Tess Bottomley (2020, the Whitworth), now at Cambridge, spoke to Discovery Day students at Clare College about her Articulation experience.
Image: Manav Ponnekanti talking to students
Young voices with HENI Talks
Watch six Alumni share their thoughts and opinions on modern and contemporary sculpture.
This was part of our collaboration with HENI Talks in the new Young Voices online series, which is being showcased alongside the country’s top scholars and art critics.
The Whitechapel Gallery
The Whitechapel Gallery have awarded all speakers who took part in the Articulation Prize 2020 at the Whitechapel Gallery a Gallery Membership for one year. Congratulations!
International - Singapore
Alumnus Oliver Garland (2019, Grand Finalist) joined an international group to talk about his experience in the Articulation Prize and Alumni network, most significantly his responses to the 'Sin' exhibition and his film for HENI Talks on Peter Randall-Page.
Alumni stories
Read what some of our Alumni had to say about their experience of the Articulation Prize:
Zach Taylor - Grand Final winner 2019
"I’ve gained so much confidence over the whole process in who I am and how I express myself. In seeking to understand these artists and their work, I have also found myself to be passionate about articulating what underlies our common humanity. The competition has been formative in shaping my outlook and hopes for the future. I’m thrilled to have secured work experience placement at the National Galleries of Scotland this summer and will be applying to study History of Art at university."
Cassius Ashcroft - London Finalist 2020
"As an A‐Level student studying both Fine Art and History of Art, Articulation has allowed me to apply my pre‐existing knowledge of the disciplines while developing it further, intricately weaving together the importance of the creative practice of making art with the cultural context in which the work is embedded. Finally, while increasing my confidence in public speaking, the Prize has enabled me to make friends and connections from across the length and breadth of the country that I fully intend to keep in contact with."
Oliver Garland - Grand Finalist, 2019
"Thanks to Articulation, I found myself with a newfound confidence and ability to communicate. Suddenly I could share my thoughts, my interpretations, and do so publicly in front of a vast audience of people with ease. It opened up a world for me that I never thought I could be a part of; I am now more curious, more open‐minded, and much more willing to engage with others about art, enriching both my own understandings and theirs. I feel now that I owe so much to the Articulation team; new friendships, new outlooks on life, and most importantly for them giving me a voice, and allowing me to speak."
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