LONDON, July 8 (Xinhua) -- A museum in the western most part of England was named as Museum of the Year in one of Britain's most prestigious cultural prizes.
The Art Fund announced Tate St Ives as its 2018 winner at an event at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, with the Cornish gallery receiving a prize worth more than 132,000 U.S. dollars.
The winner was chosen from five finalists which also included Brooklands Museum (Weybridge), Ferens Art Gallery (Hull), Glasgow Women's Library and the Postal Museum (London).
Stephen Deuchar, chair of the judges, said: "Tate St Ives tells the story of the artists who have lived and worked in Cornwall in an international context."
"The new extension to the gallery is deeply intelligent and breathtakingly beautiful, providing the perfect stage for a curatorial program that is at once adventurous, inclusive and provocative. The judges admired an architect and gallery team who devoted some 12 years to this transformational change, consulting with the local community all the way."
Judge Melanie Manchot said: "As soon as I walked into Tate St Ives, I had an amazingly strong feeling that they're doing something innovative. I've visited before, but now the whole building, the galleries, the views all feel different -- they have been given a new lease of life."
The Art Fund Museum of the Year recognizes museums that have undertaken transformative projects, brought their collections to life for audiences in exceptional ways and delivered innovative programs of audience development.
