Having given a bursary award for a variety of reasons since it was first introduced in 2002, for the past three years the bursary, worth up to £1,000, has been awarded for drawing.

When the theme for the bursary has come up for discussion by the DE Educational Advisory Board, the vote to continue to support drawing has been unanimous, Board member Tom Coates commenting that "Drawing is the basis of everything; a starting point for all. Whichever way an artist chooses after that is up to them."

The number of submissions has grown hugely over the years, with 200 applicants for the 2007 Bursary - quadruple that in 2005. This not only resulted in a very lengthy judging session, giving each entry due consideration, but also enlivened debate as to "What is drawing?" and as to who should, or should not, be short-listed.

The selection panel for last year's bursary comprised the four members of the Educational Board, Tom Coates, Anita Taylor, James Lloyd, Nicholas Usherwood and me. We each select our preferred artists, moving forward with the artists we have in common and with those each of us feels particularly strongly about, until we have a 'long short-list'. At this point we start to vote, going through as many rounds of voting and debate as necessary, until we have eliminated enough candidates to arrive at the short-list of artists who will be invited to exhibit their work at the annual ING Discerning Eye exhibition. In 2007 we agreed a short-list of five, instead of the usual four; first, because we could not choose between them and secondly, because we had the space and allowing in five outstanding entrants seemed to be appropriate to the spirit of the Discerning Eye.

The short-listing process also allows the selected artists to show more of their work on the walls (or in this case on a computer screen) at the exhibition, which gives the judges a better opportunity to assess the contenders. An hour before the exhibition opened last November, the judges were still walking the gallery encouraging each other to look again and reconsider our views. Eventually, and for a variety of different reasons, we reached consensus and we had a winner, Michael Shaw, for his 'animated drawings'. You can read more about his work on page 5 of this Newsletter.

I recount this process to reiterate how much thought and effort goes into every aspect of the ING Discerning Eye exhibition and how seriously everyone takes their responsibilities. I hope that the opportunities provided by the Bursary continue to encourage artists to apply and that we can continue to celebrate and enjoy drawing in the North Gallery.

 

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