Teesside University’s work to promote the arts has brought prestigious recognition with a nomination in the Times Higher Education Awards 2017.
The University has been shortlisted in the Excellence and Innovation in the Arts category of the prestigious national awards, known as the ‘Oscars’ of higher education.
The award aims to recognise the pioneering work taking place in universities across the country to promote the arts. Teesside University has been recognised for its work with Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art (mima).
Since becoming part of Teesside University in 2014, mima has forged an international reputation for its pioneering work at the forefront of new thinking.
Having been named North East Museum of the Year in in The Journal Culture Awards 2017, mima was shortlisted for the Freelands Foundation Award 2017 and won the Contemporary Art Society Collections Fund Award at Frieze 2016.
Initially established by Middlesbrough Council a decade ago as an art gallery visitor attraction, mima has surpassed this role to provide a holistic programme of arts, education and social activism. It has become known as a ‘Useful Museum’, using art as a tool for social change, gaining a worldwide reputation for its user based approach. It is the UK headquarters for the international Arte Útil (Useful Art) movement and there is also global collaboration through the development of an international School of Useful Art.
Recent popular mima projects have included the ‘Localism’ exhibition, which crowd sourced a history of art in the town, along with the award winning exhibition ‘If All Relations Were To Reach Equilibrium Then This Building Would Dissolve’, which included a resource provision for learning and debate and free resources for refugees and asylum seekers, along with the Community Lunch held weekly on Thursdays.
All departments across the University work with mima on innovate learning and research programmes, bringing students’ work into the public domain. mima also provides focus for the new Teesside University Ministry of Building, Innovation and Education (MOBIE), in partnership with Tees Valley Combined Authority and led by television architect George Clarke to develop housing models for the future.
Professor Mark Simpson, Teesside University Pro Vice-Chancellor (Learning and Teaching), said: “We are delighted to have been shortlisted for this prestigious award which recognises our work with mima, which strives to promote art as a tool for education and social change.
“Working with mima builds the University’s international reputation further, while showcasing the work of our students from many disciplines.”
The winners of the 13th annual Times Higher Education Awards will be announced in London on Thursday 30 November.