27 May 2010
MMU-curated exhibition receives top tourism award
Voted ‘Experience of the Year’
Angels of Anarchy, the Manchester Art Gallery exhibition curated by MMU’s Dr Patricia Allmer, was announced ‘Tourism Experience of the Year’ at a lavish awards ceremony last night.
Patricia won the accolade at the Manchester Tourism Awards, organised by Marketing Manchester - the agency charged with promoting Manchester on a national and international stage - and supported by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA).
High profile exhibition
Patricia, a Research Fellow in Art History at MIRIAD and specialist in European Surrealism, secured over 140 works of art by 32 female artists from across the globe for Angels of Anarchy. Running from September 2009 to January 2010 it was the first major exhibition of 20th Century female Surrealist artists in Europe.
Judges discribed the exhibition as “extremely successful” and responsible for “attracting a large number of national and international visitors” to Manchester Art Gallery. They also cited that the “successful delivery of this exhibition has shown the gallery is well placed to deliver future high profile exhibitions”.
Patricia comments: “Receiving an award like this makes all the months of hard work preparing for the exhibition worth it. It’s the icing on the cake! Angels of Anarchy’s success was the result of a fantastic collaboration between MIRIAD and the Manchester Art Gallery and I’m so pleased it attracted such fantastic attention, particulalry in the current economic climate.”
Top visitor destination
Nick Brooks-Sykes, Director of Tourism at NWDA, said: “Manchester is a successful visitor destination, not only nationally, but on a global scale, thanks in part to those individuals and organisations that have been recognised at this year’s Manchester Tourism Awards.”
Other Tourism Awards included prizes for sustainable tourism, visitor attractions and events in the region, with Chill Factore, Radisson Edwardian Hotel, Heaton Park, the Christmas Markets and Manchester International Festival amongst the winners.
The ceremony, attended by the region’s most influential tourism representatives, took place at the Hilton Hotel on Deansgate and was hosted by actor and MMU alum John Thomson.
