The Rouse Kent Public Art Award was born out of a desire to encourage public art in Kent - a goal shared by its sponsors, Kent County Council and Liberty Property Trust UK (formerly Rouse Kent). 2009 is the Award's 15th anniversary.

Founded in 1994, the Award was evaluated by an independent art consultant funded by Arts Council England.  One recommendation for the ‘new-look Award’ was that it should be bi-annual to allow commissioners and their artists more time to complete their works. The Award recognises the best example of public art commissioned and completed in the county. The purpose of the Award is to focus public attention on the benefits of public art and to stimulate the commissioning of new work in Kent. 

Conditions of Entry
To be eligible works must:

• be made for and sited in a public space in Kent (excluding any entry-paying estates or sites).

• be the work of any professional artist(s), with or without a commissioner.

• have been completed within the previous 24 months (1st April 2007 to 31 March 2009).

Specific Creative Criteria

• raise expectations of art in the public realm by being innovative, distinctive and surprising.

• enhance the environment by complementing its surroundings and thereby encouraging a sense of pride and place-making within the community.

• have a lasting impact on the surrounding community by providing opportunities for engagement and participation and therefore promoting community cohesion.

Nominations are invited (see downloadable pdf) from the people of the county and co-ordinated by Kent County Council, Arts Development Unit.

Judging
Judging is carried out in the spring by a panel comprising art experts, a representative of the people of Kent and Liberty Property Trust UK.  The Chair for the 2009 Award is TV celebrity and writer Janet Street-Porter, who trained as an architect before entering journalism and is a regular commentator on the arts.  Janet will present the Award at a VIP ceremony at Kings Hill in May 2009.

The Prize
The total prize money for the Award is £15,000, funded by Liberty Property Trust UK and Kent County Council.  The first prize of £7,000 will go to the winning artist, with £5,000 to the winning work’s commissioner.  The second prize of £3,000 will go to the runner up artist.  The commissioner of the winning piece receives the Rouse chair, designed by Kentish craftsman Will Glanfield, with their details engraved on it, to keep in a place of honour for a year.

About Liberty Property Trust UK
Liberty Property Trust UK is a commercial property developer whose mission is to “enhance people’s lives through extraordinary work environments”.  The Rouse Kent Public Art Award forms part of the Kings Hill Developing Arts Programme. This in turn forms part of the wider Kings Hill philosophy, devoted to creating a vibrant social infrastructure at the 800 acre, sustainable business park and residential community.  Indeed, Liberty Property Trust UK commissions public art on an ongoing basis to enhance the development's landscaped environment, to promote a cultural bridge between the growing Kings Hill community and Kent.