And the Oscar goes to…Alice Fox!

The University’s pioneering MA in Inclusive Arts Practice, founded by Alice Fox, creates radically new forms of collaboration between students and often-excluded community groups from around the world.

Alice, lecturer and Deputy Head of the School of Art, received the award at a gala ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane, London, hosted by comedian Al Murray.

Alice said she was thrilled but said colleagues should take credit: “It has been my privilege to work with excellent, questioning university colleagues to define and deliver our Inclusive Arts Programme, namely Joanna Offer, Jane Fox, Hannah Macpherson, Dave Wolff and Pauline Ridley.

“The inspiring learning disabled Rocket artists have been key to all that we have collectively achieved namely Louella Forrest, Kelvin Burke, Tina Jenner and Matthew Cheeseman.

Left to right comedian Al Murray, Alice Fox and Shearer West, Vice-Chancellor of University of Nottingham, who presented the award.

“Thanks also to organisations for trusting and believing in us – the Tate, National Gallery, Southbank Centre, British Council, Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea and the Kathmandu Triennial.

“Today we are winners of the THE Innovation and Excellence Award – but we win every time we challenge perceptions of who is a valued member of society and every day we spend together learning and unlearning from each other.”

Professor Debra Humphris, the university’s Vice-Chancellor, congratulated Alice’s “wonderful” achievement: “I’m sure the entire university community joins me in congratulating Alice and her colleagues for their success and for their wonderful, groundbreaking work.”

Professor Humphris also congratulated university partners in the pioneering work, including the Tate.

The THE awards, billed as “shining a spotlight on the exceptional achievements of individuals, teams and institutions” was held in association with Santander Universities UK.

Judges detailed Alice’s success in bringing together people with learning disabilities and non-disabled collaborators to work on creative arts: In 2016, she authored a ‘critical manifesto’ – Inclusive Arts Research and Practice – which was launched at Tate Modern in London. She has collaborated for many years with the learning-disabled Rocket Artists group to challenge prejudice and make the case for diversity through symposia, performances and exhibitions.

Alice has worked in Cambodia with Epic Arts, a non-governmental organisation helping local staff to develop educational and cultural opportunities for adults and children with disabilities. She brought together more than 80 Nepali participants to stage bold performance events at the 2017 Kathmandu Triennial. And she has been invited by the British Council to present her ideas in Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan.

Professor Humphris with Alice Fox

As course leader of the new MA, Alice has brought her international experience to her work at Brighton. Judges said: “Yet along with its highly unusual content, the course also breaks new ground in pedagogy, since artists with learning disabilities teach alongside academics as a way of expanding the boundaries of inclusion and challenging conventional notions of who holds knowledge.

“Alice Fox has worked collaboratively with non-governmental organisations, and museums and galleries such as Tate Modern and the National Gallery to develop an inclusive and innovative approach to arts practice,” the judges said.

“Her work has supported marginalised and under-represented communities to engage with the arts in a variety of creative ways.”

This year’s gala ceremony, the THE’s 13^th annual awards, was attended by more than 1,100 guests and winners were chosen by a panel of judges, from hundreds of entries submitted by universities from all corners of the UK.

THE editor John Gill said: “At a time when discussion about universities is too often reduced to terms of economic impact and output alone, the stories behind the winning entries this year tell a far richer story.

“Universities remain crucial to the health and well-being of the country, as well as to its prosperity, and anyone who doubts that – or who thinks that excellence is the preserve of one segment of our system – need only read about our winners to see the evidence with their own eyes.”

Alice’s colleague Charlotte Gould, Deputy Head of School (Learning and Teaching), sent congratulations to Alice: “Very well done! It’s absolutely fantastic recognition and commendation of your contribution to HE.”

Duncan Bullen, Deputy Head of School (Research and Enterprise), wrote: “Fully deserved. Fantastic personal achievement to be recognised by the sector, and brilliant for the School and the University.”

And Anna Cutler, the Tate’s Director of Learning, wrote: “Richly deserved. Keep on doing what you are doing. We need your work in the world.”