Parishes throughout England can apply for a £10,000 prize for the best developed proposal for commissioning a new work of art for their church.  The Church Buildings Council prize, generously funded by The Jerusalem Trust, will be offered to an excellently prepared proposal and not for a particular artwork. The essential criterion is the requirement to use the process outlined in the Council's recently published guidance on "Commissioning New Art for Churches".

The deadline for the first stage of the competition is 29 February 2012.  At this stage the parish must explain: Why?  What?  What is it for? Where?  Will it be temporary or permanent?  Parishes submitting the most promising rationale for a commission will be invited to work up their proposal in detail while continuing to use the new guidelines.  The deadline for the final stage will be 1 October 2012.

The art to be commissioned can be a textile, metalwork, sculpture, an installation using mixed media, a painting or glass.  Using the guidance, richly illustrated with examples of recent commissions in these media throughout England, parishes will discover step-by-step advice on how to write briefs, how to commission and choose artists, the special considerations applying to temporary artworks, and how to take a creative proposal through the faculty system.  The Church of England hopes that the guide will make parishes realise that commissioning artwork can be very straightforward and rewarding.

Anne Sloman, Chair of the Church Buildings Council, said, "The Church has always been a significant Patron of the Arts in this country and we are determined that this tradition continues into the 21st Century. We are very grateful to the Jerusalem Trust for the Prize which will encourage parishes to use the guidelines creatively to work with artists to achieve a distinctive legacy."

Mark Cazalet, artist and chief editor of the guidelines, commented, "Commissioning New Art for Parishes" is an exciting initiative from the Church Buildings Council that sets out clear, concise guidelines for getting the most out of the commissioning process, and ensuring the best results. The advice it contains was gathered from key figures at all levels and backgrounds in the field, representing the experience of: artists, commissioners, funders, Diocesan Advisory Committees, diocesan chancellors, clergy and parishes."

The Bishop of Chelmsford, the Rt Revd Stephen Cottrell, noted: "The tradition of commissioning art for the church is as important today as it ever was; not just for telling the story of Christian faith, and not just for adorning Christian worship and buildings, but for celebrating the endlessly inventive splendour of God. For it is in the image of this creative God that we are made, and it is when we turn our minds - and hands! - to beauty, as well as truth and goodness, that we most reflect this gracious God."

The Rt Revd and Rt Hon Richard Chartres, Bishop of London and Chairman of the Cathedral and Church Buildings Division, also commented: "The unfolding drama whose author is God seeks artistic expression in every generation. The Church needs to engage with contemporary artists in order to explore afresh the forms which divine truth should be taking in the here and now."

  Notes  

Expressions of Interest should be submitted to: Diana Coulter, Cathedral & Church Buildings Division, Church House, Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3AZ. The form, notes and Guidelines can be downloaded from the Churchcare website.

A panel will consider the submissions, and parishes who submit the most promising rationale for a commission will be invited to work up their proposal in detail while continuing to use the new guidelines.  The Final Submissions will be reviewed by a judging panel, which will look for evidence to see whether full consultation with the relevant Diocesan Advisory Committee and other stakeholders has happened effectively and in detail.

The judges, the Bishop of Chelmsford, Mark Cazalet, Bridget Cass of the Jerusalem Trust and the Dean of Durham Cathedral, under the chairmanship of Anne Sloman, will aim to visit the shortlisted parishes to meet the commissioning group and view the proposed site for the new artwork.  The overall winner will be notified in November 2012.

Mark Cazalet is a contemporary British artist based in London who is noted for a number of distinguished ecclesiastical commissions in various cathedrals including Chelmsford, Manchester and Worcester, as well as in various parish churches in London and the south east.  For several years he has been a specialist member of the Church Buildings Council.  The Council's guidelines illustrate collages Mark worked on with the community of St Andrew Fulham Fields in London as part of a recent temporary Lenten exhibition.

The Church Buildings Council of the Church of England is a statutory body, which advises Chancellors and Diocesan Advisory Committees (DACs) under the operation of the faculty system.  The Council has a general duty "to promote the care and conservation of churches and greater knowledge, understanding and enjoyment of and artistic activity relating to churches both within the Church of England and more widely among the general public". A great deal of its work, both in terms of casework and wider policy initiatives, relates to the preservation of our remarkable heritage of 12,500 listed buildings. But they are also determined that the legacy that we leave to future generations is as worthy as that we have inherited.

The Jerusalem Trust was established in 1982 by Sir Timothy and Lady Sainsbury to "promote the Christian religion". It funds a range of projects, including those in the media, overseas (in Africa and Central and Eastern Europe), in education, in evangelism and mission and in the arts. Its recent funding in the Art category has included grants towards the Hew Locke work in St Mary & St Eanswythe Church for the Folkestone Triennial 2011, the Cross by Stephen Cox for St Anselm's Chapel in Canterbury Cathedral, a mural by Alison Watt in Old St Paul's Church in Edinburgh and the font by William Pye in Salisbury Cathedral, as well as support for organisations promoting Christian art.