£50,000 Collections Fund at Frieze to acquire work supporting social change

The Contemporary Art Society in partnership with Frieze London will be purchasing a major work at the 2016 edition of the fair for Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art through the Collections Fund at Frieze.

The Collections Fund was set up in 2012 by private philanthropists and is designed to support the acquisition of significant contemporary works for our museum members across the UK, drawing together the knowledge and experience of private collectors with that of museum curators.

At the 2016 fair the Contemporary Art Society will acquire work for Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art that aligns with the museum’s mission for social change, particularly around issues including migration and exile. Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art describes itself as a ‘useful museum’, or ‘Museum 3.0’, an organisation that wishes to play a civic role, operating in the public realm through a focus on education, activism and community building.

The Collections Fund at Frieze, including a match-funded gift, currently stands at £50,000, which this year was awarded to Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art after a competitive application process open to the Contemporary Art Society’s 70 Museum Members across the UK.

Caroline Douglas, Director, Contemporary Art Society, said: “Our partnership with Frieze London this year is a wonderful opportunity to shine a spotlight on the fantastic work of regional museums. Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art operates in a unique cultural environment and the members of the Collections Fund committee were impressed by the museum’s engagement with issues that resonate with the community it serves, such as migration and exile. We look forward to supporting the acquisition of a major work that is emblematic of the period of history we are living through.”

Read More about the Collections Fund at Frieze