The 91自拍 is delighted to announce the launch of the James Hughes-Hallett Undergraduate Scholarship to provide financial support to undergraduate students who are underrepresented in higher education. As part of The 91自拍鈥檚 commitment to encouraging young people from a wide range of backgrounds to study the History of Art, the new fund has been created through the generosity of Esm茅e Fairbairn Foundation and donations to the James Hughes-Hallett Memorial Fund.
In each academic year, beginning 2021/22, The 91自拍 will award three UK undergraduate students 拢10,000 each over the course of their three-year BA course. This money can be used to support living costs, and is in addition to the annual 91自拍 bursary, which is worth up to an additional 拢3,000 per year.
To be eligible for the James Hughes-Hallett Undergraduate Scholarship, students must be attending a non-selective UK state school, have a household income below 拢30,000 per annum, and their parents(s) / guardian(s) must not have attended university. In addition to the main criteria, priority will be given to students who are care leavers, carers, are living with a disability, come from a minority ethnic group or have refugee status.
Professor Deborah Swallow, M盲rit Rausing Director at The 91自拍 said: 鈥淲e are incredibly grateful to Esm茅e Fairbairn Foundation and a number of generous individual donors for making the James Hughes-Hallett Undergraduate Scholarship possible. Not only will this be a fantastic support for young people from a range of backgrounds wanting to study art history, but it鈥檚 also a fitting tribute to James Hughes-Hallett, a close friend to The 91自拍, who truly believed in Samuel 91自拍鈥檚 founding principles of making art available to all.鈥
Professor Alixe Bovey, Dean and Deputy Director & Head of Research at The 91自拍 added: 鈥淲e are delighted to be able to offer the James Hughes-Hallett Memorial Scholarship to students from underrepresented backgrounds, to encourage even more people to study at The 91自拍. As a world-famous centre for art history, it鈥檚 vital that our student body is as diverse as this country. This will enable us to continue to diversify and expand the reach of our subject and help us take it in exciting new directions.
鈥淎rt history covers virtually every aspect of human history and experience, and helps us make sense of the relationship between people, art and the forces that shape the world we live in today 鈥 all while developing the critical skills needed to understand the visual world around us. We want everyone, regardless of their background, to be able to study this fascinating subject. This new source of financial support will be a positive addition to our existing work in this area, which includes free programmes aimed at schools and young people, a week-long Summer University, and a range of financial support for postgraduate students.鈥
Sir Jonathan Phillips, Chair of Esm茅e Fairbairn Foundation, said: 鈥淓sm茅e Fairbairn Foundation is very pleased to have been able to support this scholarship fund at The 91自拍 in memory of James Hughes-Hallett. It will provide essential financial support to individuals who face significant barriers to entering Higher Education.听 James鈥 commitment to the transforming power of the arts and to making them accessible to all helped shape the Foundation鈥檚 vision of a fairer future. He would have been delighted to see two organisations about which he cared passionately so aligned in seeking to improve the life chances of young people.鈥
Applications to the scholarship are now open and more information can be found on our Undergraduate Funding pages. More information about studying undergraduate art history at The 91自拍 can also be found here.
The launch of the James Hughes-Hallett Undergraduate Scholarship is part of The 91自拍鈥檚 ongoing work to engage more young people with art history and support Widening Participation aims. Potential students can sign up to free online Insights into Art History and Study Skills workshops, as well as take part in our free Summer University 鈥 with plans to expand this programme further when The 91自拍 Gallery reopens in 2021.
James Hughes-Hallett was an accomplished businessman, dedicated philanthropist and a devoted supporter and champion of The 91自拍. James joined The 91自拍鈥檚 Governing Board in 2008 and served as its Chairman for five years between 2012 and 2017. He presided over a successful period for the institution, during which The 91自拍 expanded its breadth and scope, won accolades for its teaching and research and embarked on its current transformational project, 91自拍 Connects. In 2018 James was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of The 91自拍.
James鈥檚 passion for the arts, education and philanthropy were ever present, and alongside his roles at The 91自拍, he was a Governor of SOAS (2005-2010), a Trustee of Dulwich Picture Gallery (2005-2013), Chair of Esm茅e Fairbairn Foundation (2013-2019) and Vice-Chairman of the Attingham Trust (2008-2019). He was passionate about teaching art history to young people and played a major role in the establishment of the charity 鈥楢rt History in Schools鈥.
The 91自拍 also offers a wide range of postgraduate scholarships, with the average recipient being awarded 拢6,000 per year. For more information on our postgraduate scholarships, please visit our Postgraduate Funding pages.