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29th June 2004

BAFRA-SONNEBORN & RIECK AWARD 2004

by Robert Tandy, Organiser

Manchester City Art Gallery,
Mosley Street,
Manchester
M2 3JL.

This year the Student Award was again very generously sponsored by Sonneborn & Rieck in the recently extended Manchester City Art Gallery, a wonderful venue sited in the heart of the city, which provided excellent facilities and an appropriately impressive backdrop for the day’s event.

Following coffee in the Café Bar, competitors, judges and guests assembled in the lecture theatre where each of the four finalists had set up displays of their furniture along with accompanying project documentation and photographs.

BAFRA Chairman Michael Barrington opened proceedings by welcoming the assembly and introducing the Judges Panel:

• Andrew Durham, Keeper of Conservation at NM&G Merseyside
• Adrian Smith, BAFRA Full Member and President (Co-ordinator)
• Anthony Allen, BAFRA Full Member, Stockport
• Jeffrey Hall, BAFRA Full Member, Malvern
• Richard Higgins, BAFRA Full Member, Shrewsbury
• Eric Smith, BAFRA Full Member, Darwen
• Gerald Langley, BAFRA Full Member, Newark

Whilst each entry was quite varied in the complexity and nature of the problems to be addressed, the judges were extremely impressed by the quite excellent quality of all the projects and the thoroughness of approach displayed by each entrant in the conservation-restoration process. The Judges therefore had an arduous task in front of them when considering the following finalists:

• Matthew Allen — A 19th Century Boulle Card Table (ManCAT)
• Piran Harte — Charles II Walnut & Marquetry Cabinet on Stand (Bucks & Chilterns)
• Patricia Lynch — Victorian Walnut Worktable (Rycotewood)
• Aki Mizobuchi — 19th Century Dutch Bureau (Bucks & Chilterns)

The finalists were called up individually to present their projects to the Panel and to discuss the methods they employed in addressing each object, as well as the research and ethical issues which form an integral and vital aspect of professional conservation-restoration work.

Having completed the interviews by early afternoon, it was then left to the judges to discuss the merits of each project and to arrive at a decision. After much careful deliberation the Panel came to their conclusions and a final line-up was decided. Prior to public announcement, the Panel presented their findings to Mr and Mrs Peter Rieck, the Award Sponsors.

Following tea, the four finalists and guests assembled in the Lecture Theatre for the Award Ceremony. Mr Peter Rieck congratulated them on the very high standards they had achieved and presented the Prize Certificates and Prizes as follows:

First Prize:

Aki Mizobuchi,
Buckinghamshire & Chilterns University College

19th Century Dutch Bureau

Second Prize:

Patricia Lynch,
(Rycotewood College)

Victorian Walnut Work Table

Joint Third Prize:

Matthew Allen,
(Manchester College of Art & Technology)

Boulle Card Table

Joint Third Prize:

Piran Harte,
(Buckinghamshire & Chilterns University College)

Charles II Walnut & Marquetry Cabinet on Stand

Michael Barrington thanked Sponsors, Mr and Mrs Peter Rieck of Sonneborn & Rieck for their most generous support of the competition and reminded us that one of the Judges, Anthony Allen, was the inspiration behind and the founder of the annual Student Award in the summer of 1994.

Andrew Durham then addressed us, explaining how very impressed the Panel had been with the overall high standards achieved by the finalists in their work and during their interviews. Photographs were taken and the finalists were encouraged to discuss informally the Panel’s findings with individual judges.

As the day grew to a close the general opinion of all present was that this had been a most encouraging event with every prospect of attracting a continuing high standard of entry.

It is, however, worrying that we hear, all too often, from college staff, that the objects being worked on by their students are of insufficient quality. We assume that the ‘quality’ refers to the objects themselves and not the work being done. The competition rules make it quite clear that ‘object quality’ is of no concern to the judges panel who are looking wholly for the quality of conservation, restoration and presentation only. It is also evident that some colleges are not encouraging their students strongly and early enough to enter the competition whose annual finalists definitely stand to gain much kudos and publicity value during that crucial time when they struggle to find placements or establish careers following graduation.