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PASCALL PRIZE FOR CRITICAL WRITING 1991 Judges' Report Joanna Mendelssohn The 1991 Pascall Prize is awarded to a critic or reviewer taking Australian Visual art, including craft, design and architecture, as the subject. Writers, broadcasters, film-makers and others were eligible. Guidelines The Pascall Prize aims to identify and reward a critic whose work has: i) the potential to help Australians experience aspects of their culture with greater knowledge and perception ii) the capacity to excite new interest in a particular subject. The winner's work should itself exhibit creativity and should be well written, or if in a medium other than the written word, imaginatively presented Twenty-six nominations were received prior to judging, the majority of nominations submitting examples of the nominee's work. During the course of their deliberations the judges considered the work of an additional eight reviewers or critics. Three-quarters of the candidates deal with visual art and craft in Australia, only one quarter took design and architecture as their subject. Material considered ranged from detailed critical analysis written for an informed and specialised audience, to popular journalism and tapes of radio broadcasts. After considerable discussion, the judges gave preference to the work of currently active contributors whose work engaged the public with the "cultural product" itself rather than reviewing the "the makers", although there was some excellent work of the latter kind. Both in terms of numbers and quality, visual arts and crafts were judged to be better served than architecture and design. The judges make the following commendations: To Christopher Heathcote writing in the Melbourne Age and Christopher Allen in the Sydney Review, and formerly in The Sydney Morning Herald for their good writing built upon well developed armature of critical theory, well pitched for a general metropolitan readership. To Pamela Hansford for perceptive work in numerous exhibition publications, specialist journals and books. To Elizabeth Farrelly for her architectural reviews in the Sydney Morning Herald and the Royal Australian Institute of Architects Bulletin, for bringing an unprecedented level of research and incisiveness on the complex issues that govern the built environment of our cities. The judges are unanimous in awarding the Pascall Prize to Joanna Mendelssohn for her art reviews in The Bulletin magazine. Covering a diversity of material with a nation-wide overview and an independent stance, her work is notable for its focus on the stimulus available form a particular work of art. This is reviewing at its best; gracefully written and communicating with the broader public. The bulletin's ability to reproduce well chosen illustrations in full colour, further enhances Joanna Mendelssohn's outstanding contribution. |
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