The Cuneo Society
The Cuneo Society News

Sutton Valence School launches new prizes with support of the Cuneo Society

The ‘Cuneo Society’ name, and especially that of Terence Cuneo, will continue at the school he attended – Sutton Valence near Maidstone in Kent.

For many years the society’s archive has been maintained there, containing books about the artist and his family, copies of the Cuneo Journal, and many prints of his noted paintings. The school has kindly agreed to continue this responsibility acting as a  resource for future research into the artist, as well as recognising him as a noted former pupil. The archive is safe – it’s maintained in two cupboards right next to the Headmaster’s office! (Pictured below with Will Radford the school’s Director of Admissions and Development.

However, the Cuneo Society and its committee were also keen to further the school link and encourage future artists there, and this fitted neatly with the need to disburse the balance of society funds - £4900.00. David Bennett from the society, and Will Radford together with Head of Art, Martin Thompson, met at the school to discuss the proposal which was enthusiastically supported by both sides.

The closing society funds balance has been given to the school to create two annual prizes which will be known individually as the Terence Cuneo Junior Prize (for an outstanding piece of GCSE  artwork) and the Terence Cuneo Senior Prize (for an outstanding piece of A Level artwork). Each will be presented to outstanding art pupils at the school’s Speech Day when an additional identifier will be applied: ‘donated by the Cuneo Society’.

The prizes will be for a single work of painted art of any medium and will be offered once a year. The entries will be judged by school staff, and the criteria is ‘realism’ to reflect the life work of Terence Cuneo.

In addition to specialist art staff, in view of the criteria, the school is being encouraged to have at least one judge from the general teaching or administrative staff for an ‘outside’ opinion. The work may be landscape, still-life, portrait, or technical, but the winning picture will be that judged to be ‘most realistic’ in relation to the subject.

The senior prize each year will be worth £125.00 and the junior prize will be worth £50.00, both as vouchers for the purchase of art materials. This should allow the award both to be sustained in the longer term, and in due course to be raised to reflect inflation.

The Cuneo Society has also donated a number of ties, scarves and Cuneo cuff-links plus a number of fine art printed self-portraits of Terence Cuneo. These were stock from the shop (before its     transfer to John Herbertson) and while these supplies last (estimated 25 years) the annual winner may choose an item, and thus have a physical keepsake in addition to the financial award.

The winning art work will be made available for display within the school’s annual art exhibition, identified as the Terence Cuneo prize winners for that year.

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