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Gallery up for prize after Lotto revamp
Louise Jury6 May 2009
A small council-run London gallery which has been transformed with around £2 million of Lottery cash has reached the final of the UK's largest arts prize.
The Orleans House Gallery in Twickenham made the final four of the £100,000 Art Fund Prize for museums and galleries after being praised for its "impressive achievement on a modest budget".
The judges, led by former film producer Lord Puttnam, also noted the "imagination and genuine passion" of the gallery team.
Orleans House Gallery opened in 1972 but over the last six years has undergone a £2.5million upgrade, backed by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The new facilities, including an education centre, boosted visitors from 40,000 a year to 60,000.
And its new fans can help it win the prize. The People's Choice, an online poll, will count as one vote alongside the judges' vote.
Its rivals, who will find out if they have won on 18 June, are the Kelvingrove Art Gallery in Glasgow, the Ruthin Craft Centre in North Wales, and the Wedgwood Museum in Stoke-on-Trent.
Rachel Tranter, head of arts for the borough, Richmond-upon-Thames, said: "We are honoured and proud to be shortlisted for such a prestigious prize."
If they win, the cash would fund a three-year scheme offering artists the chance to use a studio which is part of the complex.
