The Queen’s New Year UK Honours list been announced for 2022 with some key art world names featuring on the prestigious roll call of awards. Peter Murray, the founding and executive director of Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP), has been made a knight. “Peter has led the organisation for over four decades, starting with £1,000 and no employees, and now employs over 200 people, generating around £11.5m for the regional economy,” says a YSP statement. Diane Lees CBE, who has led the Imperial War Museum for the past 12 years, was made a dame. The artist and designer Es Devlin, who designed the UK Pavilion for Expo 2020 in Dubai, was awarded a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire). Earlier this year, she unveiled Forest for Change (Global Goals Pavilion), a covering of 400 trees of 27 different species in the courtyard of Somerset House as part of the London Design Biennale. John Gilhooly, the artistic and executive director of Wigmore Hall, home of UK’s largest classical music concert programme, was also made a CBE.
Artist Claudette Johnson, a founding member of the 1980s BLK Art Group, received an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) along with William Griffiths, director of the Milton Keynes Museum. Andrew Lovett, chair of the Association of Independent Museums, bagged an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire). Other recipients include Laurie Magnus, the chair of Historic England (CBE), Philippa Charles, director of the Garfield Weston Foundation (OBE) and Roger Highfield, Science director at the Science Museum Group (OBE). Congrats all!