Volunteers praised for work on exhibition

The gallery is showing 18 black and white pictures by late American photographer Francesca Woodman, which were donated to the Tate and National Galleries of Scotland by Sheffield-born collector Anthony d’Offay.

The exhibition is accompanied by works drawn from the gallery’s permanent collection, including paintings, sculpture, photography and new media curated by young volunteers’ group, the Future Ferens.

Mr d’Offay visited the gallery and told the volunteers what Woodman meant to him.

He added: “you should all be very proud of what you have achieved. Through using works from the Ferens’ fantastic collection you have given Woodman’s work a context for visitors to explore.”

The volunteers were delighted to have had their work recognised.

Volunteer Claire Sawdon said: “It was an exciting opportunity to be able to meet Anthony d’Offay, to explain the processes we went through and to hear his feedback on the exhibition, which we have all worked so hard on. Being part of Future Ferens has given us the confidence to develop our skills, interact with the local community and even run our own workshops.”

Only about 120 images of the 800 Woodman produced in her short career have been published or exhibited.

Woodman, who is best known for her small, black and white but strikingly unconventional self-portraits, took her own life at the age of 22 in 1981, but is now achieving much critical acclaim.

The exhibition features photographs that once belonged to her boyfriend and several include personal messages.

Towards the end of the year a major touring retrospective of Woodman’s work is being mounted by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, which will tour to the Guggenheim in New York.