If awarded the £10,000 Dover Prize bursary, I would use the funding to carve out dedicated studio time over the coming year — specifically protecting one day a week to focus on a new, self-initiated body of sculptural work. This time would be ring-fenced from the demands of public commissions and administrative obligations, allowing for deeper material exploration and creative risk-taking.
The work would centre on clay, bronze, and carved wood — materials that allow for immediacy and intuition in the studio. I’m particularly interested in developing smaller-scale, gallery-focused sculptures that emerge from direct modelling and minimal fabrication. These works will be materially refined, technically ambitious, and rooted in a more personal and expressive sculptural language.
The bursary would support not only my time but also the production costs of developing and casting new works — including clay, firing, mould-making, and small-batch bronze casting. It would also enable me to invite a number of peers, mentors, and curators into the studio for critical dialogue and feedback — part of a wider ambition to reposition my practice within the gallery context and expand my professional network.
This moment in my career feels like a natural point of evolution. I’ve spent the past two decades delivering major public commissions, often in collaboration with fabricators and foundries. While these projects have been formative, they’ve left limited time for the more personal, studio-led work that feeds my practice at its core. The Dover Prize offers the chance to shift that balance — to reflect, experiment, and move my work in a more agile and critically engaged direction.
Ultimately, the support would allow me to produce a new body of work ready for exhibition and future gallery partnerships, setting the stage for the next phase of my sculptural career.
My practice has strong connections to the North East, and I would be proud to contribute to raising the profile of the creative arts in Darlington through the Dover Prize. I’ve previously exhibited in the region, including a solo show at Myles Meehan Gallery in 2012, and have worked on significant public commissions that celebrate local heritage — such as In Our Image, a 17-metre steel monument referencing County Durham’s industrial past and fabricated with local engineers in Shildon and New Aycliffe.
Building on this, I would use the Dover Prize to develop a new body of work within Depot Studio, a growing sculpture space I’ve founded in Prudhoe. With its future public-facing programme, I hope to open up new opportunities for collaboration and engagement across the region — including Darlington — through exhibitions, open studios, and critical dialogue.
I believe that ambitious, materially grounded sculpture has the power to connect communities, reflect shared histories, and attract wider attention to the region’s creative energy. By creating and showcasing new work in the North East, I aim to build stronger links between artists, institutions, and audiences — helping to position Darlington as a vital part of this evolving cultural landscape and connect it to a wider dialogue.
I am a sculptor working primarily in clay, bronze, wood, and steel. My practice sits at the intersection of figurative and material exploration, often grounded in an interest in the body, movement, and process. While I’ve completed a number of high-profile public commissions, I remain deeply committed to the development of gallery-based, self-initiated work — sculpture that is direct, materially honest, and conceptually driven. My solo exhibition It’s Not True, But It Might Be Beautiful at the Myles Meehan Gallery in Darlington (2012) was a pivotal moment in my career. It brought together a body of work that explored the limits of form and narrative in sculpture and remains a key reference point as I return to more personal, gallery-focused making. Since then, I’ve exhibited with Beaux Arts London and shown work at APT Gallery in London, as well as in solo exhibitions at Cheeseburn Sculpture and Burghley Sculpture Garden. Recent works focus on clay and ceramics — sculptures that are modelled by hand, fired, and shown with minimal intervention. This stripped-back approach reclaims a more intuitive, responsive way of working, removing the layers of fabrication that often come with large-scale public projects. It also allows for a greater emotional and psychological depth in the work — something I am keen to pursue more fully. Alongside exhibitions, my practice has included major public works such as Messenger (2019), a 10-tonne bronze installed outside the Theatre Royal in Plymouth, and In Our Image (2022), a 17-metre steel monument in County Durham inspired by industrial heritage and archival imagery. Earlier, Generation at Newcastle University explored material and regional identity through three monumental heads cast in bronze, corten, and stainless steel. In recent years, I’ve established Depot Studio in Prudhoe — a developing sculpture studio and exhibition space in a Victorian warehouse, which I’m opening to artists and the public. With future plans for a bronze foundry and shared studio provision, the space reflects my commitment to fostering dialogue, material experimentation, and contemporary sculpture in the North East.
Do you have a degree in visual or applied arts at undergraduate and/or post-graduate level? Please provide details. (200 words)
Yes, I hold a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Sculpture from Tulane University in New Orleans, completed in 2003. The MFA programme provided a rigorous grounding in both traditional and experimental sculptural techniques, and offered the opportunity to develop a materially focused, conceptually rich practice within a supportive critical environment. It was during this time that I began to explore the dynamic relationship between the body, movement, and form — themes that remain central to my work. Prior to this, I completed a BA (Hons) in Fine Art at Newcastle University in 1998, where my interest in sculpture first took shape. The course introduced me to key processes and conceptual frameworks, and helped establish my enduring connection to the North East of England — a region that continues to inform my practice both materially and culturally. While my academic training has been crucial, I have also built significant experience outside formal education through collaborative projects with foundries, fabricators, and arts organisations. This combination of academic and practical learning has shaped a practice that is technically accomplished, critically engaged, and rooted in a strong material understanding.
Yes, I hold a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Sculpture from Tulane University in New Orleans, completed in 2003. The MFA programme provided a rigorous grounding in both traditional and experimental sculptural techniques, and offered the opportunity to develop a materially focused, conceptually rich practice within a supportive critical environment. It was during this time that I began to explore the dynamic relationship between the body, movement, and form — themes that remain central to my work.
Prior to this, I completed a BA (Hons) in Fine Art at Newcastle University in 1998, where my interest in sculpture first took shape. The course introduced me to key processes and conceptual frameworks, and helped establish my enduring connection to the North East of England — a region that continues to inform my practice both materially and culturally.
While my academic training has been crucial, I have also built significant experience outside formal education through collaborative projects with foundries, fabricators, and arts organisations. This combination of academic and practical learning has shaped a practice that is technically accomplished, critically engaged, and rooted in a strong material understanding.
Yes, I have received a number of grants, awards, and high-profile commissions that have supported and recognised my work over the past two decades.
Early in my career, I was awarded a ‘Year of the Artist’ grant by Arts Council England (2000), and in 2004 I was elected an Associate Member of the Royal British Society of Sculptors, later becoming a Fellow in 2017. In 2013, I was a finalist in the Broomhill National Sculpture Prize, and in 2015 I received a prize at the Discerning Eye exhibition. I was also shortlisted for Visual Artist of the Year at the Journal Culture Awards in 2014 and served as a judge for the Gillian Dickinson Young Sculptor of the Year Award in 2016.
Alongside these honours, I have received over thirty public commissions through competitive processes, including Messenger (2019), a 10-tonne bronze sculpture for the Theatre Royal Plymouth, and In Our Image (2009), a 17-metre steel monument in County Durham. Recent works include commissions for the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Wakehurst, and the Telford Covid Memorial.
These opportunities have enabled me to produce ambitious, high-impact sculpture while continuing to develop a critically engaged, materially driven practice grounded in both public and gallery contexts.
Yes, I am the founder and director of Depot Studio, an artist-led sculpture space based in a Victorian warehouse in Prudhoe, Northumberland. The space was established in response to a need for dedicated sculptural facilities in the region and is currently being developed to include a working bronze foundry, shared studio provision, and a public-facing programme of exhibitions and events.
Depot Studio is conceived as both a place of making and a platform for dialogue — a space where material experimentation, critical exchange, and community engagement can intersect. I am currently working to open the site to the public through open studios and curated exhibitions, and I aim to invite other artists, curators, and collaborators into the space to foster a wider network of practice.
This initiative builds on my long-standing commitment to creating opportunities not just for myself, but for others working in sculpture and related fields. It reflects a desire to support a vibrant, self-sustaining creative community in the North East — one that champions ambition, risk-taking, and peer-led development. The Dover Prize would provide a valuable opportunity to grow this vision and embed it further within the cultural life of the region.
Yes, I have been commissioned by numerous public institutions across the UK and Ireland to create large-scale, site-specific sculptures. These projects have allowed me to explore material, form, and narrative within public space, often in close collaboration with communities, engineers, and commissioning bodies.
Notable examples include Messenger (2019), a 10-tonne bronze sculpture commissioned by the Theatre Royal Plymouth — the largest bronze sculpture in the UK by volume. I was also commissioned to create In Our Image (2009), a 17-metre-high steel monument for Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, commissioned through a public art initiative to celebrate local industrial heritage.
Other institutional commissions include Faith (2014) for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead, Internal Matter for Broomfield Hospital (2010), Portrait of a Town in Spalding (2016), and Moot (2023), a major new sculpture at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Wakehurst. These works have been supported by local authorities, NHS Trusts, universities, and cultural foundations.
These public commissions have shaped the scale and ambition of my practice, allowing me to work across diverse contexts while maintaining a strong sculptural language rooted in material experimentation and human form.
Yes, my artwork has been acquired by several public collections, reflecting the recognition and institutional support for my sculptural practice.
Notably, Newcastle University holds six major works from my Being Human and Generation series, including monumental sculptures created using both traditional and digital techniques. These acquisitions underscore my ongoing relationship with the university, where I also contributed commissions such as I Imagine You Think, You Think I Imagine (2012).
Other public collections include commissions and works held by local authorities and cultural organisations across the UK and Ireland, often linked to site-specific public commissions. For example, Portrait of a Town (2016), a series of fourteen neo-pastoral vignettes in Lincolnshire, remains part of the public art collection managed by Spalding town authorities.
My work is also held in various hospital and university collections, such as Faith at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Gateshead, and Internal Matter at Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford. These placements reflect a commitment to embedding sculpture in public and communal spaces, where it can engage diverse audiences.
These acquisitions have been integral in extending the life and reach of my work beyond temporary exhibitions, providing lasting access to my sculptural explorations of humanity and form.
My large-scale public commissions such as Messenger (2019) for the Theatre Royal Plymouth and In Our Image (2009) in County Durham have been widely covered in regional and national media, including publications like The Guardian, The Times, and Art Monthly. These reviews have explored the conceptual depth, technical ambition, and cultural relevance of my work.
Gallery exhibitions, including solo shows at Beaux Arts London, Cheeseburn Sculpture, and the Myles Meehan Gallery in Darlington, have been featured in art magazines and online platforms dedicated to contemporary sculpture and figurative art. Additionally, my participation in major fairs such as The British Art Fair at the Saatchi Gallery has brought further media attention.
Online platforms and arts blogs have showcased my evolving studio practice, particularly my recent work in ceramics and modelled clay, highlighting my exploration of materiality and process.
These critical engagements have been invaluable in expanding the audience for my work and positioning it within wider contemporary dialogues around sculpture, form, and the human figure.
Yes, I am currently represented by Beaux Arts London, a well-established gallery known for its strong focus on contemporary sculpture and figurative art. Beaux Arts has supported my practice by showcasing my work in both solo and group exhibitions, providing a platform to engage with collectors, curators, and a wider art audience.
Through this representation, I have had the opportunity to participate in major art fairs such as the British Art Fair at the Saatchi Gallery, increasing the visibility of my work nationally and internationally. The gallery has also facilitated connections with other institutions and has been instrumental in promoting my studio-based and public sculpture projects.
In addition to Beaux Arts, I have held solo exhibitions at respected venues including Cheeseburn Sculpture and the Myles Meehan Gallery in Darlington, which have contributed significantly to the development and profile of my gallery-based practice.
Gallery representation plays a crucial role in supporting my evolving artistic direction, helping me navigate the commercial aspects of the art world while enabling me to focus on creating new work that bridges public commissions and intimate, studio-focused sculpture
Yes, I have participated in several recognised residencies and artist placement schemes that have enriched my practice and provided valuable opportunities for experimentation and collaboration.
Notably, I completed a residency with the Environment Agency across Northeast England (2007–2008), which allowed me to engage deeply with environmental themes and community contexts while developing large-scale sculptural work. This placement supported the exploration of materials and concepts that have continued to influence my practice.
Earlier, in 2000, I attended the Cyprus College of Art Summer School, which provided intensive studio time and exposure to an international network of artists, expanding my technical skills and creative outlook.
I have also worked as a Research Associate at Newcastle University (1998–2000), focusing on art in public space, which functioned similarly to a placement and offered critical experience in public commissions and community engagement.
These residencies and placements have been integral to my development as a sculptor, offering the space to explore new ideas, experiment with materials and technologies, and build professional networks that continue to support my evolving career.
Email: info@josephhillier.com
Address: 5 Woodside, Prudhoe, Northumberland, NE42 5PH, GB
Local Authority: Northumberland County Council
