Academic wins European Heritage Award for ‘unprecedented’ study
“Each winning achievement is the result of extraordinary skills and commitment spanning heritage places and traditions across Europe”
An architectural historian from St John’s has won Europe’s top heritage award for her ‘inspiring’ research.
Professor Deborah Howard is among 30 winners in the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards 2023 for her study into the architectural heritage of industrial development of the Veneto, Italy, in the 16th-century, which was described by judges as ‘unprecedented’.
The awards, funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union, are granted in five categories: Conservation and Adaptive Reuse; Research; Education, Training and Skills; Citizens’ Engagement and Awareness-raising and Heritage Champions.
Professor Howard, who is Professor Emerita of Architectural History in the Faculty of Architecture and History of Art and a Fellow of St John’s, is a winner in the Research category for her three-year study that culminated last year in a book published in both English and Italian and an exhibition at the Palladio Museum in Vicenza, Italy.
Margaritis Schinas, European Commission Vice-President for Promoting our European Way of Life, who is in charge of Culture, said: “Each winning achievement of this year’s European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards is the result of extraordinary skills and commitment, collective and individual, spanning heritage places and traditions across Europe. By honouring these achievements, we also reiterate our firm commitment to protecting our shared cultural heritage, because it is vital for our sense of togetherness as citizens and communities of Europe.”
Professor Howard’s work has provided insight into the history of innovation and the transfer of knowledge at a European level, focusing on the merits of hydraulic power. Selection committees examined entries from 35 European countries before the winners were chosen by a jury of heritage experts from across the continent.
She said: “I was so thrilled to discover that my recent work has won a Europa Nostra Heritage Award in the category of Research. I was especially pleased that the award gives recognition to my wonderful collaborators – including my three brilliant research assistants, the wonderful staff of the Palladio centre in Vicenza, and all the owners of around 90 former industrial sites who made our fieldwork possible.”
She curated the exhibition last autumn at the Palladio Museum in Vicenza, entitled Acqua, Terra, Fuoco (‘Water, Earth, Fire’): Industrial Architecture of the Renaissance in the Veneto, and edited an accompanying book, Proto-Industrial Architecture of the Veneto in the Age of Palladio. The exhibition, which ended in March, celebrated the 10th anniversary of the museum, housed in one of the architect Andrea Palladio’s finest palaces, the Palazzo Barbaran da Porto, and revealed the spirit of enterprise that underpinned his career.
Members of the public can now vote online to decide who will win the Public Choice Award 2023 at the European Heritage Awards ceremony on 28 September, which is being held at the Palazzo del Cinema on the Venice Lido, normally the venue for red-carpet film premières. “The overall winner will be determined by popular vote, in the best Eurovision tradition,” said Professor Howard.
The deadline to vote is 28 August 2023 and the winner will receive €10,000 EUR and a trophy. In due course there will also be a special ceremony to install a bronze plaque at the Palladio Museum.
Cecilia Bartoli, world-renowned mezzo-soprano and President of Europa Nostra, said: “I warmly congratulate this year’s winners of the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards on their well-deserved recognition. They are inspiring examples which truly contribute to building a more beautiful, sustainable and inclusive Europe. Their success stories demonstrate how adversity can be overcome through pooling expertise, dedication, creativity and innovation. I look forward to meeting them in person and celebrating all the winners at the European Heritage Awards ceremony in our beloved World Heritage City of Venice.”
Vote for the 2023 Public Choice Award
Published 23/6/2023