The UK’s most northerly museum, Shetland Museum and Archives, is on the short list for The Art Fund Prize for museum and galleries 2008.

The four short listed museums have been selected for the next stage of the UK’s largest arts prize and will now compete for the £100,000 Prize, which is awarded for originality, imagination and excellence. The winner will be announced on 22 May at the Royal Institute of British Architects in London.

The museum in Lerwick is the only Scottish representative on the short list and has beaten The Pier Arts Centre on Orkney, which was the other Scottish museum on the ten-strong long list.

The short list, which spans the length and breadth of the country, is:

Shetland Museum and Archives, Lerwick, Shetland
This vibrant new museum and archive is set within a restored 19th Century dock and provides a new ‘Heritage Hub for Shetland’. Shetland Museum and Archive tells the fascinating story of Britain’s most northerly group of islands - from its geological beginnings to the present day. The project has preserved the rich culture and heritage of these most northerly of British islands, encouraging visitors to discover more through a network of local heritage and cultural sites.

The British Empire and Commonwealth Museum, Bristol, for ‘Breaking the Chains’
From the enslavement and resistance of African peoples in the Transatlantic trade to the 2004 tragedy of Morecambe Bay, this landmark exhibition presents the 500-year history and legacy of slavery. Launched to commemorate the bicentenary of the abolition of slavery in Britain in 1807, the challenging and emotive displays in this exhibition also show why campaigns against slavery need to continue to this day.

The Lightbox gallery and museum, Woking
In 1993, a group of local people got together to create a museum and gallery for Woking’s town centre. Fifteen years on, their dream has been realised in a contemporary arts centre that is beacon for the local community and that presents a unique collaboration between local history, the visual arts and architecture. Housed in a striking new building, The Lightbox has been critically acclaimed as an ‘ingenious jewel’.

Wellcome Collection, London
American-born philanthropist and entrepreneur Sir Henry Wellcome dreamed of a ‘Museum of Man’ to house his collection of artefacts and objects; 70 years later, the Wellcome Collection opened its doors on London’s Euston Road. This hybrid space - which is somewhere between a gallery, museum and live event space – approaches science in a fresh and engaging way. Over 1,500 exhibits are used to explore the new connections between medicine, life and art.

Sue MacGregor, Chair of the Judges, comments: “We've been greatly impressed by each of the museums we've looked at over the past few weeks, and I'm delighted that the short list of four continues our theme of diversity, distinctiveness and real excellence. Any one of them could be a worthy winner: which makes our next task - finding that winner - very challenging indeed!”

David Barrie, Director of The Art Fund comments: "These four astonishingly diverse projects not only span the country, but also a dizzying range of topics, from slavery and medical science to contemporary art and seafaring. In their very different ways they prove just how exciting our museums and galleries can be. Now it's for the judges to pick the final winner - they'll have a hard job!"

The short list for The Art Fund Prize (formerly The Gulbenkian Prize) was selected from a long list of ten UK museums and galleries. The other six in the running were: the British Library, London, for ‘Sacred – Discover what we share’; International Slavery Museum, Liverpool; London Transport Museum; National Army Museum, London, for ‘Helmand: The Soldiers’ Story’; The Pier Arts Centre, Orkney.

The Prize is judged by an independent panel, which this year comprises:
- Sue MacGregor CBE (Chair), broadcaster
- Keith Khan, Head of Culture for the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games
- Diane Lees, Director of the V&A Museum of Childhood and Director Designate of the Imperial War Museum
- Christopher Lloyd CVO, former Surveyor of The Queen’s Pictures
- Dr Mark Miodownik, Head of Materials Research Group, King’s College London
- Maggie Semple OBE, Chief Executive of The Experience Corps Ltd
- Emma Soames, Editorial Director of SAGA Publishing

The Art Fund Prize is open to all accredited museums and galleries in the UK. As well as celebrating excellence, it is also intended to increase public appreciation and enjoyment of all these museums and galleries have to offer.

Last year’s winner was Pallant House Gallery in Chichester. Previous winners include Brunel’s ss Great Britain in Bristol (2006), Big Pit: National Mining Museum of Wales, Blaenafon (2005), The Scottish Gallery of Modern Art for Landform - part sculpture, part garden, part land-art - by Charles Jencks (2004), and the National Centre for Citizenship and the Law at the Galleries of Justice in Nottingham (2003).

For more information please visit: http://www.artfundprize.org.uk