Bewley’s sponsors new Drawing Award at Royal Ulster Academy

From the commissioning of our renowned Harry Clarke stained glass windows for Bewley’s Grafton Street in 1927 to the works of art which adorn our café to this day, Bewley’s has been a long standing supporter of talented artists who, rather like our coffees and teas, bring great enjoyment to so many people through their work.

Pictured with Rebecca Hume, the winning designer of the Rowel Friers Drawing Award are Royal Ulster Academy President Julian Friers (nephew of Rowel Friers) on the left and Noel John McLoughlin, Marketing Manager of Bewley's.

So we’re are delighted to announce our sponsorship of the Rowel Friers Drawing Award together with the Royal Ulster Academy. Rowel Friers (1920-1998) was an exceptionally talented and much loved cartoonist, illustrator, painter and lithographer.

This is a prestigious new award which recognises the best in drawn art and will be presented annually to the best drawing entry of the Royal Ulster Academy Annual Exhibition. The creation of the award itself has been used to encourage promising designers through a competition held in advance of the 129th RUA Exhibition in Belfast.

The winning designer and silversmith (who crafted the award piece) is Rebecca Hume, a second year silversmithing and jewellery student at University of Ulster pictured here with RUA President Julian Friers (nephew of Rowel Friers) on left and Noel-John McLoughlin, Marketing Manager of Bewley’s. Rebecca completed the award under the supervision of her lecturer Cara Murphy.

Rebecca’s design for the Rowel Friers Award, sponsored by Bewley’s, is predominantly made of silver with the signature of Rowel Friers engraved. The piece is inspired by an artist’s work board and also incorporates a little silver coffee cup, recognising Bewley’s involvement. It includes a base where names of winners can be added annually. The silver is hallmarked.
The first ever Rowel Friers Drawing Award was bestowed on artist Michael Wann at a presentation ceremony marking the opening of the 129th RUA Exhibition. The award itself will be permanently on show in the newly refurbished Ulster Museum. The winner of the award each year will also receive a commemorative silver pin which complements the award.

University of Ulster Silversmithing and Jewellery lecturer, Cara Murphy added: “This was a fantastic commission for the University of Ulster to have been involved with. It was a tremendous achievement for Rebecca and the award created reflects the high calibre of the work produced by our students in the School of Art and Design.”

Rowel Friers, cartoonist, illustrator, painter and lithographer grew up in the Lagan Village area of Belfast and was apprenticed at the age of fifteen to the Belfast lithographic firm S. C. Smith and Co., while studying at the Belfast College of Art from until 1942. In the 1940s he began publishing his cartoons, concentrating on a particularly political subject matter at the beginning of ‘the troubles’ in the late 1960s. His work appeared in publications such as Punch, The Radio Times, The Sunday Independent and The Irish Times among others. Friers was also an important figure in the Ulster Watercolour Society. His oil paintings hang in the National Portrait Gallery, The Gallery of the Ulster Museum and many other collections. He illustrated in a variety of books, including an American edition of the works of W.B. Yeats. He was awarded the MBE in 1977. He was president of the Royal Ulster Academy of Arts from 1993 to 1997.

The Rowel Friers Award will be presented annually to recognise excellence in drawing through the Royal Ulster Academy and is proudly sponsored by Bewley’s. We’ll happily raise our cups to wish good luck to all future award winners!