LONDON.- Mary Yule, former Assistant Director of independent art charity, The Art Fund, has been selected from more than 26,600 applicants to appear on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square, London on Monday 27 July as part of celebrated artist Antony Gormley’s One & Other project.

Mary who now lives in Forncett St Mary near Norwich , will use her time on the plinth to highlight the work of The Art Fund in saving works of art for the nation, particularly those in the collection of Norwich Castle Museum . She will enact a silent performance on the theme of ‘the ones that didn’t get away‘ and will ‘fish’ for pictures of works of art saved for Norwich , out of a basket. Since 1929, The Art Fund has given £932,788 to help buy a huge range of works for the Castle Museum , from bronze age treasure and medieval altarpieces to paintings by John Crome, Maggi Hambling and Lucien Freud.

She is also using her plinth experience to raise local sponsorship towards a fundraising campaign to fund the creation of a full size photographic facsimile of The Ashwellthorpe Triptych in a reproduction frame, to go into All Saints Church, Ashwellthorpe. The Triptych, which it is thought was originally commissioned for the church, was acquired by the Norwich Castle Museum in 1983 with Art Fund support. It is one of the most beautiful works in the Museum’s collection, as a devotional work of great local interest, and an early example of the cultural links between Norfolk and the Low Countries .

Mary Yule commented: “I’m very excited at the idea of becoming a living artwork and to celebrating The Art Fund in Norfolk on London ’s grandest plinth. The Art Fund believes that art has the power to transform people’s lives, and that everyone should have the opportunity to experience great art at first hand, and Antony Gormley’s public sculpture reflects similar values, particularly his Angel of the North. And as the plinth stands in front of the National Gallery, which contains many masterpieces that wouldn’t be there without The Art Fund, it seems like just the right place to highlight this great cause!”

Andrew Macdonald, Acting Director of The Art Fund said: “I’m delighted that Mary has chosen to highlight the work of The Art Fund during her time on the Fourth Plinth in such an imaginative way. Mary has been doing some fantastic work for us in Norfolk since she joined our Regional Volunteers in 2008 after her long service as our Director of Grants. We wish her every success with her appearance in Trafalgar Square .”

Mary Yule will appear on the Fourth Plinth between 2AM and 3AM on Monday 27 July. She moved to Norfolk in 2007 following her retirement as Assistant Director and Director of Grants at The Art Fund in 2006; in addition to her work for The Art Fund, she also sits on the Committee of the Norfolk Contemporary Art Society. She is one of three participants from Norfolk who have been chosen for the month of July.