Members of the Turner Prize–winning collective Assemble.

The Turner Prize, given yearly to a British artist under the age of 50 who has presented exceptional work during the previous 12 months, has been awarded to the London-based art, architecture, and design collective Assemble, which will receive a $37,500 prize. Consisting of 18 members, Assemble addresses the relationship between the public and the processes of designing and constructing spaces, often working directly with local communities.

Some of the Granby Four Streets houses.

Though nominated for a number of pieces, the group garnered the most acclaim for its collaboration with Liverpool locals on the Granby Four Streets project. A collection of homes built around 1900 to house artisans, the Granby Four Streets were slated for demolition following the Toxteth riots in 1981, resulting in the eviction of hundreds of residents and the eventual disrepair of the buildings. Working with the Jersey-based social investor Steinbeck Studio, as well as the members of the neighborhood, Assemble designed a plan for the area that would preserve and refurbish the housing, create new public spaces, and provide local training and new job opportunities for residents.

Assemble’s showroom for the Granby Four Streets project.

Assemble is the first collective to receive the Turner Prize, which was established in 1984 and has been won by the likes of Steve McQueen, Chris Ofili, Douglas Gordon, Damien Hirst, and Anish Kapoor. The prize has likewise never been awarded to an architect, though it is interesting to note that none of Assemble’s members has an architecture license and that three have not studied architecture at all. They similarly do not fall under the category of “artists” in the traditional sense, as their work is largely conceived and realized outside of typical art environments, functioning on a real-world, socially impactful level. In fact, this year’s judges have received praise for awarding a “nonartist” one of Europe’s most prestigious visual-arts prizes, a decision that suggests a changing vision of the art world.

In a statement, Assemble's Anthony Engi-Meacock said “There is a strong idea in our society that creativity is for the gifted few, and everyone else inevitably has to just live with and in the culture that the gifted few make. We don't believe that, and our being here is a hopeful sign that there is a wider shift.”