N Ireland collective wins prestigious Turner Prize for art

LONDON (AP) — An 11-person collective from Belfast that aims to transcend Northern Ireland’s political and religious divides has won the U.K.’s prestigious Turner Prize for art. The Array Collective took the 25,000 pound ($33,000) prize on Wednesday for “The Druithaib’s Ball,” a recreation of a traditional Irish shebeen, or speakeasy full of references to 100 years of Northern Ireland history. Prize organizers said the collective’s work tackles “urgent social and political issues affecting Northern Ireland with humor, seriousness and beauty.” Named for 19th-century landscape painter J.M.W. Turner, the award was founded in 1984 and helped make stars of potter Grayson Perry, shark-pickling artist Damien Hirst and filmmaker Steve McQueen.