29.10.07
Midas Award 2007: Winner of Cornwall's contemporary art award announced
 Etched coins, printed lithographs, concrete sculpture and paintings inspired by the interlinking processes and forms within nature were just some of the imaginative pieces that had been shortlisted for the Midas Award 2007, the winner of which was announced as Amy Albright at Artonomy Fine Art in Truro on Friday evening.
This contemporary visual arts award was established by Artonomy Fine Art and Midas in conjunction with University College Falmouth last year to focus the spotlight on Cornwall's emerging artists and help the most talented among them to launch their professional careers and reach new audiences.
The award, which is sponsored by property services company, Midas, is also supported by Creative Skills, Cornwall's professional development agency for those in the creative industries, and Krowji, the creative hub based at the Old Grammar School in Redruth.
The four semi-finalists – Amy Albright (painting), Gabriele Beveridge (photography), Rose O'Gallivan (print) and Ian Penna (sculpture), whose work will be on show to the public at Artonomy until Saturday 17 November – were selected by an expert panel of judges during University College Falmouth's annual graduate show in June.
Last year's winner, Sally Noall, will also be exhibiting her new work as part of this show and comments: "Being able to have my own studio space within an artistic environment has been wonderful and has enabled me to produce work that would be impossible to create elsewhere. The whole experience has allowed me to find a niche and way of working that now translates into the art world rather than the college world, to find my feet as an artist after a long time spent studying."
The top prize awarded to Amy Albright by chairman of Midas, Steve Hindley, for her evocative paintings, was a bursary providing funding for studio space at Krowji, a solo show at Artonomy Fine Art in 2008 and professional development support from Creative Skills.
Elaine Hayman, partner at Artonomy Fine Art commented: "We're really inspired by the work of each of the shortlisted artists and congratulate Amy on her success. Breaking through from the graduate scene into the professional art world is one of the hardest steps that artists have to make and we're pleased that we can help by supporting this award and showcasing such fresh, innovative talent. It is also helpful for the graduates to liaise with a commercial gallery as the relationship between artist and dealer is so important, and gives them a taste of what a commercial gallery requires from its artists on a business level as well."
University College Falmouth's Principal, Professor Alan Livingston, added: "Our philosophy at UniversityCollegeFalmouth is to support and develop our students to their full potential so that they are ready to make the move into the commercial art world. Unfortunately, many galleries will only ever take safe steps and showcase the work of artists who have already received critical and commercial success. Artonomy's bravery in establishing this annual exhibition is refreshing and extremely encouraging, and the support of Midas in the award cannot be underestimated."
Steve Hindley, chairman of Midas, said: "We are delighted to be involved with such a great initiative and we are pleased that it is becoming an integral part of Cornwall's creative calendar. The significance of creativity and culture is as important to the future of Cornwall as the physical regeneration that the county is currently experiencing. The standard of work that the semi-finalists produced this year was very inspiring, making it an honour to present the award to AmyAlbright. I wish her every success in her future career."
"I am extremely grateful to have been awarded this invaluable opportunity and I feel privileged to have been chosen from such a diverse, talented group of artists," concluded Amy on being announced the winner. "Not only am I delighted to receive recognition for my work, but this award will also give me a head start in the competitive art scene and the confidence to really push my career forward."
For further information please contact Jilly Easterby, Head of Public Affairs, University College Falmouth, on 01326 213792 or email jilly.easterby@falmouth.ac.uk.
The Objective One Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has invested in the Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC) project, both Phase 1 and Phase 2, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund (ESF). UniversityCollegeFalmouth is a partner of the CUC.
Editor's notes:
Amy Albright
Amy Albright grew up in Cornwall and is currently living in Lostwithiel.
Amy has developed a painterly language that alludes to the interlinking processes and forms within nature; the quiet underlying processes that often pass almost unnoticed, yet play a unified role in our complex habitat. In order to comprehend nature's formation, Amy looks at a variety of sources
including meteorological, astrological, satellite and microscopic imagery.
Amy's painting process is organic, imitating nature's ephemeral flux.
Engaging with the formal issues of painting, Amy works intuitively, responding to marks previously made.
"I'm trying to trap the intangible and unsettle the viewers' sense of scale," Amy explains. "On the verge between figuration and abstraction, my paintings are ambiguous, giving clues but not completion."
The three semi-finalists were:
Gabriele Beveridge
Gabriele Beveridge grew up in Hong Kong and has lived in Cornwall for four years. Discarding any conventional assumptions about the formal qualities of photography, her work explores the nature of the medium itself, in the hope of providing places in which the invisible, the ineffable, the unknown, are allowed to present themselves. Her interest in the reconstruction of time, the gravity of experience and the notion of emptiness inspires further interest in the characteristics of photography and the deliberation around how she challenges communicating the vacant beyond of language. Providing space and ambiguity to generate a stepping stone for the viewers' imagination is at the heart of her work.
Rose O'Gallivan
Rose O'Gallivan works with her own developed symbols and motifs, using visual metaphor to explore an interest in the contrary ideas of nature and culture. Rose is interested in the aesthetics of historic methods of communicating ideas and common thought, and draws reference from 17th century alchemical engravings and graphic displays of information in dated maps, diagrams and posters.
Recently, the process of re-engraving and printing both sides of coins has become another way to express the tendency to create contraries, whilst satisfying a need to personalise dry and official artwork.
Ian Penna
Ian Penna was born in Redruth and has lived in Cornwall for most of his life.
His former profession is part of the catalyst that fuelled and changed his ambition, which is to pursue the art of sculpture. His work is totally three-dimensional and the materials he uses are to show texture, surface quality, tactile qualities, and the quality of light on various surfaces. He combines his skills of preparation, investigation, manipulation and the application of materials in space.
His idea of articulating forms through materials and their physical properties becomes an investigative way of questioning how form, rather than shape, can be achieved.
When manipulating recognisable surfaces, materials and forms, as well as combining processes from architecture, sculpture and painting, the work produced evolves towards Formalist propositions by necessity which are abstract, promoting some value of aesthetics.
About University College Falmouth
University College Falmouth is internationally respected for the quality of its undergraduate and postgraduate courses in art, design and media, and has a long and distinguished history of fine art practice.
The College plans to merge with Dartington College of Arts in January 2008. This merger will secure the future of Dartington's portfolio of Performance courses and international reputation. It will also result in dynamic new courses at University College Falmouth in Music, Theatre and Choreography, and strengthen its provision in Writing and Art.
The College currently has over 2300 students and two campuses: the historic Woodlane in Falmouth; and Tremough near Penryn, which is shared – in a collaboration that is unique in the UK – with the University of Exeter.
Founded in 1902, University College Falmouth gained the power to award degrees in its own name in 2004 and was granted the status and title of University College in 2005. It is the only degree-awarding body in Cornwall.
University College Falmouth is a founding partner in the Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC), a unique initiative to promote regional economic regeneration through higher education. The CUC is funded mainly by the European Union (Objective One), the South West Regional Development Agency, and the Higher Education Funding Council for England, with support from Cornwall County Council.
www.falmouth.ac.uk
About Midas
Midas is one of the UK's fastest-growing, independent providers of property solutions, and has 30 years' experience offering a complete range of construction and property-related services for all industry sectors.
The Midas Group is made up of specialist trading companies and dedicated consumer teams that deliver a highly personalised service. Midas works closely with clients and partners to develop open, long-term relationships and deliver high-quality, value-for-money projects on time, ensuring that customers have a positive experience and their expectations are exceeded.
www.midasgroup.co.uk
About Artonomy Fine Art
Artonomy Fine Art represents a number of British contemporary artists including leading painters and printmakers from the South West of England.
Originally an art consultancy in 2001, Artonomy moved premises in October 2005 to a former 19th century theological library in Green Street, Truro. The gallery has three exhibition rooms and has a changing exhibition programme.
www.artonomy.co.uk
About Creative Skills
Creative Skills is the professional development agency for practitioners working in the creative industries in Cornwall. Their aim is to equip creative practitioners in Cornwall with the skills, knowledge and opportunities they need to develop and share their creativity, and increase their prosperity. Creative skills is funded by the Learning and Skills Council and Objective One, and supports professional development through structured support and training for those who work in the creative industries in Cornwall.
www.creativeskills.org.uk
About Krowji
Krowji is the creative cluster of studios, workspaces and offices based at the former Grammar School in Redruth. The site was acquired in 2005 and following some refurbishment, the first users moved in later that year. There are now about 80 people based on site, including furniture makers, jewellers, web designers, picture framers, theatre companies, painters and potters as well as office staff from a number of sector support agencies such as Creative Skills and the County Council's Creative Unit. There is also a licensed café, gallery space, meeting rooms and a rehearsal space.
Krowji's vision is to develop the site into a focus for Cornwall's creative sector and to contribute to the regeneration of Redruth. The organisation is part-way through the design phase, working with architects Workhousedesign from Truro who were chosen following a national competitive selection process. Krowji expects to be granted planning permission early in 2008 and will then, in partnership with the local authorities, CPR Regeneration and the SW Regional Development Agency, be undertaking substantial expansion of the facilities on site with the aim of providing space for 300 people by 2010.
The name 'Krowji' comes from the Cornish language word for shed or small workspace.
Clare Morgan
Media Relations Manager
Objective One Partnership Office
Castle House
Pydar Street
Truro TR1 2UD
Mobile: 07973 813647
Telephone: 01872 223439
cmorgan@cornwall.gov.uk
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