Winner of Cornwall's new contemporary art award announced

Sculptures based on household ornaments, miniature fairies carved from wisdom teeth and fantastical furniture incorporating shapes from nature were just some of the imaginative pieces that had been shortlisted for the first ever University College Falmouth/Midas Projects Graduate Award, the winner of which was announced as Sally Noall at Artonomy Fine Art in Truro on Thursday evening.

The new visual arts award was set up by University College Falmouth in conjunction with Artonomy Fine Art earlier this summer to put Cornwall’s top artistic talent in the spotlight and help the most talented artists in the region to launch their commercial careers and reach new audiences.

The award, which is sponsored by Midas Projects (part of the Midas Group) is also supported by Creative Skills – Cornwall’s professional development agency for those in the creative industries.

The five semi-finalists, whose work will be on show to the public at Artonomy until 21 October, were selected by an expert panel of judges during University College Falmouth’s annual graduate show in June.

Their work covers the whole spectrum of visual arts from video work to photography and from sculpture to painting.

The top prize – awarded to Sally Noall by Chief Executive of the Midas Group, Alan Hope, for her domestic ornaments and figurines which she alters and interrupts through using sculpture – was a bursary providing funding for studio space at the Old Grammar School in Redruth, as well as a solo show at Artonomy Fine Art next year and the support of Creative Skills.

Steve Kyffin, senior partner at Artonomy commented: “We’re really inspired by the work of each of the shortlisted artists and congratulate Sally on her success.

“Breaking through from the graduate scene into the world of commercial art 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.”

University College Falmouth’s Principal, Professor Alan Livingston added: “Our philosophy at University College Falmouth 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 – nor are there enough studio spaces. As well as celebrating the rich traditions of Cornwall’s artistic past, we should be investing in the new generation of artists. Artonomy’s bravery in creating this new annual exhibition is refreshing and extremely encouraging, and the support of Midas in this awards scheme cannot be underestimated.”

Alan Hope, Chief Executive of the Midas Group, said: “At Midas, we are proud to support University College Falmouth and its graduates – who will be at the forefront of Cornwall’s creative industries, bringing new economic and cultural benefits to the region – by sponsoring this award, and wish Sally every success in her future endeavours.”

“This award, which provides me with a studio, a solo exhibition and creative skills advice, will really help me make the transition from student to working artist,” explained Sally on being announced the winner. “This award not only enables the shortlisted artists to share their work with a much wider audience but also acts as a springboard for our future careers and I would very much like to thank University College Falmouth, Midas Projects and Artonomy Fine Art for the fantastic support they have shown me.”

Press enquiries to: Jilly Easterby/University College Falmouth on 01326 213792 or Sarah Gunn/Midas Projects on 01752 509581.

Notes for editors

About Sally Noall
Sally Noall was born in South Yorkshire, moved to Cornwall twelve years ago, and now lives in Falmouth. For as long as she can remember, she has been fascinated with people and the attachments they form with their personal objects and possessions – in particular, the kind of domestic ornaments and figurines that decorate the mantelpieces and shelves of many homes. This forms the basis of her works and through her pieces she hopes to hold a mirror to ourselves, to question and reveal something of our ‘taste’ and culture. Working predominantly in sculpture, she takes these common and recognisable objects, altering and interrupting their appearances to expose inert and perfect utopian values and ideals.

The five finalists were:

Sally Noall – Domestic ornaments and figurines, which she alters and interrupts through using sculpture, form the basis of Sally’s works.

Paul Carter and Alexandra Zierle – their entry is a joint performance video work exploring the dynamics of relationships through spontaneous play and surreal and humorous interactions.

Cordelia Cembrowicz – Cordelia enjoys working meticulously and has sculpted her own wisdom teeth into miniature fairies.

Becky Haughton – Becky works from her own and others’ photographs, drawing and etching to combine elements from the photos and adjusting their scale, composition and perspective.

Phillipa Rushworth – the strongest recurring theme in Phillipa’s work in the difference between fantasy and reality, adult and childhood and man-made and natural.

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 has over 2000 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.

About Midas Projects

Midas Projects (UK) Ltd delivers major on-going programmes across the UK within the retail, healthcare, education and defence sectors, working with both the private and public sector, commercial and Residential, in long term framework agreements. It is also responsible for delivering one-off design and build projects valued at over £10 million.

Major Projects
Delivering flagship Design and Build Projects across the South West including:
• The £17m Glasney Parc Accommodation Campus for the Combined Universities in Cornwall
• The £16m redevelopment of the Royal William Yard in Plymouth for the developer Urban Splash
• At present working on a £12m project at Tremough for a further 300+ student Residence accommodation.

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.
From the gallery, a former 19th century theological library in the city of Truro, they run a changing exhibition programme of new works and related events.

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