News / 08 Dec 2023
Fine Art graduate awarded Eleanor Worthington Prize 2023
BA (Hons) Fine Art
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I Want You by Frances Tabbernor. Photograph courtesy of the artist.
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I Want You (detail) by Frances Tabbernor. Photograph courtesy of the artist.
Recent BA (Hons) Fine Art graduate, Frances Tabbernor, won third prize in the Eleanor Worthington Prize 2023 for their oil painting submission ‘I Want You’ which aligned with the ‘Disability and Autonomy’ theme of the 2023 prize.
Eleanor Worthington was a disabled artist from York who studied at the Istituto Statale d’Arte (now Liceo Artistico) in Urbino. Eleanor tragically died at the age of 26 in 2008. Eleanor’s family, friends and school set up The Eleanor Worthington Prize with the aim of raising awareness of the issue of disability. The prize is run on the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3 December each year by the Associazione Premio Eleanor Worthington-ODV, a non-profit organisation based in Urbino, Italy.
"I love Italy, and Urbino is fabulous, a treasure trove of Renaissance architecture and art. With the university at its heart, it is a vibrant place too. I half-jokingly told friends that I was participating in the prize as an excuse to reacquaint myself with its steep streets, churches, and shops selling crescia. In reality, the competition and several other opportunities I’d identified gave me structure and encouragement to focus on my creative practice."
Frances Tabbernor, BA (Hons) Fine Art graduate
Frances continues; "The painting shows a chase unfolding while an observer gazes down, yearning to participate. The proposition is that swimming can be a great leveller. Whatever the state of mind or body, engagement with water is immersive and offers relief and autonomy rarely achieved on land. It takes its title I Want You from Buzzcocks, Autonomy."
‘I Want You’ shall be exhibited at York St John University from 5 March to 21 March, and Urbino in mid-August 2024; exact dates and information to be confirmed.