The award for Third Place and recipient of the $500 prize in round one of the inaugural, 2026 Capital Square Prize, goes to Eleanor Mahin Thorp (M.F.A.’22). Thorpe was featured on Yellowstone Public Radio in 2025. Her work has been featured in the Washington Post and published in Anarchist Review of Books. She currently teaches at City College at City University of New York.
Eleanor Mahin Thorp (M.F.A.’22) won third prize as a part of the Capital Square Prize, round one, juried exhibition. The Capital Prize, made possible through a partnership between VCUarts and Capital Square, presents an opportunity for Painting + Printmaking alumni to showcase their work within the Capital Square’s new Chasen building in Scott’s Addition. The Capital Prize exhibitions, featuring the work of prize finalists, celebrate the creative legacy of the building as the historic home of N. Chasen & Son paint company as it is transformed into Chasen, a vibrant new residential development bridging Richmond’s artistic past and future.
Artist Biography
Thorp has completed residencies, including Yellowstone Art Museum (2025); Wassaic Projects, La Wayaka, Monson Arts, Banff Centre (2024); Arteles (2023) and Visual Arts Center of Richmond (2022). She is the recipient of the Virginia Museum of Fine Art Fellowship (2023), the VCU Arts Faculty Research Grant (2023) and the Virginia Center for Creative Arts Artist Fellowship (2023). She has been a nominee of the Catherine Doctorow Prize in Contemporary Painting (2025), a semi finalist of the Trackwick Prize (2022) and the Hopper Prize finalist (2020). Thorpe was featured on Yellowstone Public Radio in 2025. Her work has been featured in the Washington Post and published in Anarchist Review of Books. She currently teaches at City College at City University of New York.