Today, eight artists won Governor General’s Awards in recognition of their exceptional careers and contributions to the visual arts, media arts and fine craft in Canada.
Each will receive $25,000, and have their works go on view at the Art Gallery of Alberta in summer 2020.
The artist winners are: Deanna Bowen of Toronto, Dana Claxton of Vancouver, Ruth Cuthand of Saskatoon, Michael Fernandes of East Dover, Ken Lum of Philadelphia and Jorge Lozano of Toronto.
Artist Anna Torma of Baie Verte is recognized with the GG’s Saidye Bronfman Award in craft excellence. As part of that particular honour, the Canadian Museum of History will acquire one of her works.
The Outstanding Contribution Award goes to cultural administrator, arts advocate, critic and artist Zainub Verjee of Mississauga. That particular award is given to artists, curators and other arts workers who have made an outstanding contribution to the visual arts, the media arts and fine craft in a volunteer or professional capacity.
The winners are decided by peer assessment committees, who review individual nominations from a wider public of arts professionals.
This year, the Artistic Achievement Award and Outstanding Contribution Award were juried by Minden artist Mary Anne Barkhouse; Montreal critic Vincent Bonin; Queens, NY, artist Eleanor King; Montreal filmmaker Claudie Lévesque; Lethbridge artist David Miller; and Vancouver artist Paul Wong.
The Saidye Bronfman Award was juried by Val-Morin artist Susan Edgerley, Toronto craft educator Leopold Kowolik and New York ceramic artist Linda Sormin.
The formal awards ceremony will take place July 3 at the Art Gallery of Alberta, with works by the winners on view there until September 27.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of these prizes, with a total of 170 contemporary visual and media artists, as well as arts professionals, having been recognized for excellence over the past two decades.
