Earlier today (May 24), the Electric City Culture Council (EC3) handed out the second annual Peterborough Arts Awards at The Mayor’s Luncheon for the Arts at McDonnel St. Activity Centre in Peterborough.
Six awards of $2,000 each were presented for outstanding achievement in the arts, sponsored by local businesses and individuals who have each made a five-year commitment to the awards.
The awards, championed by Bill Lockington of LLF Lawyers, were open to professional artists and arts supporters in any discipline living in the city and county of Peterborough. EC3 received 30 nominations that were reviewed by a five-person jury.
The event was hosted by honorary patron Mayor Diane Therrien, who also addressed the crowd at the sold-out event.
The Mayor’s Luncheon for the Arts featured performances by Hilary Wear, Thomas Vaccaro, Curtis Driedger, the Unity Singers, Justin Million, and more. This year’s keynote speaker was writer Charlie Foran, author of Mordecai: The Life & Times, which won both the Governor General’s Literary Award for nonfiction and the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction in 2011.
The awards were open to professional artists and arts supporters in any discipline living in the city and county of Peterborough. EC3 received 30 nominations that were reviewed by a five-person jury.
The winners in each category are:
Arts Champion: Charlie Werger (Theatre)
Sponsored by Paul Bennett/Ashburnham Realty
Werger, who was not able to attend the event, intends to donate half of his award to Public Energy. The other finalists in the category were:
- Peer and Lori Christensen
- David Goyette
Outstanding Emerging Artist: Nimkii Osawamick (Dance)
Sponsored by Tim and Shelley Barrie of Merit II Realty Limited
The other finalists in the category were:
- Bennett Bedoukian
- Niambi Tree
Outstanding Mid-Career Artist: Patti Shaughnessy (Theatre) and Beau Dixon (Theatre)
Sponsored by Betty and Bill Morris
This award was shared between the two winning artists. The other finalists in the category were:
- Lester Alfonso
- Justin Million
Outstanding Senior Artist: Alice Williams (Visual Arts)
Sponsored by Outpost379
The other finalists in the category were:
- Ursula Pflug
- Washboard Hank
Outstanding Achievement By An Indigenous Artist: Hilary Wear (Performance)
Sponsored by LLF Lawyers
The other finalist in the category was:
- Drew Hayden Taylor
Arts Catalyst: Ryan Kerr (Theatre)
Sponsored by Kate and Alex Ramsay
The other finalists in the category were:
- Geoff Bemrose
- James McKenty
Bierk Art Fund Bursary Awards: Payton Urbach and Alexina St.Pierre-Farrow
In addition to the Peterborough Arts Awards, EC3 presented the Bierk Art Fund Bursary Awards to two graduating high school students.
Payton Urbach and Alexina St.Pierre-Farrow each received a $1,000 bursary for their post-secondary education in the visual arts.
The bursary awards were made possible with support from the Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough’s Bierk Art Fund, established to honour the memory and celebrate the life of Peterborough resident Liz Bierk, wife of renowned artist David Bierk.
