MAY 27, 2009

ONTARIO CELEBRATES OUTSTANDING ARTISTS

McGuinty Government Announces Finalists For Premier's Awards

 

 

NEWS

Ontario is shining the spotlight on the province’s artists and arts organizations with the release of this year’s finalists for the Premier’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts.

The winning artist will receive $35,000 and will select a new or emerging artist to receive a prize of $15,000. The winning arts organization will be awarded $50,000. The remaining finalists will each receive $2,000.

Finalists in the artist category are:

• Lydia Adams, artistic director of the Elmer Iseler Singers of Toronto
• Norm Foster, Ancaster playwright
• Gary Kulesha, Toronto composer, pianist, conductor and teacher of classical music
• Ron Mann, Toronto documentary film-maker
• Ahdri Zhina Mandiela, Toronto, founder and artistic director of "b current” performance arts company
• Albert Moritz, Toronto poet
  

Finalists in the arts organization category are:

• Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, of Toronto
• Guelph Jazz Festival, of Guelph
• Harbourfront Centre, of Toronto
• imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, of Toronto
• Toronto Artscape Inc., of Toronto
• VTape, of Toronto

The winners will be announced June 23 at an event at the Wychwood Barns in Toronto.

QUOTES

“This year’s finalists for the Premier’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts showcase the enormous impact artists have on our province’s economy, and our quality of life. Our artists help us exchange ideas, images, stories and experiences that are uniquely Canadian.”
- Aileen Carroll, Culture Minister

QUICK FACTS

• The Premier’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts are administered by the Ontario Arts Council.

• Over 250,000 people earn their living in Ontario’s culture sector, including 52,000 professional artists.
• The culture sector generates nearly $20 billion of Ontario’s Gross Domestic Product.

 

LEARN MORE

 

• About the McGuinty government’s increased support for arts and culture in Ontario.

 

- 30 -

Contacts:
Sarah Petrevan, Minister’s Office, 416 325-1676
Lisa Robart, Communications Branch, (416) 212-3928