Blinkers Art and Project Space Wins Lacey Prize

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Blinkers Art and Project Space in Winnipeg has been awarded the $50,000 Lacey Prize. 

“This is for all the community members, volunteers and loved ones who believed in and took a chance on the existence and survival of this centre,” said director Luther Konadu. 

“For us, this prize is a newfound source of courage, significance and access towards ambitious prospects that have felt previously out of reach.” 

Blinkers, a new project space in Winnipeg, is run entirely by volunteers. 

The jury said that “among a very competitive field of applicants, Blinkers Art and Project Space distinguished itself by the development of its infrastructure, which in a relatively short period has successfully committed to bring a robust range of artistic voices from across Canada to the vibrant cultural community of Winnipeg.” 

The Lacey Prize, established in 2019 by John Lacey in association with the National Gallery of Canada, is awarded every two years to artist-run centres and small arts organizations. 

Two $20,000 runner-up prizes went to the UNIT/PITT Society for Art and Critical Awareness in Vancouver and the Khyber Centre for the Arts in Halifax.

The jury was composed of Eunice Bélidor, curator of Quebec and Canadian contemporary art at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts; Jonathan Shaughnessy, director, curatorial initiatives at the National Gallery of Canada; and Louise Lacey-Rokosh, an artist and a representative from the Lacey family.

Source: National Gallery of Canada