Notable Canadian artists – including Western Indigenous artists Dempsey Bob, Cheryl L'Hirondelle and Lori Blondeau – are being honoured with Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts, the Canada Council for the Arts announced today.
Dempsey Bob (photo by Harold J.T. Demetzer)
Cheryl L. Hirondelle (photo by Nahannie McKay - Banff Centre)
Lori Blondeau (photo by Barb Reimer)
Other winners are Inuit artist Germaine Arnaktauyok, Toronto-based Anishinaabe/Ojibwa artist Bonnie Devine, and Montreal artist Luc Courchesne.
Germaine Arnaktauyok (photo by Sarah Pruys)
Bonnie Devine (photo by David Devine)
Lou Lynn (photo by Janet Dwyer)
The Saidye Bronfman Award, the highest distinction in Canadian fine craft artistry, is going to Lou Lynn, who is based in Winlaw, B.C.
And the Outstanding Contribution Award goes to Bryce Kanbara, an artist and curator in Hamilton, Ont.
A peer committee selected the winners, who will each receive a $25,000 prize and a special-edition bronze medallion in recognition of their work. Video portraits featuring each artist are available.
Simon Brault, the council's CEO noted this year's awards are going to a record number of First Nations, Inuit and Métis artists.
"This pivotal moment is a testament to the strength of art – particularly Indigenous art – in this country,” he said.
Source: Canada Council for the Arts