Preston Pavlis, "when the jig is up, when the act is finished, when the curtain descends," 2020
oil painting, fibre, mixed media, 8′ x 10′ (courtesy CARFAC Alberta)
Preston Pavlis has won the Eldon and Anne Foote Edmonton Visual Arts Prize for his painting "when the jig is up, when the act is finished, when the curtain descends."
The Mitchell Art Gallery at MacEwan University, which nominated the piece, part of the exhibition It's About Time: Dancing Black in Canada 1900-1970 and Now, says it depicts "a Black dancer's dilemma: whether to dance for the audience, or for herself."
In previous years, the winner received $10,000. This year, in a move towards greater equity, the prize money was split between the three finalists. The winner received $6,000 and the runners up – Emmanuel Osahor and the duo of Sharon Rose Kootenay and Jason Symington, each received $3,000.
Previous winners include Arlene Wasylynchuk, Paul Freeman, Brenda Draney, Julian Forrest, Gary James Joynes, Sean Caulfield, Gillian Willans, aAron Munson and Lauren Crazybull.
Source: CARFAC Alberta