Robert Amos (photo courtesy of Victoria Visual Arts Legacy Society)
The Victoria Visual Arts Legacy Society is marking its 15th anniversary with a gala on April 9, plus an announcement that it is presenting a new award and it is increasing its bursaries, giving more money to more artists than ever before in its history.
“ Acknowledging the escalating cost of an artist’s life in Victoria, VVALS has increased its annual bursaries to $1,200 each and are presenting them to 10 students (up from $1,000 to eight recipients),” according to the news release.
Pat Martin Bates (photo courtesy of Victoria Visual Arts Legacy Society)
It will also continue its mandate of connecting Victoria’s artistic past to its future by pairing students with awards in the name of its legacy artists. This year, that includes two new designations: contemporary sculptor and painter Miles Lowry as well as the late etcher and printmaker Jo Manning.
Artist and arts writer Robert Amos will also be honoured at this year’s gala for his work documenting the visual arts in Victoria for more than 30 years. He will be presented with the inaugural Pat Martin Bates Community Legacy Award.
A former professor at the University of Victoria, Pat Martin Bates, 97, is a Canadian printmaker and founder of what became Victoria's XChanges Gallery and Studios.
A longtime writer and artist, Amos has written many stories and books including E.J. Hughes: Life at the Lake as well as E.J. Hughes: Canadian War Artist.
“For decades, Robert Amos has brought art and the artists that create it into our homes through newspapers, the radio and his books,” reads the news release. “The importance of his knowledge and his unflagging promotion of the visual arts in our region cannot be understated."
Source: Victoria Visual Arts Legacy Society
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