CALGARY, AB, July 11, 2017 - The Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Arts Awards Foundation is pleased to announce that composer John Estacio (Edmonton), visual artist Alex Janvier (Cold Lake), and poet and writer Alice Major (Edmonton) have been selected to receive the 2017 Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Distinguished Artist Award.
The three were selected from a pool of 42 outstanding nominations by an adjudication panel chaired by Howard Jang, Professor of Professional Practice and Director of Woodward’s Cultural Unit, School for the Contemporary Arts, Simon Fraser University. His fellow adjudicators were Heather Moore, Producer and Executive Director, Canada Scene, National Arts Centre; Carol Holmes, Executive Director, Writers’ Guild of Alberta; and Pierre Arpin, Director and Chief Executive Officer, Contemporary Calgary. The adjudication process was facilitated by the Awards Secretariat, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.
Phil Ponting, chair of the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Arts Awards Foundation said, “Albertans should take enormous pride in the accomplishments of these three outstanding artists. Through music, word, colour and shape, they open us to new and beautiful ways of experiencing our world. The high calibre of nominations overall reflects a province mature in artistic development.”
The laureates will each receive a handcrafted medal, $30,000 award and two-week residency at the Banff Centre’s Leighton Artists’ Studios. The awards patron, Her Honour, the Honourable Lois E. Mitchell, CM, AOE, LLD, Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, will present the awards at a brunch celebration hosted by Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity Saturday, September 23, 2017. For event tickets ($65) and overnight room bookings call 1-800-413-8368 or purchase online at banffcentre.ca
About The Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Arts Awards Foundation: The Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Arts Awards Foundation, established in 2003, offers two awards programs in alternative years:
The Distinguished Artist Awards program (odd years) gives up to three awards of $30,000 each in recognition of outstanding achievement. The Emerging Artist Awards program (even years) gives up to 10, $10,000 awards to promising artists at an early stage of their professional careers.
Alberta communities enter into a less formal competition by submitting proposals to host the Distinguished Artist Awards Gala as the cornerstone of a local arts celebration designed to strengthen their creative community.
The Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Arts Awards Foundation is incorporated under the Companies Act in Alberta and a registered charity.