Everyone was a winner at the 2020 Celebration of the Arts Awards held on Sept. 30.
The pandemic edition of the annual honouring of local artists saw all nine finalists in three categories be named winners. Each received an award and a cheque for $1,000, something artists desperately need as the COVID-19 pandemic has ended most live performances and other avenues for artists to make money.
“It is the unanimous decision that all nine finalists, the finalists in each of the three categories in the Sudbury Celebration of the Arts 2020, be declared winners with each of the nine receiving a $1,000 cheque,” Arts Council president Vicki Gilhula said in a press release. “There are nine 2020 outstanding winners.”
The celebration was held at Sudbury Theatre Centre with social distancing measures in place.
The winners
In the Excellence in the Arts Award category, the winners are singer/songwriter Chuck Labelle, Denise Vitali, owner of the Sudbury School of Dance, and entertainer/entrepreneur and educator Pandora Topp.
In the Mid-Career Award category, the winners are painter Jay Favot, singer/songwriter JoPo and opera singer and music instructor Pamela Teed.
And finally, in the Emerging Artists Award category, the winners are singer/songwriter Jennifer Holub, visual artist Gillian Schultze, and playwright Sarah Gartshore
A new award in memory of artist Oryst Sawchuk was also presented. Sawchuk passed away in 2019. He was a painter and architect with a passion for local history. Sawchuk left his mark on the city in the iconic buildings he designed, including the downtown transit centre and Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School.
The Oryst Sawchuk award was presented to Stèphane Gauthier, president of Place des Arts board. The award goes to an administrator, educator or patron who has made a significant contribution to the city. Gauthier was presented with an original Sawchuk painting.
With support from patrons, the Sudbury Arts Council has handed out $65,000 to local artists since 2014.
Eastlink will be airing the awards show Oct. 19 at 8 p.m. on Channels 10 and 610 and again on Oct. 25 at 10 p.m.
