Nominations open for 2016 Mayor’s Celebration of the Arts Awards

Nominations are open for the 2016 Mayor’s Celebration of the Arts Awards. The awards honour the achievements of established artists as well as emerging artists and mid-career artists.

Three awards, totalling $7,500 in bursaries, will be presented this year. Sudbury's arts community will be celebrated Wednesday, May 18 at the Sudbury Theatre Centre.

“Bursaries are made possible through our fundraising and generous corporate and private sponsorships,” said Linda Cartier, president of the SAC, in a press release.

Mayor Brian Bigger will present bursaries to the recipients of the third annual awards event.

The celebration, organized under the auspices of the Sudbury Arts Council, in collaboration with Regroupement des organismes culturels de Sudbury (ROCS), honours artists and heightens the profile of the arts in the community while raising money for artist bursaries.

The 2015 laureates were visual artist Ann Suzuki for Exceptional Achievement in the Arts, actor and singer Stef Paquette for Mid-Career Artist and musician Jamie Dupuis for Outstanding Emerging Artist.

Nominations for the awards are now opened and will close Feb 26 at 5 p.m. Nomination details and forms are available at the Sudbury Arts Council's website, www.sudburyartscouncil.org.

An independent jury of peers will determine a shortlist of finalists and winners.

The Award for Exceptional Achievement in the Arts, which comes with a $3,500 bursary, will be presented to a professional artist for his or her exceptional contribution to the arts during his or her career spanning more than 20 years through an extensive body of works in one or several disciplines, as well as through her/his contribution over time to the development and betterment of the Greater Sudbury arts community.

The Award for Outstanding Mid-Career Artist and a $2,500 bursary will be presented to a mid-career artist with at least 10 years of experience, for his or her sustained efforts to pursue a professional career in the arts and to produce new works, while contributing to the development and betterment of the Greater Sudbury arts community.

The Award for Outstanding Emerging Artist, a cash prize of $1,500, will be presented to a professional artist with 10 years or less of professional artistic practice for the excellence and creativity of her or his artworks and performances.