Ten local artists are vying for three awards — complete with cash bursaries — in the fourth annual Mayor's Celebration for the Arts.
The finalists were announced at an event downtown this morning at the main branch of RBC, the title sponsor.
Mayor Brian Bigger was on hand for the announcement and proclaimed that May 17, the date of the awards gala, would be Celebration of the Arts Day in Greater Sudbury.
“I'm really happy with the ways council has found to support the arts community and arts and culture in general,” he said. “It has a significant impact on the economy, and is an essential element of our community and I hope it will always be here.”
The Outstanding Emerging Artist award, which includes a cash prize of $2,500, will be given to a professional artist with 10 or fewer years of artistic practice.
The nominees in that category are sculptor Tyler Fauvelle, creator of the Stompin' Tom Sculpture in front of Sudbury Arena, music video producer and director Shawn Kosmerly and visual artist Alix Voz.
The Outstanding Mid-Career Artist award, which also includes a $2,500 bursary, will be awarded to a practicing artist with more than 10 years experience.
The nominees for that category are visual artist Wallace Gillard, sibling musicians Jeff, Mitch and Julie Houle, and Caleb Marshall, the artistic executive director of the Sudbury Theatre Centre.
The final award, for Exceptional Achievement in the Arts, comes with a $3,500 bursary and will be presented to a professional artist whose career has spanned more than 25 years and has an extensive body of work.
Two artists are nominated in this category: author and Sudbury's inaugural poet laureate Roger Nash, and visual artist Oryst Sawchuk.
The awards will be presented at the Mayor's Celebration for the Arts gala at the Sudbury Theatre Centre on May 17.
The event is a project of the Sudbury Arts Council in partnership with Regroupement des organismes culturels de Sudbury (ROCS). It's mandate is to raise the profile of the arts within the community and to recognize outstanding professional artists who work in Greater Sudbury.
Tickets to the event are $50 and are available at the STC box office by calling (705) 674-8381 or online at sudburytheatre.ca, as well as Artists on Elgin with cash only.
