The Canada Council for the Arts has awarded the eight winners of the 2007 Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts.
Ian Carr-Harris, Aganetha Dyck, R. Bruce Elder, Murray Favro, Fernand Leduc and Daphne Odjig received awards for artistic achievement; ceramist Paul Mathieu received the Saidye Bronfman Award for excellence in the fine crafts, while David P. Silcox received the outstanding contribution award for his work as a writer, educator, cultural administrator and arts volunteer.
The winners were presented with their awards by Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaelle Jean, Governor General of Canada, at a ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, March 23. In addition to a $25,000 prize (increased this year from $15,000, in honour of the Council’s 50th anniversary), the winners were presented with original artworks created by New Brunswick ceramist and sculptor Peter Powning, winner of the 2006 Saidye Bronfman Award.
The 8th annual Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts, funded and administered by the Canada Council for the Arts, recognize distinguished career achievement in the visual and media arts by Canadian artists, as well as outstanding contributions to the visual and media arts through voluntarism, philanthropy, board governance, community outreach or professional activities. The Saidye Bronfman Award, which recognizes excellence in the fine crafts, is funded from the proceeds of a $1.5 million endowment given to the Canada Council by The Samuel and Saidye Bronfman Family Foundation in 2006. The National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa is currently presenting an exhibition of the winners and their works.
The Canada Council offers a range of grants and services to professional Canadian artists and arts organizations in dance, interdisciplinary and performance art, media arts, music, theatre, visual arts, writing and publishing in order to promotes the study and enjoyment of the arts. It also promotes public awareness of the arts through its communications, research and arts promotion activities. For more information www.canadacouncil.ca
