Up-and-coming Calgary artists awarded for work
Ten up and coming Alberta artists and performers, with five from Calgary, have been awarded 2020 Lieutenant Governor of Alberta 2020 Emerging Artist Awards.
The awards celebrate and promote artistic excellence in Alberta in mediums such as theatre, music, technology, literature and visual arts. Since 2003, 20 Distinguished and 63 Emerging Artists have been recognized and $1,230,000 has been awarded to help them further their careers.
This year, 10 artists from 160 applicants were selected by a provincial jury to receive a $10,000 award per artist and join a who’s-who of Alberta arts visionaries.
“We are pleased to be able to invest in advancing the careers of these outstanding artists at the early stages of their professional development” said foundation chair Arlene Strom. “When economic times are tough, our artists are particularly vulnerable. And in the midst of societal change and upheaval, ensuring our artist voices and perspectives are heard is critical.”
This year’s 2020 Emerging Artists from Calgary are:
THEATRE: Griffin Cork. Actor and producer in film and theatre. He is co-founder and artistic producer of Hoodlum Theatre, a small collective dedicated to creating disruptive and unabashed work
According to the Emerging Artist adjudicators, “Cork is a remarkable example of industriousness merged with artistic vision and of the personal that includes the collective. His appraisers point out his exceptional abilities as an actor and a creator and his C.V. already brims with fascinating and engaging projects that ensure he will produce exciting experiences for fellow artists and audiences alike.”
MUSIC: Carlos Foggin. Conductor and music director of the Rocky Mountain Symphony Orchestra which he founded in 2016. It plays concerts in small communities in southern Alberta.
“Foggin is able to connect audiences across the province, making live classical music accessible to diverse communities.”
VISUAL ART: Kablusiak. An Inuvialuk artist and curator with a BFA from Alberta College of Art and Design (now Alberta University for the Arts).
“The jury was enthusiastic about celebrating this remarkable artist and are excited to support their practice that spans media and defies categorization.”
VISUAL ART: Tamara Lee-anne
Cardinal. A mixed-media artist, community activist, and perpetual learner originally from Saskatchewan, and a graduate of Alberta University of the Arts. She is a recipient of the National BMO 1st Art! Competition Award.
“The jury was impressed not only with the quality and impact of her work but the degree to which the ideals and concepts transcend the work itself and are embodied in her way of working.”
LITERARY: Amy Leblanc. Currently completing an MA in English literature and creative writing at the University of Calgary where she was editor-in-chief of NŌD Magazine for two years. Leblanc’s debut poetry collection, I know something you don’t know, was published in March 2020. Her novella, Unlocking, will be published by the Ucalgary Press in 2021.
“In five years, Leblanc has had three dozen works of poetry and fiction accepted by magazines and periodicals, and three books about to come out with publishers across Canada, including the University of Calgary Press. Her new work is exploring timely issues of health and feminism.”
The Edmonton-based recipients are Bruce Cinnamon (literary); Evan Pearce (music, visual arts); Lauren Crazybull (visual arts); Luc Tellier (theatre); and Molly Wreakes (music).