Nancy Saunders Wins the Virginia J. Watt Scholarship

On January 25, 2018, the IAF was pleased to announce Nancy Saunders as the 2017–18 recipient of the Virginia J. Watt Scholarship, valued at $2,500 and awarded annually to aid students in their academic pursuits. From Kuujjuaq, QC, Saunders is currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in studio arts at Concordia University in Montreal. An accompanying Profile on her artistic pursuits can be found on page 22 of this issue.

Saunders was named following an intensive jurying process that comprised applications from more than 20 students. “Nancy was selected for the scholarship for her commitment to Inuit arts and culture,” said jury member Ryan Rice. “She reaffirms Inuit culture as integral to her art practice and research by reclaiming the vitality and voice embedded in Inuit traditional creative expression. Her interest in merging media, old and new, will carry forward Inuit art and culture well into the future.” The 2017–18 jury also included Sandra Dyck, Curator, Carleton University Art Gallery, Dr. Heather Igloliorte, Concordia University Research Chair in Indigenous Art History and Community Engagement, and Dr. Carla Taunton, Associate Professor in the Division of Art History and Critical Studies at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University.

The next call for applications will open up in the fall of 2018 to be awarded for the 2019 winter semester.