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2011 News & Information
Winners of Third Annual Arts Awards Announced
29 April 2011The City of Richmond is pleased to congratulate the six winners of the annual Richmond Arts Awards, announced at a ceremony in Council Chambers on Thursday, April 28, 2011.
Established to recognize the achievements and contributions to the arts by Richmond residents, artists, educators, organizers and business leaders, the Richmond Arts Awards are presented by the City of Richmond in partnership with the Richmond Arts Coalition and are sponsored by the Richmond News.
The 2011 award recipients are:
Leonard Kay for the Arts Education Award, which recognizes an individual or organization whose achievements and contributions to arts education have been significant and far reaching.
Over his 33-year career as a music teacher in Richmond, Len has been an inspiration to countless students. His longest stint was 20 years at Steveston Secondary School where he became known for his untiring and inspiring involvement with the school’s music program and the Richmond Youth Concert Band, which toured nationally and internationally. His teaching career included courses in Concert and Jazz Bands, Concert Choir and Vocal Jazz, Music Composition, Guitar and Musical Theatre. An executive member of the BC Music Educators’ Association, his students have competed in and received many festival honours at the regional, provincial and national level.
Jeanette Jarville for the Artistic Innovation Award, which recognizes an individual artist or organization producing visionary, creative work, exhibiting innovation within in their arts discipline or bringing a new cultural experience to the city of Richmond.
Since her first private painting lessons at age 11, Jeanette has been making art. Raised in Richmond, she won a high school scholarship to attend Emily Carr University of Art & Design in 1992, where she would subsequently win four more scholarships. Prior to graduating in 1996, she spent a year in Berlin, Germany, studying painting, sculpting and installation art as part of a student exchange program. Jeanette is best known for her bold colour and dramatic figurative compositions, typically painted in reverse on the back of clear acrylic panels. In recent years, she has been part of the City’s public art program for utility boxes and Canada Line Art Columns. Jeanette regularly donates her time and artwork to charities and is an active member of the Richmond Arts Coalition.
Coast Capital Savings received the Business and Arts Award. This award recognizes a business that has made a significant contribution to the arts in Richmond by supporting a Richmond-based artist or arts organization through sponsorship, philanthropic and/or volunteer service.
One of Canada’s 50 Best Managed companies, Coast Capital Savings sponsors community events that help build strong families and healthy communities. In addition to financial assistance, the company often provides enthusiastic volunteers to provide hands-on support in front of and behind the scenes. Coast Capital Savings was the presenting sponsor of the 2009 Winterfest Weekend at the Richmond Olympic Oval, and has sponsored other Richmond events including the Richmond Children’s Festival, Rich City Idol and Steveston Salmon Festival.
Nadeane Trowse received the Volunteerism Award, which recognizes an individual who has made a significant contribution to the arts in Richmond by supporting a Richmond-based artist or arts organization through volunteer service.
In 1998, Nadeane approached the Richmond Art Gallery with an extraordinary idea: a three-day exhibition that would include anyone who wished to represent their affection of Finn Slough through art. Now in its 11th year, Art About Finn Slough annually includes work by dozens of artists (nearly 600 visitors enjoyed work by 50 artists in 2011), music, food, guest speakers and more. Nadeane is the driving force behind this community-based event which showcases and inspires artists of all ages, backgrounds and abilities. Described by artist Margaret Dragu as “one of Canada’s first artist/academics,” Nadeane also teaches Writing at the University of the Fraser Valley.
Natalie Lo was recognized for the Youth Award, honoring Richmond’s young artists, musicians and cultural contributors.
Since she was four years old, Natalie has played piano and taken home prizes, including the Gifted Youth Award from the Vancouver Academy of Music in both 2007 and 2008 and second prize in the International Piano Festival in 2009. She has performed twice as a soloist with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. In addition to piano, Natalie plays the violin (receiving the Silver Medal for the highest mark in BC for Grade 6 violin) and the yang qin. She is also an Irish dancer who has competed internationally. Fluent in French, Mandarin and Japanese, Natalie is also an honour roll student at McMath Secondary School where she led a small team in raising over $6,000 for Haiti earthquake relief.
The Cultural Leadership Award, which recognizes an arts professional or organization as a leader in their arts discipline, as well as their organization stewardship and their contribution to Richmond’s cultural development, was awarded to Simon Johnston.
Simon is Gateway Theatre’s Artistic & Executive Director. Over the past 12 years he has served on the Richmond Chamber of Commerce, Tourism Richmond and is a founding member of the Richmond Arts Coalition. He started Gateway’s innovative Studio series and play development programs for emerging artists in professional theatre. Prior to Richmond, he worked in Canadian theatre for almost three decades as an artistic director, director, writer and teacher at the National Arts Centre, Stratford Festival and Banff Centre to name a few. He was awarded the Governor General’s Canada 125 Medal, was inducted into McMaster University’s Alumni Gallery and won Theatre BC’s 1995 National Playwrights Award.
In its third year, 81 nominations from the public were reviewed for consideration for the awards. The selection panel was comprised of last year’s winner for Arts Education, Sid Akselrod; Richmond Arts Coalition board member, Jean Garnett; owner of Phoenix Art Workshop and winner of last year’s Business and the Arts award, Mark Glavina; and artist, Marina Szijarto.