Inaugural Arts Award Winners Announced
18 April 2009
The City of Richmond is pleased to
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| Photo Courtesy of Chung Chow Richmond Review |
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 and Opacity Design Group Inc.
The 2009 award recipients are:
Adriene Moore for the Arts Education Award, which recognizes an individual or organization whose achievements and contributions to arts education have been significant and far reaching.
In her 35 years as a teacher, 26 of them in Richmond elementary schools, Moore has inspired countless students, integrated arts programs with special needs students and developed a curriculum to integrate art education in elementary school programs. In 2002, she was a key organizer of Artists Among Us, an important community outreach event for the Richmond Art Gallery. An accomplished painter and illustrator, and member of the Canadian Federation of Artists as well as the Richmond Artists’ Guild, Moore shares her home studio with artists to practice life drawing as a non-profit group. She also sits on the City of Richmond’s Public Art advisory board, and teaches adult painting classes and workshops.
Margaret Dragu 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.
A resident of Finn Slough, Dragu is celebrating her third decade as a performance artist who has presented work in galleries, museums, theatres, nightclubs, libraries, universities, parks and parade routes throughout Canada, the USA and Western Europe. She is also a film and video artist, writer, choreographer, actor, radio broadcaster, fitness instructor and extremely famous cleaning lady. Last fall, the Richmond Art Gallery hosted her exhibition “Marginalia: Getting Out of the House” with artist Pam Hall, a Canadian coast-to-coast collaboration that explored connection, community, feminism and domesticity.
Shelley Morris Business Services 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 volunteer service.
In 1996, during the Richmond Orchestra and Chorus Association’s (ROCA) 10th anniversary year, a chance conversation between Shelley Morris and the arts group led to an extraordinary offer: a furnished office, free of charge, with no strings attached. By taking them from the kitchen table to a professional working office environment, Shelley Morris gave ROCA both the amenities and stability that enabled them to afford a part-time general manager and, in turn, grow into a recognizable leader in the arts community.
Janice Froese 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.
Since moving to Richmond in 1988, Froese has been part of the Richmond Orchestra and Chorus — as a singer, board member and volunteer marketing director until becoming the general manager in 2003. She has also volunteered her time and skills to several other organizations, including the BC Choral Federation, Richmond Music School, Richmond Youth Concert Band and Richmond Spirit of BC Arts Committee. In 2005, she sat as the founding chair of the Richmond Arts Coalition, helping to form the society’s mandate and mission, as well as managing its website. A passionate advocate for the arts, she received the Ethel Tibbits Award for the Arts in 2006.
Kenny Wong for the Youth Award, honoring Richmond’s young artists, musicians and cultural contributors. Wong began violin studies with Lorraine Grescoe at the age of six and has won numerous awards and scholarships. He has played with many orchestras including the Banff Centre Orchestra, Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra and Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra, where he has performed as a soloist and was awarded a scholarship. A graduate of Matthew McNair Secondary, where he also played French horn in the senior band, upright bass and bass guitar in the jazz band and was a member of the choir, he is currently studying violin performance at McGill University under Mark Fewer, concertmaster of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.
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 the Richmond Orchestra and Chorus Association.
For 23 years, ROCA has kept choral and orchestral music in the forefront of Richmond’s arts community. This season, the group of about 100 musicians, ranging from high school students to seniors will perform a varied five-concert series as well as make regular free community appearances throughout the year. ROCA’s members come from all walks of life and welcome the opportunity to share their love of many kinds of music with a wider audience. Previous special concerts have included the opening of the International Terminal of YVR, the Tall Ships Festival and a performance at New York’s famed Carnegie Hall.
In its first year, 41 nominations from the public were received for consideration for the awards. The selection panel was comprised of Jane Fernyhough, Arts, Heritage and Culture Manager for the City of Richmond; Sal Ferreras, Dean at School of Music, Vancouver Community College and a percussionist; Nicki Roberts, Vice-President of New Image Studios and co-chair of Richmond Chamber of Commerce Business and Arts Committee; and Robin White, Richmond Arts Coalition board member.
