William Eakin
2009
William Eakin has been named the eighth recipient of the Manitoba Arts Council’s Manitoba Arts Award of Distinction. This $30,000 award is presented annually to recognize the highest level of artistic excellence and distinguished career achievements by a professional Manitoba artist.
William Eakin was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1952. He studied at the Vancouver School of Art from 1971-1974, and then at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston from 1974-1975. He has lectured at the University of Manitoba School of Fine Art and the Department of Fine Art at the University of Victoria (British Columbia). In the mid-1980s Eakin served as Fine Arts Advisor for the Sanivik Co-op in Baker Lake, Nunavut.
Over the last thirty years as a professional artist, he has received numerous awards from Manitoba Arts Council and Canada Council for the Arts, and in 1996 he was recognized with the prestigious Canada Council for the Arts Duke and Duchess of York Prize in photography. He has exhibited his photography in solo and group exhibitions across Canada. Internationally his work has been exhibited in Alaska, Minnesota, France, The Netherlands, Australia, Japan, and Taipei.
Eakin’s photography has been placed in important collections nationally, including: The Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography; the National Photography Collection in Canada’s Public Archives (Ottawa); the Art Bank of the Canada Council for the Arts (Ottawa); the Banff Centre; the Edmonton Art Gallery; the Winnipeg Art Gallery; Air Canada; Gallery 1.1.1. (University of Manitoba); Art Gallery of North York (Ontario); Mackenzie Art Gallery (Saskatchewan); and the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre (Yellowknife). Eakin’s work was included in the comprehensive study Image and Inscription: An Anthology of Contemporary Canadian Photography edited by Robert Bean for YYZ Books (Toronto, 2005).
Previous Award of Distinction recipients include: Roland Mahe (2008), Dr. Robert Turner (2007), Aganetha Dyck (2006), Guy Maddin (2005), Grant Guy (2004), Robert Kroetsch (2003), and Leslee Silverman (2002).
Roland Mahé, Artistic Director of Cercle Molière
2008
Roland Mahé, Artistic Director of Cercle Molière, Canada’s oldest active theatre company, has been named the seventh recipient of the Manitoba Arts Council’s Manitoba Arts Award of Distinction. This $30,000 award is presented annually to recognize the highest level of artistic excellence and distinguished career achievements by a professional Manitoba artist.
Native and resident of St. Boniface, Mr. Mahé strongly believes in the need to develop the Franco-Manitoban identity and his priority is French theatre – written, directed and presented by Manitobans. He has spent 40 years devoted to developing quality theatre, training new actors, and identifying and encouraging local authors. Mr. Mahé has been instrumental in encouraging young people to engage in and develop an appreciation for theatre in French.
In 1970 he founded Festival Theatre-Jeunesse to encourage teenagers to create French theatre in a school environment. In 1983, he established the Pauline-Boutal scholarship fund to support the professional training of young people interested in pursuing studies in theatre. Mr. Mahé also encourages the development of Manitoban playwrights by staging local plays with the goal of developing a strong Franco- Manitoban dramatic base. To date, he has staged more than 100 plays of varied content and style.
Mr. Mahé is a founding member of the Association des theatres francophones au Canada, an association that speaks for theatres in minority settings. He is also co-founder and vice-president of the Association of Western Theatre Companies. Mr. Mahé was the recipient of the Prix hommage pour les arts et les industries culturelles, awarded by the Fédération culturelle canadienne francaise in acknowledgement of his contribution to both cultural vibrancy and the theatrical community of Canada. In March 2004, Mr. Mahé was the recipient of the Ordre des francophones d’Amérique in Quebec City for his inestimable contribution to the French language and culture in Canada. In May 2004 he was appointed a member of the société québécoise d’études théâtrales in recognition of his major contributions to French speaking theatre in Canada.
For over four decades, Mr. Mahé has been committed to theatre, fully dedicated to his art and forever loyal to the company he leads with such diligence. Roland Mahé was honoured at a public ceremony that was held during Manitoba Arts & Culture week in March 2009.
JURY MEMBERS: Roberta Christianson, Louise Fiset, Allan Gilliland, Steve Gouthro, Cherry Karpyshin, Lendre Kearns
Dr. Robert Turner, Composer
2007
Dr. Robert Turner, Manitoba’s most senior distinguished contemporary music composer has been named the sixth recipient of the Manitoba Arts Council Arts Award of Distinction. This $30,000 award is presented annually to recognize the highest level of artistic excellence and distinguished career achievements by a professional Manitoba artist.
Dr. Turner studied piano from an early age and his first pieces were written without formal instruction. He holds a Bachelor of Music from McGill University (1943), a Masters in Music from Vanderbilt University’s George Peabody College (1950) and a Music Doctorate from McGill University (1953). Although he completed numerous compositions during these years, the earliest he acknowledges is String Quartet No. 1, written in 1949. Dr. Turner’s first major commission was received from the Vancouver Symphony and resulted in the Canadian classic Opening Night: A Theatre Overture (1955).
After composing his first opera in 1968 Dr. Turner decided to devote more time to composing and accepted a professorship at the University of Manitoba. In 1985 Dr. Turner retired from teaching and remains a Professor Emeritus of Music at the University of Manitoba. Dr. Turner is author to over 70 compositions in all genres from symphonic and chamber works to operatic, vocal and ensemble pieces, including three symphonies, four concertos, three string quartets and two operas.A great number of works has been commissioned by prominent national and international organizations, most notably the Canada Council, the Manitoba Arts Council and CBC Radio.
In recognition of Dr. Turner’s distinguished, creative and innovative contributions to Canadian music and culture he received the Commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada (1993), the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal (2003) and was appointed to the Order of Canada (2003).
“Dr. Turner’s orchestral works have been performed by every major Canadian orchestra and his chamber music and solo pieces are presented nationally and internationally,” says Dr. Judith Flynn, Chair of Council. “We are so very pleased to celebrate this important senior artist and the lasting contribution he has made to Canadian music and generations of composers in our community.”
Dr. Turner lives in Winnipeg with his wife Sara. He was honoured at a ceremony on March 13th 2008 at the Millennium Centre in Winnipeg.
JURY MEMBERS: Patti Caplette (Winnipeg, Manitoba), Shirley Elias (Winnipeg, Manitoba), Jim Hiscott (Winnipeg, Manitoba), Geneviève Pelletier (Winnipeg, Manitoba), Carmen Robertson (Regina, Saskatchewan), Danny Schur (Winnnipeg, Manitoba), Diana Thorneycroft (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
Aganetha Dyck, Artist
2006
Word is buzzing that well-loved visual artist Aganetha Dyck has been named the fifth recipient of the Manitoba Arts Council Arts Award of Distinction. This $30,000 award is presented annually to recognize the highest level of artistic excellence and distinguished career achievements by a professional Manitoba artist.
Born in Winnipeg, Aganetha has shown her work extensively in over 30 solo exhibitions and numerous group exhibitions across Canada and internationally since 1975. Perhaps best known for her collaborative work with live honeybees, Aganetha’s most recent practise has concentrated on placing ordinary household objects in beehives, allowing the bees to become her artistic partners by adding wax sculptures to the objects. This unique collaboration was recently highlighted in a one-hour episode of “The Nature of Things” with David Suzuki.
“The purpose of this award is to celebrate the careers of senior artists who represent our province so prominently on a national and international scale,” says Judith Flynn, Chair of Council. “This year we are celebrating the exceptional career of Aganetha Dyck, who began her professional artistic practise later in life and has since consistently produced original and thought-provoking work.”
In addition to her recognized excellence in the visual arts, Aganetha has played a vital part in the growth and advancement of the arts community in Manitoba. Aganetha currently sits on the Board of Directors of Plug In Gallery and she has devoted over twenty years as a mentor at MAWA (Mentoring Artists for Women’s Art). According to artist Shirley Brown, “Aganetha is inspirational. Through hard work, perseverance and brilliant creativity she has become an international artist. Knowing her has allowed me as well as many others to attempt this road. Her freethinking lets us know that, artistically; we can do anything we want.”
The artistic excellence of Aganetha’s work has been recognized repeatedly by her peers, and she has received numerous grants throughout her career from Canada Council and the Manitoba Arts Council. Aganetha received her first MAC grant in 1986 and her most recent in 2004. Aganetha was honoured at a ceremony held in March 2007.
Guy Maddin, Filmmaker
2005
Guy Maddin, filmmaker, has been named the fourth recipient of the Manitoba Arts Council Arts Award of Distinction. This $30,000 award is presented annually to recognize the highest level of artistic excellence and distinguished career achievements by a professional Manitoba artist. “Guy Maddin is an artist who has received international recognition,” says Dr. Judith Flynn, Chair of Council, “and it is our pleasure to be able to honour him here at home. For the last 20 years Guy Maddin’s work has played a crucial role in the growth and development of our local film industry. He has used Winnipeg as inspiration for his stories and productions while writing for various magazines and teaching film history at the University of Manitoba. And he has chosen not to leave our community once his work garnered well-deserved national and international recognition.”
Born and raised in Winnipeg, since 1985 Guy Maddin has been creating extraordinary short and feature films, internationally recognized for their unique and uncompromising vision. He started his film art career at the Winnipeg Film Group with The Dead Father, which lead to the production of his feature Tales from the Gimli Hospital in 1988. Since that time, Guy Maddin has produced a substantial body of work, creating over 20 short films and seven feature films, including Archangel, Careful, Twilight of the Ice Nymphs, Dracula – Pages From A Virgin’s Diary, Cowards Bend the Knee, The Saddest Music in the World and Keyhole – a feature in development.
His work has drawn great admiration from viewers and critics around the world. He won an International Emmy for Best Performing Arts Show for Dracula – Pages From A Virgin’s Diary; Gemini Awards for both Best Canadian Performing Arts Show and Best Direction for Dracula – Pages From A Virgin’s Diary; and a U.S. National Society Film Critics Award for Best Experimental Film of 2001 for The Heart of the World. In 1995 Guy Maddin was the recipient of the Telluride Medal for Lifetime Achievement at the Telluride Film Festival, the youngest person ever to have been awarded this honour. Every time Guy Maddin is recognized, his hometown also receives credit.
“He (Maddin) shades his connections to Winnipeg with some ambiguity portraying it as a frozen and sad place (it was – 40 degrees celsius in the unheated warehouse where they shot Saddest), but where he loves to live and work,” says Victor Enns, who nominated Guy Maddin for the Arts Award of Distinction on behalf of the Winnipeg Film Group.
“Saddest Music and Cowards Bend the Knee show him embracing his origins and making some of the most Canadian art film while using the entire history of film as its progenitor. There would be no better time for him to be recognized for his artistic achievement than in 2005, 20 years after he picked up a camera, and after three very productive years accompanied by international artistic recognition,“ says Enns.
Guy Maddin received his first MAC grant in 1987 and his most recent in 2003.
Guy Maddin was honoured at a ceremony held in March 2006, where he was presented with his $30,000 Arts Award of Distinction.
JURY MEMBERS: Jake Moore (Montreal, Quebec), Catherine Mattes (Shilo, Manitoba), Patricia Bovey (Winnipeg, Manitoba), Anne Molgat (Winnipeg, Manitoba), Randolph Peters (Winnipeg, Manitoba), Josée Garant (Key Largo, Florida)
Grant Guy, Performance and Media Artist
2004
Grant Guy, Performance and Media Artist, has been named the third recipient of the Manitoba Arts Council Arts Award of Distinction. This $30,000 award is presented annually to recognize the highest level of artistic excellence and distinguished career achievements by a professional artist.
“We were thrilled with the 17 nominations to the award this year,” says Dr. Judith Flynn, Chair of Council. “After six hours of deliberations, the eight jurors unanimously agreed on Grant Guy. One of the key questions they asked themselves was: Can we imagine our community without Grant Guy? Naming him as the recipient of the 2004 Arts Award of Distinction was their response.”
Over the past 25 years, Grant Guy has worked as a director, designer, playwright, curator, arts programmer, video producer, performance artist and writer. His many talents have been shared with a diversity of arts organizations locally and nationally including: Theatre Projects, Manitoba Theatre for Young People, Prairie Theatre Exchange, Magnus Theatre (Thunder Bay), Theatre Calgary, the Stratford Festival Theatre, Cinematheque, Médiathèque (Montreal), Video Pool, University of Manitoba School of Art and the Manitoba Association of Playwrights, to name only a few.
In the 1980’s Grant Guy founded Shared Stage, an eclectic venue for live art. He has also exhibited installations at Main/Access Gallery, Ace Art and the Plug In Gallery. He has participated in the Manitoba Art Council’s Artists in the Schools Program and he has been the recipient of numerous grants awarded to him by both the Manitoba Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts.
Currently operating under the identity of his experimental puppet theatre company, Adhere and Deny, (which he founded in the 1990’s), Grant Guy is known for his commitment to advancing the art form and bringing work to the stage that invariably filters into the mainstream.
Most notably, the jury was powerfully moved by the integrity Grant Guy possesses as an individual artist and the influence his practice has upon others in the arts community.
Dr. Flynn comments, “This award is the Manitoba Arts Council’s way of acknowledging our senior artists and thanking them for the invaluable contribution they have made to the artistic culture of our province and beyond, and for the legacy they are creating.”
Grant Guy was honoured at a private ceremony, where he was presented with his $30,000 Arts Award of Distinction.
JURY MEMBERS: Gerry Atwell (Winnipeg, Manitoba), Dr. Brenda Austin-Smith (Winnipeg, Manitoba), Zaz Bajon (Winnipeg, Manitoba), Lori Freedman (Montreal, Quebec), Shirley Madill (Hamilton, Ontario), Debra Mosher (Winnipeg, Manitoba), Jeffrey Presslaff (Winnipeg, Manitoba), Marcel Gosselin (La Salle, Manitoba)
Robert Kroetsch, Writer
2003
Robert Kroetsch, writer, has been named the second recipient of the Manitoba Arts Council Arts Award of Distinction. This $30,000 award is presented annually to recognize the highest level of artistic excellence and distinguished career achievements by a professional artist.
“Manitoba is tremendously rich in artistic talent,” says Dr. Judith Flynn, Chair of Council, “and we are delighted the jury has unanimously selected Robert Kroetsch, often referred to as the patron saint of prairie writing, to receive this award.”
Robert Kroetsch is the author of 9 internationally acclaimed novels, 12 books of poetry and 5 books of non-fiction, essays and explorations. In his 54 years of published writing, starting with his first story in The Montrealer in 1950, to The Hornbooks of Rita K (poetry, short-listed for the Governor General’s Award in 2002), he has made western Canada and Canadians real to people around the globe. His writing, his teaching and his artistic and critical vision have helped shape both Canadian literature and Canadian culture. His books have been translated into Chinese, Hebrew, German, French and Dutch.
In addition to his personal writing career, Robert Kroetsch has been a teacher to hundreds of students, and a champion of and mentor to many writers whose work is currently making their own mark on the literary scene. Robert Kroetsch has received many honours throughout his career, including the Governor General’s Award for Fiction in 1969 for The Studhorse Man; an Honourary Doctor of Laws, University of Winnipeg, 1983; Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, 1986; Distinguished Achievement Award from the Western Literature Association, 1995; and an Honourary Doctor of Literature, University College of the Cariboo (British Columbia) in 2002.
Dr. Flynn comments, “This award is the Manitoba Arts Council’s way of acknowledging our senior artists and thanking them for the invaluable contribution they have made to the artistic culture of our province and beyond, and for the legacy they are creating.”
Robert Kroetschwas honoured at a ceremony held in April 2004, where he was presented with his $30,000 Arts Award of Distinction.
Leslee Silverman, Artistic Director
2002
Leslee Silverman, Artistic Director of the Manitoba Theatre for Young People, has been named the first recipient of the Manitoba Arts Council Arts Award of Distinction. This $30,000 award is presented annually to recognize the highest level of artistic excellence and distinguished career achievements by a professional Manitoba artist. “Manitoba boasts many exceptional artists and we were overwhelmed by the response to this new award,” says Dr. Judith Flynn, Chair of Council. “Selecting the artist to receive this award was certainly challenging, however, Leslee Silverman truly realizes the goals of this award. The jury was unanimous and highly enthusiastic in their decision.”
Leslee Silverman, actor, director and producer, has been the Artistic Director for MTYP since 1982.
Over two decades she has dedicated her career to redefining the theatre experience for young people to not only reflect but shape their lives. She is known for her unique artistic vision and her desire to collaborate with emerging artists from many disciplines and cultures. She has been highly instrumental in fostering the national and international reputation of MTYP and was pivotal in the development and construction of the CanWest Global Performing Arts Centre, MTYP’s home, a facility second to none in our country. Leslee Silverman has previously been honoured with the Governor-General’s Commemorative Medal and in 2001 she received the YWCA Woman of Distinction Award in the Arts and Culture category.
Dr. Flynn comments, “Leslee Silverman has already created a significant legacy for this province and we have no doubt she will continue to contribute to the development of the art form and the community for many years to come.” The Manitoba Arts Council will honour Leslee Silverman at a ceremony to be held later in March where she will be presented with her $30,000 Arts Award of Distinction, in recognition of the many significant and unique accomplishments in her career.