News release

Finalists for Arts Prizes Named

Tourism, Culture and Heritage (Dec. 2003 - Jan. 2011)

Three accomplished artists and four communities have been named today, Oct. 22, as finalists for two important arts and culture prizes.

The 2010 Portia White Prize and the Community Arts and Culture Recognition Award will be presented at the fifth Creative Nova Scotia Awards Gala on Friday, Oct. 29 at Pier 21 in Halifax.

"Arts and culture contributes to stronger communities across Nova Scotia and helps make life better for families," said Minister of Tourism, Culture and Heritage, Percy Paris. "The finalists for these awards have built legacies of creative excellence and ensured a passion for artistic expression is at the heart of their communities."

An independent jury of artists reviewed nominations for the Portia White Prize and identified the finalists for the $25,000 prize, which promotes excellence, innovation and expression in the arts:

  • Neil Forest is a ceramics artist and professor of art from Glen Margaret who teaches at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. His approach to ceramics and design, incorporating human form and technology, has brought new ideas into Canada’s leading ceramics program. Mr. Forest has helped make ceramics a more visible art form through his art and teaching.

  • Mary Jane Lamond is a singer and Gaelic cultural ambassador from Glendale, Inverness Co. Ms. Lamond uses modern instrumentation and arrangements that provide a beautiful framework for Nova Scotia's Gaelic traditions and songs. Her gripping vocal performances have earned her many Juno and East Coast Music Award nominations as well as a MuchMusic Global Groove Award.

  • John Little is a blacksmith and sculptor from East Dover, Halifax Regional Municipality. He is a self-taught artist known for his passion for the forging process and his dedication to teaching, mentoring and jurying exhibitions in Canada and New England. Respected members of the international music community have recognized Mr. Little's forged metal sculptures for musical performance as significant accomplishments.

The winner of the Portia White Prize will receive $18,000 and be asked to name an emerging artist or an arts organization to receive the $7000 protégé prize.

The $10,000 Community Arts and Culture Recognition Award, which is presented by the Nova Scotia Arts and Culture Partnership Council, will go to one of four communities that have been selected by an independent panel:

  • Cape Breton's Christmas Island is known for its focus on Gaelic traditions and culture. Concerts, céilidhs, traditional milling frolics, Gaelic language classes, advocacy for Gaelic language instruction in the local school, Gaelic road signs, and cultural programming at the community centre integrate Gaelic arts and culture into the fabric of community life.

  • The Municipality of Clare is a leading source of creative output from Nova Scotia's Acadian and francophone cultures. The community houses cultural institutions such as Université Sainte-Anne, Festival acadien de Clare, the new TréCarré arts gallery, Conseil des arts de la Baie Sainte-Marie and Rendez-vous de le Baie. Clare is also home to many creative artists and groups, including theatre company Les Araignées du Boui-Boui, playwright Ryan Doucette, musicians Grand Dérangement and Blou, writer Georgette LeBlanc and visual artists Denise Comeau, Nadine Belliveau and Francois Gaudet.

  • The Region of Queens Municipality continues to enrich community life by strengthening the tradition of arts and culture on the south shore. Arts activities include concerts at the Astor Theatre and Lane's Privateer Inn in Liverpool, plays by theatre company Winds of Change, book readings in Port Medway, along with house concerts, local art galleries and dance lessons.

  • The Town of Truro boasts an enviable level of support for arts and culture. The town's art acquisition program and a generous capital campaign that transformed an abandoned downtown movie theatre into the vibrant Marigold Cultural Centre, are two examples of ways in which the area has placed the arts at the centre of its community.

The Established Artist Recognition Awards, with $5,000 going to each of the finalists, and the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia Masterwork Arts Award of $25,000, will also be presented at the Creative Nova Scotia Awards Gala. The gala is hosted by the Nova Scotia Arts and Culture Partnership Council.

For more information including details on registration, visit www.creativenovascotia.com.

The Nova Scotia Arts and Culture Partnership Council, in consultation with the arts and culture sector, provides advice and recommendations to guide the Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage regarding ongoing investment in Nova Scotia's artists, cultural industries and cultural activities.