[press release]
Winners will be announced at the ceremony on Tuesday, April 19, 2016
April 6, 2016, Vancouver, BC – Three distinguished individuals in the field of visual arts in British Columbia will receive the most prestigious awards in this province: the Audain Prize for Lifetime Achievement in the Visual Arts, funded by the Audain Foundation for the Visual Arts, and the VIVA Awards, granted by the Jack and Doris Shadbolt Foundation for the Visual Arts.
This year’s recipients will be announced and honoured at a special ceremony at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, April 19 in The Great Hall of the BC Law Courts building (800 Smithe Street) in downtown Vancouver. Presented by the Vancouver Art Gallery, this ceremony is free and open to the public.
Established in 2004, the Audain Prize for Lifetime Achievement in the Visual Arts has become one of Canada’s most prestigious honours. Supported by the Audain Foundation for the Visual Arts, the Audain Prize grants $30,000 annually to a senior British Columbia artist selected by an independent jury. Previous winners of the Audain Prize include Michael Morris (2015), Fred Herzog (2014), Takao Tanabe and Gathie Falk (2013), Marian Penner Bancroft (2012), Rodney Graham (2011), Robert Davidson (2010), Liz Magor (2009), Jeff Wall (2008), Gordon Smith (2007), Eric Metcalfe (2006), E.J. Hughes (2005) and Ann Kipling (2004). http://vanartgallery.bc.ca/about-us/audain_prize.html
Funded by the Jack and Doris Shadbolt Foundation for the Visual Arts, the VIVA Awards are created to nurture the advancement of the visual arts in British Columbia and their appreciation by the public. Providing $12,000 annually since 1988, these awards celebrate exemplary achievement by British Columba artists in mid-career, chosen for outstanding accomplishment and commitment by an independent jury. Since its inception, 45 VIVA Awards have been realized. Recent recipients include Elizabeth Zvonar (2015), Skeena Reece and Mina Totino (2014), Elizabeth McIntosh (2013), Beau Dick and Ron Tran (2012), Reece Terris and Athea Thauberger (2011). http://www.shadboltfoundation.org/viva-awards.html