Audain Prize and VIVA Awards

Marian Penner Bancroft Honoured with Audain Prize for Lifetime Achievement in the Visual Arts

Beau Dick and Ron Tran to Receive VIVA Awards

Vancouver, B.C.  –   The 9th annual Audain Prize, awarded by the Audain Foundation for the Visual Arts for lifetime achievement, will honour noted artist and teacher Marian Penner Bancroft. Artists Beau Dick and Ron Tran are the 2012 recipients of VIVA Awards, granted annually by the Jack and Doris Shadbolt Foundation.

Based in Vancouver, Marian Penner Bancroft’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally and is held in numerous collections, including those of the Vancouver Art Gallery and the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography in Ottawa. Her work investigates the intersections of the photographic image with history, music and mapping strategies in relation to representations of landscape. Best-known for her photography, her work also extends to art involving text, sound, video, drawing and sculpture. Penner Bancroft studied at the University of British Columbia, the Vancouver School of Art (now ECUAD) and Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in Toronto. In addition to her art practice, she teaches at Emily Carr University of Art and Design.

Beau Dick and Ron Tran are the recipients of the 2011 VIVA Awards, presented by the Jack and Doris Shadbolt Foundation for the Visual Arts to recognize BC artists who demonstrate exceptional creative ability and commitment.

Beau Dick is acclaimed as one of the Northwest Coast's most versatile and talented carvers. His work can be found in private collections as well as museums, including the Canadian Museum of Civilization, the Heard Museum (Phoenix), the Burke Museum (Seattle) and the Vancouver Art Gallery. Reaching out beyond the confines of his own Kwakwaka'wakw culture, Dick has explored new formats and techniques in his work, including painting and drawing.

Born in Vietnam, Vancouver-based artist Ron Tran’s work explores the ways that chance and coincidence influence daily life. Tran has exhibited in both group and solo exhibitions in Canada, Europe and Asia. He was selected for the 2007 East International Biennial in Norwich, England and the Berlin Biennale 6.

“We are honoured to celebrate these important artists,” said Gallery director Kathleen Bartels, “These annual awards are a highlight of Canada’s visual arts calendar. We congratulate Marion Penner Bancroft, Beau Dick and Ron Tran on these prestigious awards.”

The Audain Prize for Lifetime Achievement in the Visual Arts and the VIVA Awards will be presented at the Great Hall of the B.C. Law Courts at 800 Hornby Street on May 9 at 7pm, with a reception following.