The Lacey Prize – an award of $90,000 that's divided between three artist-run centres and small arts organizations in Canada every two years – is open for nominations until Aug. 30. The winner receives $50,000 and two runners up each get $20,000. Established by Calgarians John and Naomi Lacey, the prize is intended to recognize the vitality these organizations add to their neighbourhoods. “I know what a strain the last 18 months have been for small galleries and art-loving communities, so I hope this year’s prize will ensure that several galleries not only survive but thrive,” says John Lacey. Go here for more information.
CBC News is quoting confidential sources as saying Henry Kim, the former director of the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, will be the new CEO of the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Que. Kim ran the Aga Khan Museum, devoted to Islamic art, science and culture, for eight years before resigning in December. He has also worked at the Ashmolean Museum in Britain. The decision by the museum's board of directors must go to cabinet for approval, the CBC reported. The museum's former CEO, Mark O'Neill, stepped down in April after an investigation into workplace harassment. The results of that review were never disclosed publicly.
Six finalists have been chosen for the latest $20,000 Yukon Prize for visual arts. The prize recognizes excellence and promotes Yukon art to a wider Canadian audience. The finalists are Ken Anderson (Khàtinas.àxh), Amy Ball, Sho Sho “Belelige” Esquiro, Krystle Silverfox, Joseph Tisiga and Veronica Verkley. All finalists will be included in an exhibition this fall at the Yukon Arts Centre in Whitehorse. The winner will be announced in November. The other finalists will each receive $2,000.
The Museum of North Vancouver has received $350,000 from the Bank of Montreal to support Indigenous programs. The museum will work with the Sḵwxw̱ ú7mesh (Squamish) and SəlíRlwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations to develop school and public programs that incorporate traditional knowledge, skills and language sharing. As well, the funds will help implement recommendations in the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
The Winnipeg Art Gallery's national touring exhibition, Boarder X, has won an outstanding achievement award from the Canadian Museums Association. The exhibition celebrates Indigenous boarding culture, through painting, weaving, sculpture, film and more. Local skateboarders are invited to skate on ramps set up at each exhibition venue. “This exhibition has toured coast to coast on Turtle Island for six years,” says exhibition curator Jaimie Isaac. “At every gallery, it has made space for radical strategies to change minds and ideas of what and who public space is for.” Boarder X is on view until October at the Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre in Whistler, B.C.
The Eastside Culture Crawl Society in Vancouver – now renamed as the Eastside Arts Society – is receiving $300,000 over the next three years from the Vancouver Foundation to develop a strategic plan for an Eastside Arts District. Vancouver's Eastside has a large population of artists, but the society's director, Esther Rausenberg, says they are struggling because of the city's heated real estate market. “Since 2010, hundreds of artists have suffered devastating losses to their workspaces and communities due to evictions, rent increases and shrinking studio space,” says Rausenberg. She says an Eastside Arts District will help create solutions for artists.
The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria is holding a month-long Celebration of Art in July. The gallery will open two new exhibitions, Holding Ground, an exhibition by the Indigenous Intergenerational Exchange – a group that has been meeting online to discuss creativity and culture – and Seeing and Being Seen, a show on Emily Carr. Every Saturday during July, the gallery will be free for all visitors. As well, the institution is publishing a guide that includes 183 artists from Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. Go here for more information.
Arts Insights Canada – a new initiative from Hill Strategies, an Ontario cultural research company – will provide various analyses about the Canadian arts sector. The project's advisory panel includes arts workers from across the country and is funded by the Azrieli, Rozsa and Metcalf foundations. It will build on previous projects like the Statistical Insights on the Arts series and the Arts Research Monitor.
The National Gallery of Canada has introduced new branding that's rooted in Indigenous ways of knowing. “Our new visual identity is inspired by the Anishinaabemowin word Ankosé, which means everything is connected,” says gallery director Sasha Suda. Check it out here.
