It was a celebration of the arts in Calgary on Friday, Nov. 4 as three AUArts alumni were among those honoured with Cultural Leaders Legacy Arts awards.
Mayor Gondek presented the awards at an event at the Jack Singer Concert Hall with close to 700 people attending.
This year, 51 artists and organizations were nominated and recipients were selected by a jury of peers. Each winner received a $5,000 cash prize.
The 2022 Doug and Lois Mitchell Outstanding Calgary Artist Award honours artists who are lauded for their work in national and international arenas and choose to make Calgary their home. Artist Sandra Sawatzky (Dip ’80, Visual Communication) developed a film language of choreographed action to tell stories and embroiders epics with a small needle and miles of thread.
The 2022 TD Bank Group Indigenous Artist Award recognizes contributions of Indigenous artists, crafts peoples, and knowledge keepers to Calgary. Danielle Piper (BFA ’20, Drawing) is an interdisciplinary visual artist. She also teaches beading workshops, livestreams on twitch and sells her handmade crafts. As part of this award, she did a three-month term as Indigenous Artist in Residence for the Calgary Public Library.
The 2022 Rozsa Foundation Emerging Arts Manager Award honours an early career arts administrator who is doing noteworthy work. Daniel Cardinal McCartney (BFA '16, Drawing) was recognized for his outstanding work towards equitable working conditions for artists and arts administrators.
The awards are a legacy of Calgary being named the 2012 Cultural Capital of Canada. Each award is funded by a contribution from a local philanthropist or organization with equal matching money from Calgary Arts Development.
Photo below: Sandra Sawatzky at her exhibition, The Age of Uncertainty, at Nickle Galleries in January 2022. Azin Ghaffari/Postmedia
