They are sculptors, filmmakers, painters, video artists, photographers, or visionary administrators. Their works and reputations have reached beyond our borders to garner global attention. Today they are being awarded one of the highest national distinctions for their exceptional careers and remarkable contributions to the visual and media arts. They are the winners of the 2010 Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts, and their pioneering works will be presented to the public starting this Saturday, until June 20, in a special exhibition located in the contemporary galleries at the National Gallery of Canada (NGC).
For the past decade, the NGC, in collaboration with the Canada Council for the Arts and the Governor General of Canada, has celebrated the contributions of the recipients by hosting an annual exhibition of their works. “These artists are standard bearers of Canadian culture and it is with great pleasure that we invite the public to celebrate their extraordinary careers,” said Marc Mayer, NGC Director. “I am also happy to point out that a majority of works in the exhibition are from our own collection.”
Robert Davidson, “Rock Scallop”, 1989. Serigraph on wove paper, 75 x 106 cm. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. Purchased 1989 with the Rosita Tovell Trust Fund for Contemporary Native Art. Photo: ©NGC
The exhibition includes works by Robert Davidson, an iconic figure in the renaissance of Haida culture; films by the great Quebec filmmaker André Forcier; trailblazing paintings by Rita Letendre; videos by Tom Sherman, a major influence in video art; superb photographs by Gabor Szilasi, a central figure in Canadian photography; and paintings by Claude Tousignant, a leading force in abstraction. Fascinating glass sculptures by the Manitoban artist Ione Thorkelsson, recipient of the Saidye Bronfman Award for excellence in the fine crafts, are also featured. The exhibition also highlights the exceptional contribution of Terry Ryan in the development of Kinngait Studios, in Cape Dorset, and Dorset Fine Arts. Learn more about the Awards and their recipients by visiting canadacouncil.ca/prizes/ggavma
Special screenings of film and video works by two of the GGAVMA Winners
On Saturday, April 17 at 2 pm, video works by artist Tom Sherman will be presented at a special free screening in the NGC’s Lecture Hall. The artist, who works in video, radio and live performance, and whose interdisciplinary work and writing are internationally renowned, will be present to answer questions from the audience following the screening. More information on Tom Sherman can be found at canadacouncil.ca/prizes/ggavma . Free admission.
On Thursday, April 22 at 6 pm, the public is invited to a special screening of André Forcier’s critically acclaimed movie Je me souviens. Set in Abitibi in the 40s and 50s, this poetic fictional drama stars some of Quebec’s top actors, including Céline Bonnier, Gaston Lepage, Rémy Girard, Hélène Bourgeois-Leclerc, France Castel, and Roy Dupuis and will be screened in French with English subtitles in the NGC’s Lecture Hall. Film director, André Forcier will be present. For more information about the movie, visit jemesouviens-film.com/fr and to learn more about André Forcier, visit canadacouncil.ca/prizes/ggavma . Free admission.
About the National Gallery of Canada
The National Gallery of Canada is home to the most important collections of historical and contemporary Canadian art. In addition, it has pre-eminent collections of Indigenous, Western and European Art from the 14th to the 21st century, American and Asian Art as well as drawings and photography. Created in 1880, it is among the oldest of Canada’s national, cultural institutions. As part of its mandate to make Canadian art accessible across the country, the NGC has one of the largest touring exhibition programs in the world. For more information, visit gallery.ca
