The 2018 Ottawa Arts Awards were handed out Tuesday night before about 140 people in the Alma Duncan Salon of the new Ottawa Art Gallery. The recipients took home a total of $22,500 in seven categories.
Here are the winners:
The Victor Tolgesy Arts Award went to Jon Bartlett, the founder of Kelp Music and a leading voice for local music in Ottawa. Bartlett is also the founder and director of MEGAPHONO, which holds an annual music showcase every February.
Ottawa Arts Council Mid-Career Award was awarded to film-maker Pixie Cram. her films have screened at festivals across North America and in Europe and have aired on CBC TV. She was the 2017 artist-in-residence at the Diefenbunker and she is the co-founder of the WindowsCollective, a group that creates and exhibits experimental works using film. Finalists: Natasha Bakht and Margaret Chwialkowska.
The RBC Emerging Artist Award was given to guitarist, teacher and composer Justin Duhaime, who has more than 40 compositions on his resume. Finalists: Whitney Lewis-Smith and Anna Williams.
The Corel Endowment for the Arts Award went to subDevision, an organization that attempts to unite independent theatre companies.
Project X Photography Fund Award went to Ottawa photographer Neeko Paluzzi. The $1,000 award will help him with his project called PLANETS that will pair seven 3D-printed sculptures with seven Viewmaster reels. The imagery is inspired by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s Le Petit Prince and “reflects upon the artist’s struggles in becoming an adult and the slow realization that he is limited — in body, mind, and existence.”
The Young Artist Award goes to Gwyneth Orr to support the development for her photo series about the journey from childhood into young adulthood.
The Business and Arts Recognition Award was won by the Ottawa Business Journal.
