Yesterday, the City of Hamilton dropped its 2023 shortlist for its arts awards. The awards are the city’s primary way to recognize innovation, creativity and the contributions of artists, arts community leaders and organizations to the community.
Each year, citizens nominate individuals or collectives for consideration by an independent jury of arts panels and arts sector experts. Award winners are subsequently selected by a jury of leading arts professionals.
Nominations and awards are not discipline-specific, or divided up by whether an artist is established or emerging. Instead, the awards are distributed through one of three broad categories. One Lifetime Achievement Award will recognize a substantial contribution to the artistic leadership, creativity and vitality of the City; multiple Creator Awards will recognize the innovation and artistic excellence that expresses the cultural vitality and diversity of the Hamilton arts scene; and the Arts Champion Award, a non-monetary award to recognize outstanding volunteers, advocates or board members. All prizes will be awarded in a multi-venue celebration during Hamilton Arts Week, which runs June 8-17.
This year’s event will also recognize the Shirley Elford Emerging Artist Commission Prize. Last year, Tania LaCaria and Alex MacLean were named as prize winners and commissioned to create an artwork to be presented at the 2023 Arts Awards. This year’s Commission Prize winners will also be announced at this year’s Arts Awards, with the winners contributing to next year’s ceremony.
This year’s shortlist has five nominees for the Lifetime Achievement Award:
- Al Croxall- founding member of Theatre Ancaster
- John Terpstra– writer whose work appears at Sam Lawrence Park
- Judith Sandiford & Ron Weihs– Creators/owners of Artword Artbar
- Lorraine Segato– lead singer of Parachute Club who returned to Hamilton in 2021, and was named to the Order of Canada in 2023.
- Robert ‘Bob’ Daniels– owner of Earls Court Gallery
This year’s shortlist has six nominees for the Arts Champion Award:
- Chris Pannell- writer and former board member of gritLIT
- Helen Graham– local arts promoter
- Jessica Vinluan– co-founder of Filipinas of Hamont and Project Coordinator for the Hamilton Arts Council‘s The Arty Crowd
- Luis Pereira– founder & writer, Hamilton Blues Lovers
- Matt Moreland– filmmaker & storyteller
- Natasha Jones– founder of the Wiiji’iwe Collective
This year’s shortlist has thirty nominees for the Creator Award:
- 2win dunx– twin hip-hop, R&B and pop artists
- Alexander Notarangelo– local portrait artist
- Andre Bisson– award-winning musician
- Angela Demontigny– Indigenous fashion designer
- Anuja Varghese– writer & editor
- Chasing Shadows Productions– independent theatre company
- Cine-Psych Film-Making Team– filmmaking & events team with a focus on mental health conditions
- Darren Stewart-Jones– actor, playwright & filmmaker
- David Collier– cartoonist
- Deepti Gupta– award-winning actress & narrator
- Diana Panton– multiple JUNO-Award winning vocalist
- Goddess– glam, punk-rock cabaret rock band
- Jojo Chooi-Hartley– visual artist
- Kaime Sherman– arts innovator, artist, author and mentor
- Kareem-Anthony Ferreira– visual artist
- Katherine MacDonald– portrait & figure painter who also instructs at the Dundas Valley School of Art
- Lyla Miklos– vocalist, writer & journalist
- Myke Hutchings– musician
- Nathan Eugene Carson– contemporary artist; most recently Artist-in-Residence at the Art Gallery of Hamilton
- Open Heart Arts– storytelling, music & movement collective
- Piper & Carson– songwriting group
- Piper Hayes– vocalist & co-director of Hamilton Sings! Community Choir
- Sarah Sproule– visual artist & arts administrator with Centre [3]
- Selena Middleton– writer, publisher & editor-in-chief of Stelliform Press
- Sean Procyk– artist, architect & playground designer
- Sid Ryan Eilers– Artistic Director, Aeris Korper Dance Theatre
- Sonali Menezes- interdisciplinary artist
- Steacy Easton– writer & artist
- The Hamilton Youth Steel Orchestra– grass-roots music program
- Vick Naresh– contemporary artist
