Arts Champions

2007

In honour of Arts and Culture week, ArtStarts and the Assembly of BC Arts Councils presented awards to there arts champions for their work in BC schools and communities in 2007.

The Arts in Education Arts Champion Awards went to

The Arts in Community Arts Champion Awards went to:

  • Allison Girvan is a generous and very talented teacher who has given an enormous amount to the musical community in Nelson.

  • Victoria artist Paula Jardine is one of Canada’s foremost community artists.

  • The Kamloops Arts Gallery is a leader in creating access and opportunities for engagement in the arts for the citizens of Kamloops and the southern interior of BC

Bill McDonald, North Vancouver School District, Artists for Kids Trust.
Bill McDonald is the managing director of the Artists for Kids Trust, an innovative and visionary concept created in 1989 by the North Vancouver board and celebrated Canadian artists Bill Reid, Jack Shadbolt and Gordon Smith. The Trust purchases works of art from Canada’s foremost visual artists and produce limited-edition, original prints that are sold to raise funds for visual art enrichment programs in North Vancouver Schools and the local community. Funds raised help thousands of students annually participate in the Trusts popular Summer Camp and after school and gallery programs. It should be noted that many of these artists also work with students and educators in their summer Paradise Valley summer art camp. The Artists for Kids Gallery, which is part of the School District offices in North Vancouver, houses a stunning collection of Canadian art providing an outstanding teaching resource for North Shore youth.

Uzume Taiko
Uzume Taiko is one of Canada’s premiere Taiko groups and we are fortunate that their practice as artists includes touring schools and engaging in hands on workshops and residencies in schools. Since 1988, Uzume Taiko has enthralled audiences at festivals, schools, concerts and special events nationally and internationally with its dynamic synthesis of music, movement and theatre. In Japanese Uzume means Goddess of Laughter, and Taiko means big drum -- big drum being an understatement. Audiences have variously described these drums and their effects as “massive,” “Brain crunching”, “a rumbling in my diaphragm”, “an earthbeat”, and “a sound that calls up the rhythm of earth and sun, sea and mountain, heart and soul.” Uzume Taiko brings a vibrant contemporary sensibility to an ancient art. With the choreographed physicality of martial arts, the heart-stopping pulse of the drums and the rhythmic sensitivity of a jazz ensemble, an Uzume show is nothing short of exhilarating.

Cherniavsky Junior Club for the Performing Arts Society
The Cherniavsky Junior Club for the Performing Arts Society is a charitable non-profit dedicated to encouraging young people to attend more live classical performance. Founded by Jan Chernaivsky, a world-renowned pianist, the Society’s main program, the Cherniavsky “Mr. Music Fund”, is managed by ArtStarts in Schools. The program injects $15,000 yearly into over 80 BC schools so young people can attend orchestral music, choral and chamber music, classical and modern ballet, opera and soloists in recital or concert. In 2007, through a generous gift from members of Jan Cherniavsky’s immediate family, the ArtStarts boardroom was named in his honour.

Allison Girvan, Nelson
Allison Girvan is a generous and very talented teacher who has given an enormous amount to the musical community in Nelson. Over the years she has shared with the community her considerable abilities as a singer, arranger, mentor and teacher. She is the musical director of the Opera Society, the choir director of both Shenango Women’s Choir and Corozon Youth Choir. She is past musical director for the Capitol Theatre summer youth program and has mentored many young people in the Nelson area. Allison is also an ardent and vocal advocate for the arts and a highly respected member of community for her contributions to Nelson’s vibrant arts scene.

Paula Jardine, Vancouver
Victoria artist Paula Jardine is one of Canada’s foremost community artists. She has been creating and animating community events, spectacles and celebrations for over 20 years. Paula is one of the founding members of Vancouver’s Public Dreams Society. With her colleagues at Public Dreams she introduced community based celebration theatre events to Vancouver and BC audiences. Illuminares, a signature public event, has spawned countless lantern festivals across the province. Paula’s work has focused on integrating performers and the public with ritual, celebration and activism. Engaging diverse communities in equally diverse contexts, she has been a leader in demonstrating how art can build community identity and capacities for community action. Paula is currently artist in residence at Vancouver’s Mountain View Cemetery.

Kamloops Art Gallery
Kamloops Arts Gallery is a leader in creating access and opportunities for engagement in the arts for the citizens of Kamloops and the southern interior of BC. Its commitment to community access has resulted in programs and exhibitions that connect visual arts to education, social and health issues, that respond to local initiatives and support creative collaborations across diverse cultural communities. The Gallery has played a key role in actively engaging the public in the arts and demonstrating the significant contributions of the arts and arts institutions to creative, vibrant communities

 

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