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Cree playwright Kenneth T. Williams, member of George Gordon First Nation, has been chosen as the recipient of the 2017 Artistic Excellence Award presented by the Saskatchewan Arts Board.
Williams is one of six recipients of the Saskatchewan Arts Awards.
Michel Boutin, artistic director of the Indigenous Peoples Artistic Collective of Prince Albert, received the Leadership—Individual Award, sponsored by Jarislowsky Fraser Global Investment Management.
Michel Boutin
Jack Sures, a ceramist and art educator from Regina, received the Lieutenant Governor’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Catherine Blackburn, a bead artist, painter and jeweller of Dene and European ancestry, and member of the English River First Nation, currently of Leask, Sask. received the RBC Emerging Artist Award.
Catherine Blackburn
ACTRA Saskatchewan, the union of professional performers working in English-language recorded media (TV, film, radio and digital media), received the Leadership—organization award, sponsored by SaskCulture.
Daniel Macdonald, of Saskatoon, playwright, theatre director and teacher, received the Arts and Learning Award.
The awards were presented at an event on Oct 26 in Saskatoon hosted by comedian, actor and author Dawn Dumont. Entertainment included a performance by Native American flute player Jason Chamakese.
Host Dawn Dumont
Recipients received a limited-edition sculpture by artist Jody Greenman-Barber and a cash prize. The awards were adjudicated by a panel of professional artists: Kelley Jo Burke of Regina, Ruth Cuthand of Saskatoon, Angus Ferguson of Meacham, and Jeff Morton of Kennedy.
Williams is the first Indigenous person to earn a master of fine arts degree in playwriting from the University of Alberta. He is also a former reporter for Windspeaker.
His plays have been produced across Canada and have garnered Williams critical acclaim.
Boutin has developed two annual festivals: Pitos Waskochepayis, a mini film and performance festival, and the Two Story Café, a multi-day series of integrated arts events.
Blackburn often works to explore the artistic themes of Canada’s colonial past, which draws national attention for its cultural sensitivity, technical skill and strong conceptual viewpoints.
She also focuses on a disconnect between her Dene culture and her personal identity, struggling with feet in two spheres.
For more information about the winners, go to http://saskartsboard.ca/awards