Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development
May 4, 2015
Province Boasts Dynamic Cultural Community
Minister Congratulates 2015 Arts and Letters Winners
The province's cultural community was in the spotlight this past weekend as the winners of the 2015 Arts and Letters Awards Program were announced at The Rooms in St. John's. The Honourable Darin King, Minister of Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development, today congratulated the recipients.
"The Provincial Government acknowledges and applauds the important role Newfoundland and Labrador's creative and talented visual, musical and literary artists play in the continued development and sustainability of our cultural industries and the province's heritage. Our province has a tremendously vibrant and active cultural community and as a government, we are pleased to invest in programs like Arts and Letters that support the arts. Congratulations to all this year's winners and participants."
- The Honourable Darin King, Minister of Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development
Approximately $42,000 in prizes was awarded in the literary, musical and visual arts. In the junior division there were 28 winning entries submitted from youth aged 12 to 18; while in the senior division there were 31 winning submissions. A total of 553 entries were submitted.
"I would like to offer my congratulations to all the winners of the 2015 Arts and Letters Program. The award show not only showcases the diverse artistic talent that exists throughout our province, but also provides the opportunity for artists to view each other's works and receive feedback from their peers. I would like to thank the Department of Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development for its on-going support of the program."
- Brian Way, Chair of the Arts and Letters Program
The Percy Janes First Novel Award, the program's top prize of $2,500, was awarded to Sharon Bala of St. John's for her manuscript Boat People. A detailed list of award recipients can be found in the backgrounder below. Further information on program is available by visiting www.gov.nl.ca/artsandletters.
QUICK FACTS
- The 2015 Arts and Letters Awards were presented this past Saturday at The Rooms.
- Approximately $42,000 in prizes was awarded to recipients of the 2015 Arts and Letters Awards.
- Awards were presented in the literary (including French), musical, and visual arts.
- Information on the Arts and Letters program and how to enter can be found by visiting www.gov.nl.ca/artsandletters.
- 30 -
Media contact:
| Tansy Mundon
Director of Communications Department of Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development 709-729-4570, 693-1865 tansymundon@gov.nl.ca |
BACKGROUNDER
2015 Arts and Letters Awards Recipients
Senior Poetry
(67 entries; $1,000 prize) Adjudicators: Mary Dalton and George Murray
| Name | Home | Title |
| Randy Drover | St. John's | Sheila's Brush |
| Jacqueline Hynes | St. John's | Some Functions of the Wind |
| Katie Vautour | St. John's | The Fisherman |
| Douglas Walbourne Gough | Corner Brook | Synesthetic Response |
Senior Short Fiction
(36 entries; $1,000 prize) Adjudicators: Elisabeth DeMariaffi and Chad Pelley
| Name | Home | Title |
| Sharon Bala | St. John's | Lord of the Manor |
| Bridget Canning | St. John's | Colleen's Birthday |
| Michael Finn | St. Bernard's-Jacques Fontaine | The Chimney |
| Karen Rowe | Gander | Between Then & Now |
Senior Non-Fictional Prose
(28 entries; $1,000 prize) Adjudicator: Nancy Earle
| Name | Home | Title |
| Jiin Kim | St. John's | Cheater |
| Jim McEwen | St. John's | Takla Lake |
| Iain McCurdy | St. John's | Skin |
Senior Dramatic Script
(20 entries; $1,000 prize) Adjudicator: Michael Chiasson
| Name | Home | Title |
| Megan Gail Coles | St. John's | Falling Trees |
| Justin Simms | St. John's | Nexus |
Junior Poetry
(81 entries; $350 prize) Adjudicators: Dana Evely and Grant Loveys
| Name | Home | Title |
| Cole Curnew | Stephenville Crossing | A Mission Overseas |
| Katie Hardy | St. John's | Loss |
| Liz Waterman | St. John's | Withstanding Toxicity |
| Megan Penney | Mount Pearl | Supreme |
| Isabelle Riche | St. John's | Fat |
| Julia Rose | St. John's | Shattered |
| Breanna Sheppard | Paradise | A (Once) Quiet Corner in Her Mind |
| Matthew Williams | Gander | Wonderland |
Junior Prose
(59 entries; $350 prize) Adjudicators: Eva Crocker and Charis Cotter
| Name | Home | Title |
| Emma Hayden | St. John's | The Pain of Survival |
| Maya Morton-Ninomiya | St. John's | The Seed |
| Megan Randell | Little Burnt Bay | Let the Clock Reverse |
| Olivia Bradbury | Upper Island Cove | Prey |
| Grace King | St. John's | Still Life No. 16 |
| Melanie Slaney | Burin | Ballad of Brigitte Hertz |
| Danielle Thomas | Carbonear | Remember Me |
| Regan Williams | Harbour Grace | What Goes Around Comes Around |
Senior French Literary
(2 entries; $1,000 prize) Adjudicator: Michel Savard
| Name | Home | Title |
| Monica Plourde | La Grand'Terre | Exil |
Senior Music
(29 entries; $1,000 prize) Adjudicators: Duane Andrews, Lisa McDonald and Bill Brennan
| Name | Home | Title |
| Greg Bruce | St. John's | Porchico (Gypsy Funk) |
| Glen Collins | St. John's | Curry (world music) |
| Andrew Noseworthy | St. John's | concerto for Korg Monotrom (contemporary classical) |
| Rebecca Simms | Mount Pearl | Bud (contemporary classical) |
Junior Music
(16 entries; $350 prize) Adjudicators: Duane Andrews, Lisa McDonald and Bill Brennan
| Name | Home | Title |
| Joseph Coffin | Paradise | Lonely Road ( blues) |
| Maeve Collins-Tobin | St. John's | Don't Go (pop) |
| Kat McLevey | St. John's | Tell Me Once (folk) |
| Luke Tremblett | St. John's | Join Everyone (Alternative) |
Senior Visual Art
(131 entries; $1,000 prize) Adjudicators: John (Jay) Barry, Michael Pittman and Kym Greeley
| Name | Home | Title | Medium |
| Kelly Jane Bruton | St. John's | Existence 2014 | textile |
| Richard Fleming | Corner Brook | Geometry 1 | metal |
| Rod Hand | Conception Bay South | Rain on Window Pane | mixed media |
| Mike Gough | St. John's | The Island | Mixed on birch panel |
| Blake Gosse | Stephenville | The Persistence of Loss | Gliclée print |
| Kathleen Knowling | St. John's | Four of Me | Mixed media |
| Christina Rees | St. John's | Inverted | mixed media on linen |
| Jennifer Oille Sinclair | St. John's | Scene From the Museum 2014 | digital photography |
| Amber Lynn Thorne | Thornlea, Trinity Bay | From Above | oil |
| Ellie Yonova | St. John's | OPUS #2309 | digital collage |
| Nicole LeDrew May | Corner Brook | Rainy Windshield View of a Wet Night on Bannerman | oil on wood panel |
| Danny Woodrow | Mount Pearl | The Modern Stump | acrylic/oil on board |
Junior Visual Art
(63 entries; $350 prize) Adjudicators: Maria Mercer and Jason Wells
| Name | Home | Title | Medium |
| Jaspreet Kaur Nijjar | St. John's | The Colors of the Earth | mixed media |
| Joshua Mack | St. John's | A Collection of North American Animals | mixed media |
| Liz Waterman | St. John's | Decalage vers le rouge | collage |
| Emily Clark | Torbay | Breaking Connections | mixed media |
| Charlotte Hobden | St. John's | Runs in the Family | Graphite |
| Hayley Murphy | Tors Cove | Rhythm under the Sea | pen/ink |
| Erika Stonehouse | Conception Bay South | Guardian Angel | Oil on canvas |
| Madison White | Portugal Cove | Essen | mixed media |
Percy Janes First Novel Award
(14 entries; $2,500 prize) Adjudicator: Trudy Morgan Cole
| Name | Home | Title |
| Sharon Bala | St. John's | Boat People |
2015 05 04 9:30 a.m.