The following statement was issued today by the Honourable Christopher Mitchelmore, Minister of Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation:
Along with my colleagues in the House of Assembly, I was deeply saddened to learn Mary Pratt had passed.
A body of work that spanned a remarkable 50 years, Ms. Pratt’s paintings are among the most recognizable and critically acclaimed in Canada. She was an exemplary artist, who painted life. Her work is a celebration of the everyday object – the Mason jar, the cluttered supper table and the kitchen sink.
Mary Pratt was named Companion of the Order of Canada in 1996, and was awarded the prestigious Molson Prize from the Canada Council for the Arts in 1997. Ms. Pratt received honourary degrees from Dalhousie University, the University of Toronto and St. Thomas University, and a Doctor of Letters from Memorial University in May 1986. In 1990, she was made an Honorary Fellow of the Ontario College of Art.
On behalf of all residents of the province, I offer my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Mary Pratt. I hope they can find solace in the fact that she was a great Canadian who had a significant impact on this province.
Ms. Pratt was born in New Brunswick, but was one of our own. She will be missed.
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Media contact
Eric Humber
Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation
709-729-4819, 725-9655
erichumber@gov.nl.ca