Now in its tenth year, the Toronto Arts Foundation Awards offers local artists and organizations a chance to win up to $15,000 in honour of their work in creative fields. This year’s winners will be announced on May 28.
In the Arts for Youth category, local standouts include the Young People’s Theatre, which is the oldest youth theatre in Toronto; the youth-led Kapisanan Philippine Centre for Arts and Culture; and The Remix Project, which targets underserved youth in the GTA. In the Emerging Artist category, composer Emilie Lebel is nominated alongside filmmaker Chelsea McMullin and writer, musician, performer and filmmaker Vivek Shraya.
The award offers more than just a cash reward. Jennifer Green, Associate Director at the Toronto Arts Foundation says, “Obviously, there’s a financial award that comes with the nomination, but it’s really about the artist’s contribution to the city. A good example is last year’s winner for Emerging Artists, Jordan Tannahill. After he won the Toronto Arts Foundation award, he won a landslide of other awards, including the Governor General’s Award. It’s a snowball effect.”
Green explains, “The awards are about artistic excellence. That’s recognition from your peers, and it’s also about making the effort to bring the all those different people into the room. The recognition for the artists is about seeing the commitment to their art form, but it’s also about this bigger picture of city-building.” The awards, hosted by Mayor John Tory, are attended by local politicians, business leaders, and artists. “There’s a lot of synergy that comes from putting those people in a room together and letting them connect,” Green says.
The Toronto Arts Foundation Awards are part of a larger vision for the future, called Creative City: Block by Block. As Green explains, “We want to connect every neighbourhood of Toronto to both the social and economic benefits of the arts. We’re working with over 40 corporate partners, BIAs, and people in the private sector.”