The Canada Council for the Arts Announces the 2023 Winners of the Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts

Ottawa, March 28, 2023 – The Canada Council for the Arts today revealed the names of the 2023 winners of the Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts (GGArts). This year, eight artists are being honoured in recognition of their exceptional careers and their remarkable contributions to visual arts, media arts and fine crafts.

Each of the winners, chosen by peer assessment committees, will receive a $25,000 prize and a bronze medallion. In addition, artistic video portraits of the winners have been created by professional filmmakers from Canada.

2023 GGArts Winners

Saidye Bronfman Award

• Grace Nickel, Visual Artist (Winnipeg, Manitoba)

Outstanding Contribution Award

• David Garneau, Visual Artist, Curator, Critical Art Writer (Regina, Saskatchewan)

Artistic Achievement Awards

• Evergon, Gay Politico and Eroticist Working in Lens-Based Art (Montréal, Quebec)
• FASTWÜRMS, Visual Artists (Mulmur, Ontario)
• Germaine Koh, Artist (Vancouver, British Columbia)
• Shannon Walsh, Filmmaker (Vancouver, British Columbia)
• Tim Whiten, Image Maker and Creator of Cultural Objects (Toronto, Ontario)
• Nettie Wild, Filmmaker (Vancouver, British Columbia)

2023 Peer Assessment Committee Members

Saidye Bronfman Award

• Maegen Black, Associate Dean, New Brunswick College of Craft & Design (Fredericton, New Brunswick)
• Laurent Craste, Ceramic Artist and Visual Artist (Saint-Damien, Quebec)
• Naoko Takenouchi, Glass Artist (Vancouver, British Columbia)

Artistic Achievement Awards and Outstanding Contribution Award

• Rémi Belliveau, Visual Artist and Musician (Memramcook, New Brunswick)
• Karen Chapman, Writer, Director, Storyteller, Smallaxx Motion Pictures (Scarborough, Ontario)
• Brenda Draney, Visual Artist (Edmonton, Alberta)
• Aude Moreau, Visual Artist (Montréal, Quebec)
• Reid Shier, Exec­­­­utive Director, The Polygon Gallery (Vancouver, British Columbia)

The Awards

Saidye Bronfman Award

Established by the Bronfman family in 1977, the Saidye Bronfman Award is the most prestigious distinction in fine crafts in Canada. Each year, the Canadian Museum of History acquires either a single work or a series of works by the winner. 

Outstanding Contribution Award

The Outstanding Contribution Award is given to artists who have made an exceptional contribution to visual arts, media arts or fine crafts in a volunteer or professional capacity.

Artistic Achievement Awards

The Artistic Achievement Awards are given to artists in recognition of their body of work. It honours their contribution to contemporary visual or media arts.

Partners

Video Portraits

You can now watch original video portraits of each of the winners. These short portraits, commissioned by the Canada Council for the Arts in partnership with the Independent Media Arts Alliance and created by Canadian filmmakers, are available online as well as on the entertainment platform offered on Air Canada flights from June to November 2023.

Exhibition of the Works

The Canada Council for the Arts is pleased to partner with the National Gallery of Canada in celebrating visual and media arts and artists. The Gallery will present an exhibition to showcase the work of the 2023 GGArts winners.

About the Canada Council for the Arts

The Canada Council for the Arts is Canada’s public arts funder. The mandate of the Canada Council is to “foster and promote the study and enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts.”

The Canada Council’s Art Bank operates art rental programs and helps further public engagement with contemporary art through exhibition and outreach activities.

The Canada Council’s investments foster greater engagement in the arts among international audiences and within Canada. This contributes to the vibrancy of a creative and diverse arts and literary scene and supports the presence of this scene across Canada and around the world.

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