Celebrating the 2024 Molson Prize Winners: Shirley Cheechoo and Christina Sharpe

The 2024 Canada Council for the Arts Molson Prize winners are filmmaker and educator Shirley Cheechoo, in the arts category, and writer and professor Christina Sharpe, in the social sciences and humanities category.

Every year, the Canada Council awards two Molson prizes of $50,000 to distinguished figures from Canada—one in the social sciences and humanities and the other in the arts. Funded by income from a $1-million endowment given to the Council by The Molson Foundation, the prize encourages recipients to continue contributing to cultural and intellectual life in Canada. The Canada Council administers the awards in conjunction with the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

The Canada Council asked this year’s winners to reflect on their work—career accomplishments, the advantages of risk-taking and aspirations. 

Shirley Cheechoo 

The Canada Council for the Arts awarded a 2024 Molson Prize to Shirley Cheechoo for her outstanding contributions to the arts and education sectors.

Dr. Shirley Cheechoo, C.M., is a trailblazing Cree filmmaker, artist and educator renowned for being the first Indigenous woman to direct a dramatic feature film in Canada. Born in Eastmain, Quebec, Shirley has dedicated her career to amplifying Indigenous voices through the arts. She is the founder of the Weengushk Film Institute, the Debajehmujig Theatre Group and the Weengushk International Film Festival, each fostering artistic expression and professional development among Indigenous peoples.

What’s the most important thing you’ve learned in your career?

One crucial lesson I’ve learned in my journey is never giving up on your dreams. You might find that what you initially thought was your purpose in life changes as you grow and evolve. This is a natural part of life. Keep dreaming, setting goals and embracing the paths that are open to you, even if some dreams must be let go.

Risk-taking is often connected to career success—have you taken any risks that were essential to your success?

My personal and professional journey has been about taking bold leaps, especially in the arts—a field that resonated deeply with my spirit.

When I started taking risks, I relied solely on my determination and the hope that my work would eventually be recognized. It was a daunting path, filled with uncertainties and challenges, yet driven by a deep-seated belief in the power of art to connect and heal. This relentless creativity and self-belief journey finally paid off when my artistic expressions began to capture attention. It confirmed that passion and persistence can illuminate the darkest paths, even in adversity.

Taking risks has allowed me to share my voice and heritage and affirmed the importance of art in bridging cultures and healing communities. It's a testament to the idea that the world eventually takes notice when you commit to your true path.

Christina Sharpe

The Canada Council for the Arts awarded a 2024 Molson Prize to Christina Sharpe for her notable contributions to literature and Black studies.

Christina Sharpe is a writer, professor and Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Black Studies in the Humanities at York University, in Toronto. She is the author of three books, most recently Ordinary Notes (2023), winner of the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction and finalist for the National Book Award for Nonfiction, the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction, the L.A. Times Current Interest Book Prize and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Biography.

What are you most proud of in your career?

I am so glad that I have the privilege of working with the many brilliant, dedicated students that I do. They are making new forms of knowledge. They are ethical and determined to live differently in this world, toward a new one. They inspire me every day.

What obstacles have you had to overcome in your work?

There are many and they are continuous—they are structural: anti-Blackness is the weather, and I don’t think in the language of overcoming. But we do not move through this weather alone. I am grateful for all of the people, all of the texts (music, literature, art) that offer companionship, that make continuing possible. 

Help celebrate this year’s #MolsonPrize winners

Join the Canada Council in congratulating the 2024 winners and help celebrate this milestone in their careers by sharing the news of the #MolsonPrize winners on social media and beyond.