News Releases
BMO Financial Group today announced one national and 13 regional winners of the only national graduating artist competition in Canada, the BMO 1st Art! Invitational Student Art Competition.
A photograph depicting the tyranny of human expansion over nature, images that explore notions of beauty and female roles, sculpture made from driftwood found along the Mackenzie River, a painting that explores the violence of war and the promise of hope, and images of airports as metaphors of human strength and weakness: these are just some of the distinctive and remarkable works of art produced by the 2007 winners.
The competition received a record 179 entries from every province and territory across Canada, a testament to the esteem of the BMO 1st Art! awards. The winning works showcase the diverse influences and artistic visions of this country, with each piece reflecting the unique nature of the artists and the communities in which they live and study.
BMO 1st Art! Invitational Student Art Competition is a celebration of the creative excellence of art students from post-secondary institutions across Canada. Deans and instructors of undergraduate certificate, diploma, and degree programs in visual art are invited to select three students from their graduating classes whose ability and imagination place them first among their peers. A distinguished panel of judges chooses an overall national winner and one winner from each province and territory.
2007 Winners
BMO 1st Art! 2007 national winner:
Blaine Campbell, Vancouver, BC, Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design
Regional winners:
Dawson City, YK – Kendra Brickner, Klondike Institute of Arts & Culture
Inuvik, NT – Kathleen Mangelana, Aurora College
Iqaluit, NU – Alie Kippomee, Nunavut Arctic College
Vancouver, BC – Jeremy Hof, Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design
Calgary, AB – Angela Lane Alberta College of Art and Design
Regina, SK – Jessie MacDonald, University of Regina
La Salle, MB – Natalie Ferguson, University of Manitoba
Toronto, ON – Andrea Raymond, Ontario College of Art & Design
Sherbrooke, QC -- Rapha�lle Coulombe-Allie, Universit� du Qu�bec � Montr�al
Moncton, NB -- Raymonde Fortin, Universit� de Moncton
Dieppe, PEI – Stephen Farquharson, Holland College
Halifax, NS – John van der Woude, Nova Scotia College of Art & Design
Conception Bay South, NL – Amanda Duffett, Memorial University
The national winner receives $5,000 and the regional winners each receive $2,500 for his or her artwork. Their works, which represent the best of Canada's newest generation of artists, will be installed in BMO offices from coast to coast, joining a prestigious corporate art collection that includes historical and contemporary Canadian masters such as Kenojuak Ashevak, Emily Carr, Tom Forestall, Marc-Aur�le Fortin, Lawren Harris and others.
“The creativity, ability, and accomplishments of this country's visual arts graduates are truly inspiring and worthy of recognition,” said Dawn Cain, Curator, BMO Financial Group, Corporate Art Collection. “It's a challenge and an honour to select the finalists from among so many ‘winning' submissions.”
“I continue to be impressed by the depth of talent and creativity of Canada's young artists," said Gilles Ouellette, President and CEO, Private Client Group, BMO Financial Group, and Deputy Chair, BMO Nesbitt Burns. “By shining the spotlight on these outstanding graduating students, it is our hope that BMO 1st Art! can give our 2007 winners the motivation and confidence to move forward with their work and in doing so, find their place in Canada's strong and vital cultural community.”
Mr. Ouellette and Ms. Cain served as selection committee members for the 5th annual BMO 1st Art! Competition, along with art luminaries Jessica Bradley, Director, Jessica Bradley Art Projects; David Liss, Director/Curator, Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art; Landon Mackenzie, Artist and Gary Michael Dault, Arts Critic.
The BMO 1st Art! winners' works will be on display at the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (MOCCA) 952 Queen Street West in Toronto from October 2 to 28, 2007. The winning pieces can also be viewed on BMO Financial Group's website at:
http://www2.bmo.com/content/0,1263,divId-7_langId-1_navCode-4094,00.html
Since 1817, BMO Financial Group has believed in community reinvestment and corporate and social responsibility to the communities it serves. BMO contributes millions of dollars each year in corporate donations, sponsorships and events, supporting thousands of communities, charities and not-for-profit organizations in Canada. In 2006, BMO was the recipient of a Globe and Mail Business for the Arts Award, which recognizes “outstanding partnerships between business and the arts” and in 2005, BMO was named Best Corporate Citizen of the Year in Canada by Corporate Knights magazine.
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