For Immediate Release - November 8, 2019
Guelph Arts Council is pleased to announce that the 2019 Jane Graham Memorial Award will be shared by Annie Burgess, ceramicist, and Jagdeep Raina, an artist working in textiles. The recipients live and work in Guelph, and submitted requests for assistance to pursue specialized professional development opportunities that will take them in new directions.
Annie Burgess is now focussing her efforts on ceramics, both as an artist and as a teacher. Her request for assistance is to help cover the costs of the Intermediate/Advanced Pottery-Throwing course at Haliburton School of Art & Design, Fleming College, an immersive and focused program she feels is what she needs to take her work to the next level. She also believes that, by improving her throwing skills, she will be able to move forward in her goal “to blur the boundaries between craft and fine art.” In addition, the course will allow her to offer more “value-added” to her students. The jury commended Annie both for her commitment to better her artistic practice as a professional potter, and for her dedication to teaching/sharing her love of art with the community.
Jagdeep Raina is currently concentrating on expanding his artistic practice in textiles, specifically weaving, spinning, natural dyeing and sewing. His long-term goal is to make a “phulkari,” an embroidered textile art form that is almost a lost art in the villages of Punjab. To start him on this journey connecting him to his heritage, Jagdeep submitted a request to take spinning classes with local artist Alisa McRonald. This opportunity will also help him generally to cultivate new skills in the field of textiles, something that he has “a deep, passionate desire to improve on as a visual artist.” The jury found Jagdeep’s vision and dedication inspiring, especially his efforts to investigate a lost art that connects him to and sheds light on his heritage.
Both Guelph Arts Council and the jury panel were extremely pleased with the applications for the 2019 Jane Graham Memorial Award. The applicants’ stories were all compelling, presenting the jury with some challenging decision-making.
Established in memory of local artist Jane Graham following her untimely death in March 2005, the Guelph Arts Council Jane Graham Memorial Fund is managed by The Guelph Community Foundation. As a result, Guelph Arts Council is annually able to assist visual artists residing and actively practising in Guelph or Wellington County, helping them to pursue professional development opportunities that will contribute to individual personal artistic growth.
About Guelph Arts Council: For over forty years, Guelph Arts Council has been dedicated to supporting, stimulating and promoting arts and culture in Guelph. Guelph Arts Council is funded in part by The Guelph Community Foundation and City of Guelph. We also acknowledge the support of the Ontario Arts Council, an agency of the Government of Ontario.
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