October 1, 2014 / 7 – 9 p.m.
Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art
The winners: (left to right – row in the back): Elijah Aitaok (Nunavut), Adrienna Matzeg (Nova Scotia), Amy Wells (Prince Edward Island), Stéphanie Auger (Quebec), Sandra Racine (New Brunswick), Brandon Sieber (Saskatchewan), Samuel De Lange (National winner), Emmanuel Osahor (Alberta), Isaac Thomas (British Columbia); (left to right – front row): Maria Mercer (Newfoundland & Larador), Katerina Maria Mendoza (Manitoba), Lisa-Marie Bissonnette (Ontario), Dawn Cain, Curator, Lucy Koshan (Yukon), Nada Ristich of BMO.
BMO’s 12th annual 1stArt Student Competition Award took place at the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art.The evening brought in an excited crowd to watch the presentation of awards to thirteen talented students from various post-secondary institutions. The competition has grown an incredible amount since its first year in 2003; this year had a record 272 submissions compared to the first year of around 120 submissions. In her presentation of the winners, Curator for the BMO Financial Group, Dawn Cain, perfectly reflects, “Perhaps the only encompassing statement one could say is that they are all ambitious and produce strong works that signify a point of experimentation and departure for each of their majors.” Each piece differs in medium—ranging from photography, painting, screen prints, to three dimension mechanical pieces—but shares the same commanding presence upon the viewer. I can only imagine how difficult it was to select the winners from so many submissions.
Twelve awards are presented to regional winners and one to an esteemed national winner. This year’s national award went to Samuel de Lange from the University of Guelph with his work entitled PVTREFACTIO VI (Black Sun).
National winner, Samuel de Lange (University of Guelph) with his mother, in front of his piece, PVTREFACTIO VI (Black Sun)
The national winner receives $10,000 and the regional winners each receive $5,000 for his or her artwork. The national winner’s work will become part of BMO’s corporate art collection, which includes historical and contemporary Canadian masters such as Kenojuak Ashevak, Emily Carr, Paterson Ewen, Tom Forestall, Marc-Aurèle Fortin, Lawren Harris, Thaddeus Holownia, David Milne, Margaret Priest, Denyse Thomasos, Ian Wallace and others.
Guests in front of Regional winner, Emmanuel Osahor’s The Conundrum, University of Alberta
Regional winner, Isaac Thomas (Emily Carr University of Art & Design, British Columbia), Alleyway Landscapes
Regional winner Elijah Aitaok (Nunavut Arctic College), with his sculpture, Precious Time
Guests looking at Elijah Aitaok’s Precious Time
Regional winner, Katrina Marie Mendoza’s installation, University of Manitoba
Regional winner, Sandra Racíne, Fancy Basket in Green, New Brunswick College of Craft & Design
The ceremony was a glamorous affair filled with wine, delicious foods, and good conversation. While I am sure the winners, who were constantly conversing with interviewers and inquisitive guests, were exhausted by the time nine o’clock rolled around, I found myself, as an attendee, enjoying the beautiful art and stylish company too much for the party to come to an end. Congratulations to all the winners of this year’s award and a huge thank you to BMO for providing an enjoyable night for all.
Guests viewing Stéphanie Auger, Untitled (turquoise and cobalt 1), Université Laval, Quebec
All winning entries will be on display at the 1st Art! 2014 exhibition, held at the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, October 2 – 26, 2014.
Text and photo: Carter Brown