Two of the city’s most prominent and acclaimed artists have been named as co-winners of the 2016 Mayor’s Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts.
Elke Blodgett and Alan Nuttall will receive their honours during the Mayor’s Celebration of the Arts ceremony that will be held on Thursday, March 3 at the Enjoy Centre.
“The winners of this year’s awards are both well deserving artists that have contributed greatly to the artistic culture in our community,” said Mayor Nolan Crouse through a prepared press release. “We are proud to honour both of them and make them a part of the Cultural Wall of Fame.”
The Lifetime Achievement Award honours the long-standing and significant achievements by an artist over the course of an entire career. This includes artistic practice, achievement, recognition by peers and the artist’s contribution to the local and broader artistic community.
Blodgett, a prominent environmental proponent locally, is better known around the world for the four decades she spent as an accomplished raku potter, as well as her hand-building, primitive firing and kiln construction projects. Her work is held in a number of private, corporate and government collections in North America and Europe, including the Canada Council Art Bank, Alberta Foundation for the Arts, the Banff Centre for the Arts, the Consulate-General of Japan (in Edmonton), and in the City of St. Albert’s own permanent art collection.
Alan Nuttall’s illustrative cityscape paintings have become practically iconic representations of St. Albert. His well-known and intensely detailed works also feature scenes from Banff, Jasper and Edmonton. The artist has held numerous exhibitions, and his work has been collected all over the world including his scene of the Alberta Legislative Building, which was chosen to represent the province in a permanent exhibit in Ottawa.
Other awards that will be announced during the ceremony include the Emerging Artist Award, the Community Arts Group Award, the Youth Artist Award, the Established Artist Award, the Arts Leadership Award, and the Excellence in Arts Teaching Award.
The annual recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award will also be inducted into the Cultural Wall of Fame in St. Albert Place.
