Province Announces Portia White Prize Nominees

Fourteen outstanding Nova Scotian artists have been nominated for the 2006 Portia White Prize, Premier Rodney MacDonald announced today, Oct. 12.

The Portia White Prize, one of the most prestigious arts awards in Nova Scotia and Canada, promotes excellence, innovation and expression in the arts.

"The artists who have been nominated for this year's Portia White Prize have all excelled in their disciplines and made a significant contribution to the province's cultural life," said Premier MacDonald, who will announce the winner at the Creative Nova Scotia conference and awards gala being held at the deCoste Centre in Pictou on Thursday, Oct. 19.

The annual award is valued at $25,000. The recipient receives $18,000 and names a protégé to receive $7,000. It is named after Nova Scotian classical singer Portia White, who rose through adversity to achieve international acclaim on the stages of Europe and North America.

Nominations for the award are submitted by members and supporters of the province's arts and cultural community. They are reviewed by a peer committee made up of leaders in cultural development who represent the province's cultural and geographic diversity.

The following artists have been nominated for the 2006 Portia White Prize:

• Wayne Boucher, an abstract painter who has devoted three decades to grassroots development of the arts
• Mufara Chakabuda, an African dance specialist who uses the discipline to teach about her culture
• Gerald Ferguson, a painter who helped reinvent the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in the 1970s
• Joleen Gordon, master basketry artist who has been involved in the recovery of Mi'kmaw, Acadian and Black basketry heritage
• Christopher Heide, professional playwright and director whose stories of community are at the heart of his work
• Frank MacDonald, a journalist and author who advocates for rural artists through his writing
• Terry MacDonald, historical illustrator who has preserved important eras and events for the province through his murals
• Walter Ostrom, a post-war ceramic artist who has ceaselessly supported the crafts community
• Peter Rankin, a visual artist whose images celebrate community and the artistry that is found in manual professions
• William Roach, an Acadian folk artist who has influenced the quality of wood carving found within the province
• Stanley Spicer, an author and historian, who has contributed to the history of the "Age of Sail"
• Darlene Strong, an artist, educator and advocate, who has promoted and preserved Black artistic expression of her region
• Laurie Swim, a quilt artist whose work supports community and influences an increased interest in the fibre arts
• Alan Syliboy, a visual artist who has brought ancient icons into the mainstream, restoring Mi'kmaq community pride.

Past Portia White Prize winners include writer and poet George Elliot Clarke, musician and conductor Georg Tinter, visual artist Gary Neil Kennedy, writer Alistair MacLeod, filmmaker Sylvia Hamilton, visual artist Charlotte Wilson-Hammond, and theatre artists Jim Morrow and Walter Borden.

In addition to the Portia White Prize, the Masterwork Award, Prix Grand-Pre and Aliant New Media Prize will also be presented at the awards gala. Members of the arts and culture community interested in attending the event are urged to register immediately, as space is limited and filling up quickly.

The Nova Scotia Arts and Culture Partnership Council was established in 2003. In consultation with the arts and culture sector, it provides advice and recommendations to guide the Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage regarding ongoing investment in Nova Scotia's artists, cultural industries and cultural activities. For more information on the Portia White Prize see www.gov.ns.ca/dtc .