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Ottawa, 22 February 2001 - The winners of the second annual Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts will be announced on Wednesday, March 14, and presented with their awards at a gala ceremony at Rideau Hall one week later.

The annual awards, funded and administered by the Canada Council for the Arts, were created in June 1999 and presented for the first time in March 2000 by Her Excellency the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, Governor General of Canada. The awards recognize distinguished career achievement in the visual and media arts by Canadian artists, as well as outstanding contributions to the visual and media arts through voluntarism, philanthropy, board governance, community outreach and professional activities. A total of seven prizes will be awarded: six to visual or media artists, and one to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution in one of the above areas.

The Canada Council announced today that the value of the 2001 award will be $15,000, up from $10,000 last year. This brings the value of the award in line with that of the Governor General's Literary Awards, also funded and administered by the Canada Council, and the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards, administered by the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards Foundation. In addition to the monetary award, each laureate will be presented with a ceramic artwork created by one of last year's award winners, Calgary artist John Chalke.

To be nominated for one of the six artistic awards, candidates must have created an outstanding body of work and have made a significant contribution to the development of the visual or media arts over a significant period of time. Professional artists are eligible for nominations in the following four categories: fine arts (painting and drawing, photography and print-making, and sculpture, including installation and other three-dimensional work); applied arts (architecture and fine crafts); independent film and video; and audio and new media. The laureates are selected from among the nominees by a jury of artists and visual and media arts professionals from across Canada. The members of this year's jury are: Peggy Gale (curator and writer; Toronto); Nan Griffiths (professor of architecture, Ottawa); Garry Neill Kennedy (visual artist; Hubbard, Nova Scotia); Lee Ann Martin (curator, Ottawa); Guido Molinari (visual artist and professor; Montreal); Jayce Salloum (media artist, Vancouver); and Carol Waino (visual artist; Montreal).

Announcement and ceremony

This year, the Canada Council will announce the winners of the Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, March 14. The names and biographies of the laureates, together with downloadable images of the artists and their works, will be available at that time on the Canada Council website at www.canadacouncil.ca/prizes/ggavma.

One week later, on Wednesday, March 21, the Governor General will present the laureates with their awards at a 4 p.m. ceremony at Rideau Hall, followed by a gala reception and dinner.

Exhibition at the National Gallery of Canada

March 21 will also mark the opening of an exhibition at the National Gallery of Canada in celebration of the laureates and their works. Media representatives are invited to attend the opening, which will take place from 10 a.m. until 12 noon in the Great Hall of the National Gallery, 380 Sussex Drive, Ottawa. More information on the exhibition will be available in conjunction with the announcement of the winners March 14.

General information

The Canada Council for the Arts, in addition to its principal role of promoting and fostering the arts in Canada, administers and awards over 100 prizes and fellowships in the arts, humanities, natural and health sciences, engineering and communication technologies. Among these are the Killam Prizes, the Canada Council for the Arts Molson Prizes and the Governor General's Literary Awards.

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