(St. John’s, NL): The Excellence in Visual Arts Awards (EVAs) are the province’s only awards program for visual artists, and this year the EVAs will see another award category added to the existing four prizes. The Critical Eye Award recognizes the impact that critical art writing can have on a visual artists’ career. Any writer worldwide who has written about a NL artist in any recognized print or online publication during the past calendar year is eligible for consideration. The winner will receive $500, courtesy of an anonymous donor.
The EVA Awards are part of the programming for Visual Artists Newfoundland and Labrador (VANL-CARFAC).
“We were thrilled when an anonymous donor came forward the day before the 2010 EVA Awards, to suggest starting an award for critical art writing”, says VANL-CARFAC’s Executive Director, Sara Tilley. “This individual’s enthusiasm for this new award is a wonderful sign of how much community support there is for the EVAs in the province. The donor felt that critical writing was crucial to the growth of artists’ careers, and that an award celebrating excellence in art writing would be a great way to encourage more dialogue about the art being created in our province.” The donor has committed to funding the award for four years.
Applications for the Critical Eye Award will be accepted along with applications to the Large Year Award, Long Haul Award, Emerging Artist Award and Kippy Goins Award until April 1st, 2011. The jury will be comprised of a member of the EVA Committee, a provincial visual arts professional and a national visual arts professional.
To be eligible for the Critical Eye Award, the writer may reside in any province of Canada or any country worldwide, as long as they have written about a Newfoundland Labrador artist within the preceding calendar year, from January 1 to December 31, in a recognized print or online publication.
For more information, contact VANL-CARFAC’s Program Coordinator Dave Andrews at 1-877-738-7303, or vanl-carfac@nf.aibn.com.