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Inaugural honorees announced for Vancouver Arts Awards
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Vancouver Mayor Larry Campbell today announced the honorees for the first-ever Vancouver Arts Awards at a press conference at Vancouver City Hall.

Honorees were announced in seven categories, and will be formally presented with their Awards at the Vancouver Arts Awards gala on March 19, to be held at the Vancouver Public Library. In announcing the honorees, Mayor Campbell remarked, "The City of Vancouver and Bell are pleased to present the first Vancouver Arts Awards, celebrating the creative and cultural fabric of our city. The honorees truly represent the diversity of Vancouver talent."

The honorees are:

Famed architect Arthur Erickson, in the category of Design Arts. Mr. Erickson has designed numerous buildings around the world, including Vancouver’s Robson Square and the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia.

The Canadian Federation of Chefs and Cooks 1997 Chef of the Year, Bruno G. Marti, in the category of Culinary Arts. Mr. Marti is the owner of La Belle Auberge in Ladner, and was a member of Canada’s 1984 world championship team at the Culinary Olympics.

CBC Radio’s Richardson’s Roundup host, Bill Richardson, in the category of Media and Recording Arts. Mr. Richardson has been on the air for fifteen years and is the author of several books, including Bachelor Brother’s Bed and Breakfast, which won him the Stephen Leacock Medal.

Ballet British Columbia’s artistic director, John Alleyne, in the category of Performing Arts. Mr. Alleyne has choreographed works such as vision.flection and Flying to Paris, and has commissioned works that have gone on to national and international acclaim.

A member of the Order of Canada, artist Gathie Falk, in the category of Visual Arts. Ms. Falk has exhibited her work across Canada and her pieces hang in the collections of public art galleries such as the National Gallery of Canada, Vancouver Art Gallery and the Art Gallery of Ontario.

The founder of Arsenal Pulp Press (formerly Pulp Press Book Publishers) and GEIST magazine, Stephen Osborne, in the category of Writing and Publishing. Mr. Osborne is an accomplished author and teacher, as well as a mentor to emerging writers through The Writer’s Studio at SFU.

A dedicated volunteer and patron to numerous Vancouver cultural groups, Martha Lou Henley, in the category of Philanthropy. Ms. Henley has supported not only arts and culture, but the health and education sectors as well. She is a longtime volunteer with the Vancouver Opera, among others.

Honorees were nominated by members of the public, and selected by peer juries. Each honoree will be giving a commission to an emerging artist in his or her field; these commissions will be presented at the Awards Gala. Tickets for the gala are on sale as of today, February 23, by calling 604-681-3535, or visiting www.vancouverartsawards.ca.

The Vancouver Arts Awards are presented by the City of Vancouver and Bell, in partnership with the Alliance for Arts and Culture, Cultural Capitals of Canada, CBC Television, CBC Radio One and CBC Radio Two, the Vancouver Sun, the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Society to Bridge Arts and Community.

Last Updated: Thursday, July 22, 2004