(Edmonton, May 28, 2018) The Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Arts Awards Foundation today announced awards totaling $100,000 to the 10 recipients of its 2018 Emerging Artist Award.

Foundation Chair Ken Regan says “We are so pleased to be able to invest in advancing the careers of these outstanding young artists who truly will make a difference across Alberta – and Canada.”

• Ali Bryan, writer, Calgary
• Brett Dahl, theatre artist, Calgary
• Emily Marisabel, theatre artist, Claresholm (Edmonton)
• Jared Darcy Tailfeathers, multidisciplinary artist, Calgary
• Jenna K. Rodgers, theatre artist, Calgary
• Kelton Stepanowich, filmmaker, Ft. McMurray
• Lizzie Derksen, writer, Edmonton
• Pamma FitzGerald, visual artist, Calgary
• Roydon Tse, composer, Edmonton (Toronto)
• Timothy Brennan Steeves, violinist, Strathmore

Her Honour, the Honourable Lois E. Mitchell, CM, AOE, LLD, Lieutenant Governor of Alberta presented the medals and awards at a private ceremony at Government House in Edmonton June 1.

These 10 recipients were selected from 147 applications in a two-tiered adjudication process overseen by The Banff Centre. The adjudication panel included: Mark Bellamy, theatre director;  Mel Kirby, manager, Calgary Opera Emerging Artist Development Program; Jane Ash Poitras, visual artist, Lieutenant Governor of Alberta 2011 Distinguished Artist; Thomas Trofimuk, novelist, poet.

Here is some background on the artists.

Ali Bryan, writer, Calgary

Ali Bryan is an award-winning novelist and creative non-fiction writer based in Calgary. Her first novel Roost(Freehand, 2013) won the Alberta Literary Awards George Bugnet Award for Fiction. National Post said, “Roost is hilarious. Ali Bryan is a master of deadpan delivery and is a seemingly endless source of deft one-liners.” Hersecond novel The Figgs was released on May 1, 2018; a third is currently in the works. Ali has twice been long-listed for the CBC Writes Creative Non-Fiction prize, and was shortlisted for the Alberta Literary Awards Jon Whyte Memorial Essay Award in 2016 in the same genre. She is also writing young adult literature and her first work in the YA genre –The Hill – is currently with an agent. The adjudicators found her writing to be “captivating, funny and so good’. http://www.alibryan.com

Brett Dahl, theatre artist, Calgary

Brett Dahl graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting in 2013. Since then, he has performed in more than 20 professional and independent shows. In 2015, he received the Theatre Calgary Stephen Hair Emerging Actor Award. In addition to his demand as performer, Brett is a freelance educator, emerging playwright and Artistic Associate of Theatre Outré, a leading outlet for alternative queer theatre in Alberta. He is focused on creating a strong voice for queer work in Alberta, and on networking across Canada to share his own stories and nurture his voice as a playwright – all with the goal of capitalizing on the power of theatre to explore issues and empower others. Brett is committed to sharing the unique struggles and perspectives of marginalized voices: “The experience of sharing queer stories has not always been easy but it has enriched my artistic practice. Now, I am prepared and motivated to share my own stories and nurture my voice as a playwright.”

Emily Marisabel, theatre artist, Claresholm

Emily Marisabel graduated from the Rosebud School of the Arts Mentorship in Acting Program in 2017. She earlier attended York University for two years where she specialized in Devised Theatre. Emily’s love for producing and directing theatre led to the development of Light in the Dark theatre with its focus on sharing stories to illuminate hope, and inspire positive action. Her short term goal for the company is as a vehicle to bring theatre to young, rural audiences across Alberta, including through a series of theatre training camps under the banner of Spark of Creation. Emily is focused on capitalizing on the medium of live theatre to inform the audience, inspire hope, incite positive action and build community.
https://emilymarisabel.wordpress.com

Jared Tailfeathers creates unique art that spans a variety of medium including graphic novels, musical instruments he invents and builds himself, illustrations, art installations and exhibitions. He graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Alberta College of Art and Design (2015) and is an active member and volunteer on the arts and culture scene in Alberta. Jared is the Visual Art Director for Indigenous Resilience In Music (IRIM), a not for profit indigenous led collective that fosters growth of aboriginal artists in many disciplines, focused on indigenous youth. In 2017 Tailfeathers released a self-published graphic novel series Spite (issues 1-3) and a graphic novel for young audiences titled Portifore and Boulderdecept: The Crow and the Beasts Bellow. He is described as “..part of an up and coming generation of artists who will cross bridges culturally and artistically with a new level of meaning, understanding and reconciliation.” Future plans include making prototype musical instruments and inventions accessible to a wide audience for collective ceative output. He is committed to promoting artistic growth in Calgary, especially for youth and children.
http://sinicalethics1.wixsite.com/jaredtailfeathers

Jenna Rodgers is a mixed-race director and dramaturg based in Calgary. She is a graduate of the University of Amsterdam (Netherlands) and University of Tampere (Finland) Master of Arts – International Performance Research program (2010); and of the University of Alberta, Bachelor of Arts, Drama (2008). Jenna founded and is Artistic Director of Chromatic Theatre in Calgary – the only theatre company specifically dedicated to producing and developing work for artists of colour. She is known for her advocacy in arts equity; is a founding member of Calgary’s Theatre Arts Collective for Consent and Respect in Theatre (CART), and co-founder of the Calgary Congress for Equity and Diversity in the Arts (CCEDA). At Chromatic Theatre she is honing her knowledge about governance structures, policy-building, programming, curation, and the scope of running and nurturing a theatre company focused on equity, diversity and inclusion.
http://chromatictheatre.ca

Kelton Stepanowich is a largely self-taught Metis/Cree artist from the community of Janvier, Alberta who honed his film skills by absorbing movies through the internet, and by working on the set of APTN’s series, Blackstone. Kelton’s short film Gods Acre – about a man determined to protect his land at all costs – was the only Alberta film to play in the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival. Gods Acre was also accepted into the 2016 TIFF directors lab, and Kelton one of 20 filmmakers from across the globe chosen to be part of this program. His feature film The Road Behind (2017) is in post production with release scheduled for 2019 on the Movie Network. The Unmoveable Harvey Sykes (2017) short documentary is also scheduled for release in 2019 on CBCshort Docs. He has received the 2015 Regional Aboriginal ‘artist of the year’ Recognition Achievement Award; the 2016 Whistler Film Festival Aboriginal Filmmaker Fellowship; a position in the 2016 ImagineNative Director Lab. His films have been shown at the International Film Festivals in Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Whistler, Seattle, and Vancouver, and at the Maoriland Film Festival in New Zealand, FlickerFest Film Festival and ImagineNative Film Festival, Danforth East Short Film Festival, and others.  Kelton is inspired to share the world he sees through his films: “I want people to understand what being indigenous means to me – to experience my work and know that it’s me. I want to create films that have never been done before.”

Lizzie Derksen earned a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in English Literature from MacEwan University in 2016. Her body of written work includes poetry, fiction, and nonfiction; she has been published in literary magazines (both print and online), anthologies, arts and culture magazines, newspapers, short story vending machines, and even on t-shirts and coffee sleeves! She received an Alberta Foundation for the Arts individual project grant (2016) for her short film The Cricket, which went on to win an award of excellence at the Film and Video Arts Association of Alberta’s FAVA Fest 2018; the Edmonton Arts Council individual program grant (2016) for her collection of short stories about a child growing up in a southern Saskatchewan bible college town; and the Gloria Sawai Senior English Prize for her short story “Thrift”. For 2018, she is embarking on the first draft of a full-length novel, seeking representation by an agent, writing her next film, revising an unpublished work, and continuing to submit her film and written work to festivals and publications. The Emerging Artist award adjudicators identified the value of the award as a launch for this writer who they believe holds promise to be a ‘really great novelist/writer’.
http://www.lizziederksen.com

Pamma FitzGerald’s first fine arts degree from the Alberta College of Art and Design (ACAD) was in Drawing (2009), but her second was in Ceramics (ACAD, 2017). She has merged her drawing skills into mixed media, and specifically ceramics. In her words “I aim to continue merging collage and clay, words and images, and exploring creative collaborations.” She is fascinated by the combination of weight, shape and capacity that ceramics have to carry imagery, and recognizes enormous potential for re-thinking ceramics artistic expression. She has been recognized with the ACAD Board of Governor’s Graduating Student Award for Artistic Achievement in Ceramics (2017); an Alberta Foundation for the Arts Cultural Relations Project Grant; and the Illingworth Kerr Travel Study Scholarship, among others. Her works have been displayed at the Alberta Craft Council Gallery (current); the Art Vault, Calgary; at 2017 Dish, an International Juried Exhibit at Medalta Pottery, Medicine Hat. She has had pieces purchased for numerous collections, including the Alberta Foundation for the Arts; Encana collection; the Canadian Embassy in Washington, DC; and private collections in England, Canada, France and the United States.
https://pammafitzgerald.wordpress.com

Roydon Tse is an emerging artist with an impressive and widely disseminated body of work, recognition by prestigious organizations and a demonstrated leader on the local, national and international scenes. His portfolio consists of over forty works for a variety of mediums, including music for orchestra, wind ensemble, chamber ensembles, choir, opera, and electronic media. His works have been recorded and performed by eminent ensembles such as the Brussels Philharmonic, Paris Opera Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Shanghai Philharmonic, Brno Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Land’s End Ensemble, and the Cecilia String Quartet. Notable career awards include three top prizes from the SOCAN Foundation Awards for Young Composers; the Canadian Music Center’s Prairies Emerging Composer Prize; Edmonton Mayor’s Stantec Emerging Artist Award; and the Grand Prize from the Washington International Composition Competition. In 2017 he was named as one of CBC Music’s Top 30 under 30 Hot Canadian Classical Musicians. His long term goal is to establish a career as a freelance orchestral composer in Canada and internationally, and to continue exploring his voice as a composer and work on developing larger scale works for orchestra and chamber ensembles.
www.roydontse.com

Timothy Steeves hails from Strathmore, Alberta  and has been playing violin since childhood. He is finalizing the requirements for a Doctor of Musical Arts in Violin Performance from Rice University, and holds a Masters and a Bachelor of Music (Violin Performance) from the University of Michigan. He is currently the Acting Associate Concertmaster of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra under musical director, Bramwell Tovey, and maintains an active solo and chamber music career. In recent years, he has performed in Alberta, British Columbia, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Ontario, New Brunswick, New York, Quebec, Texas, and Wisconsin among others. His violin performances have been broadcast by Radio Canada, BBC Music, and National Public Radio. Timothy is strong advocate for new classical music, and as the founding violinist of a new music ensemble, Latitude 49, has performed and recorded dozens of new works including many world premieres. Latitude 49’s first recording, Curious Minds, was released in 2017. His immediate goals are to increase the breadth and profile of his performances as a soloist, chamber musician and an orchestral player. Upcoming projects include an education residency at Princeton University, collaborating with the Chicago Fringe Opera, tour with soprano Susan Narucki, and new commissioned works by Juri Seo and Evan Ware.

About the Awards:

The late Fil Fraser, the late Tommy Banks, the late John Poole and Jenny Belzberg (Calgary)  established the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Arts Awards Foundation in 2003 to celebrate and promote excellence in the arts. The endowments they established were created with philanthropic dollars and gifts from the Province of Alberta and Government of Canada.

Since it’s inception in 2003, the Foundation has awarded $1,040,000 to 17 Distinguished Artists and 53 Emerging Artists.

The Foundation administers two awards programs:

• The Emerging Artist Awards program, established in 2008, gives up to 10 awards of $10,000 each to support and encourage promising artists early in their careers. Emerging Artist Awards are given out in even years.
• The Distinguished Artist Awards program, begun in 2005, gives up to three awards of $30,000 each in recognition of outstanding achievement in, or contribution to, the arts in Alberta. Distinguished Artist Awards are given in odd years. The 2019 Distinguished Artist Awards celebration will be in Maskwacis, Battle River region in September 21, 2019.

For more information see: www.artsawards.ca