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St. Catharines artists get the spotlight at annual Arts Awards

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Photo by Brands People
Christian Roethling
By Christian Roethling

On Tuesday, Nov. 29, the annual St. Catharines Arts Awards event was held in the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre with the purpose of highlighting arts and culture in St. Catharines.

These awards honour cultural leaders and promote financial and volunteer support for the city’s arts community.

The event was hosted by past Arts Awards-recipient Deanna Jones. Jones is the co-founder and Artistic Director of Suitcase in Point, a local theatre company. Jones also directed Niagara Artists Centre’s STRUTT Wearable Art Runway Show from 2011 to 2014, and acts as the Artistic Director of In the Soil Arts Festival.

Six awards were given out during the ceremony, each highlighting different elements of the artistic world through the nominee selections.

The Arts in Education Award went to Dr. Rachel Rensink-Hoff, an Associate Professor of Music at the Brock University Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts.

The Emerging Artist Award went to Kathryn Sinopoli, a songwriter and singer hailing from St. Catharines. She has written over 150 songs since 2017.

The Established Artist Award went to Amy Friend, a Canadian artist focused on photography, installations and collaborations with the community.

The Jury’s Pick Award went to Monica Dufault, the Artistic Director of local theatre company Carousel Players.

The Making a Difference Award went to Emily Oriold, the Founding Executive Director and Artistic Producer of The Foster Festival, a local theatre company.

Finally, the Patron of the Arts Award went to Frank Goldspink, who has been the Gallery Director at the TAG Art Gallery for 16 years.

Performers were present at the Awards as well, including the Strong Water Singers, Emerging Artist nominee Jonathan Moore and musicians from the twice-nominated Willow Arts Community.

The Arts Awards commemorated some of the city’s most prominent artists, creators and advocates, shining light on the world of arts and the impact that the St. Catharines community has made in the artistic field.

For more information on the Arts Awards, the award recipients and the other nominees for the awards, visit the St. Catharines website.

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