Visual Arts: Judith Jurica
Dance: Tanya Bakala
Tanya Bakala is the Founder and Artistic Director at Mission Dance Centre. As a professional dancer and soloist in Europe, Tanya has danced a variety of styles, ranging from a classical to musical theatre. Today she coaches young dancers in hopes of assisting the next generation of dancers achieve their goals.
Music: Denis Letourneau
Theatre: Shakespeare Kelowna
Shakespeare Kelowna has spent the last 22 year’s producing fantastic interpretations of William Shakespeare’s plays. Whether it’s the psychedelic ’60s, the Fascist ’30s or Elizabethan doublet, hose and swords, Shakespeare Kelowna has garnered a reputation for presenting unique and exciting interpretations of the Bard’s works.
Design: Janice Fingado
Janice Fingado has been designing jewelry for over 25 years. Her work is mainly contemporary with some influence of the Native Southwest where she lived for 13 years.
Arts Educator: Rhonda Draper
Rhonda Draper believes that learning is accelerated through expressions of the “musical voice” in young people. In her unit plan Canada: On the Wings of Our Song she exemplifies this teaching philosophy through a focus on folk songs written from the perspectives of “workers, cowboys, campers, and political leaders.”
Media Arts: Jim Elderton
Jim Elderton has been in the film industry for 42 years. He was trained at the BBC, where he worked on the first series of Dr. Who. He filmed the documentary footage and interviews for the feature movie Fido. Two of his documentaries have been screened at the Okanagan Film Festival.
Lifetime Achievement: Daphne Odjig
With a prestigious career highlighted by awards the likes of the Order of Canada and the Governor General’s Award, Daphne Odjig is one of Canada’s most historically influential artists. Daphne’s works speak on themes of racism, human suffering, family, and culture, and the powerful beauty of her pieces have allowed her a Canadian legacy few can call equal. Daphne has had her art shown on Canadian stamps, received 3 honorary doctorates, served on the Society of Canadian Artists of Native Ancestry as and Adviser and was honored as an elder, and was selected as one of four artists in the world to paint a memorial to Pablo Picasso by the Picasso Museum in France.
Interested in some of our previous winners? Check them out below!
Keys to our Success
