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Oshawa City Hall

Arts Culture and Heritage Award Program

HomeCity HallRecognition and AwardsArts, Culture and Heritage Award Program
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The City of Oshawa is proud to celebrate the individuals, collectives and organizations that contribute to making Oshawa a great place to live, work and play. Two award programs, the Community Legends Award and the Oshawa Culture Counts Awards, are awarded each spring annually.

Community Legends Award

Each year, a Community Legend Award recipient is selected and recognized by Oshawa City Council. In addition, a temporary display will be available at the Delpark Homes Centre, along with a permanent plaque.

Eligibility

The Community Legends Award recognizes a person of any age or an organization/group who:

  • made a significant contribution to an activity, sport or community initiative as a volunteer
  • contributed to improving the quality of life of the Oshawa community
  • made a significant impact on the Oshawa community at a grassroots level through arts and culture, sports or community initiatives

Nomination Form

Thank you for submitting your nominations. The deadline for submissions was 5 p.m. on March 10, 2023. The winner will be announced later this spring.

 

Review Process

Nominations for the Community Legends Award will be reviewed and selected by the Community Services Committee for recommendation to Council for final approval.

Previous Recipients

  • Julian Sheehan-Ford
    Fifteen-year-old Julian's efforts and passions have impacted the community, especially when it comes to veterans. Since the age of eight he has been visiting veterans and handing out roses to thank them for their sacrifice and service. At thirteen he began constructing crosses and displaying them in his front yard eventually selling them to raise funds. Julian has raised over $10,000 through his charity “ A Rose to Remember” for veterans. He is a Canadian ambassador for the Free Riders Without Borders and has donated to Reno's for Heroes to supply house repairs for veterans. Julian's crosses have been displayed at Oshawa City Hall as well as Toronto.
  • Jim Fergusson
    Jim is the lead of the Food for Clothing Exchange initiative in Oshawa. For over 30 years, this event has taken place on the first Saturday of November at a local school gymnasium. The number of individuals served varies from year to year, with more than 530 receiving clothing in 2019. Donations of non-perishable food items are accepted as well, and are donated to local food banks following the event. Any clothing or footwear not selected during the event is donated afterwards to agencies and shelters where a need has been identified.
  • S.J. Jim Brewster
    Jim was born in Oshawa in 1924. When the war broke out he enlisted in the Air Force. He became a navigator on bombers, mostly Lancasters, and flew many missions over enemy territory. After the war he started a business called Mechanical Advertising which is still in business today. Over the years he has donated almost a $1,000,000 to the Oshawa hospital. He has been a member of Legion #43 for over 70 years. A street is to be named after him.
  • Sharon Clark
    Sharon has worked closely with Durham Children's Aid Foundation through her own charity Sharon's Kids which is celebrating 50 years this year! Sharon has worked tirelessly finding ways to better children's lives at Christmas and year round. Her big heart and caring attitude has brought happiness to countless children through the years and is reflected in her message of "making smiles possible".
  • Gord Reid
    Gord was a foster parent, Block Parent, and a member of the Neighbourhood Watch. He volunteered with Community Care Durham, Meals on Wheels and the Oshawa Senior Citizens Centers. He was awarded the Provincial honour of Senior of the Year in 2008. Gord was also a tireless advocate for the rights of older adults. His persistence resulted in the modification of the income tax rebate program to favour low income seniors.
  • Mal Knocker
    Mal has served his community through the Canadian Armed Forces, the Oshawa Fire Department (35 years), as a coach to numerous teams, fundraiser and blood donor (140 units). He is a Life Member of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #43 and also Drum Major of their Pipe Band.
  • Chelsea Smith
    A dedicated student who has given her time at the Y.M.C.A., a local seniors centre, Lakeridge Health, as an afterschool helper as well as helping to building schools in Africa.
  • Jackie Finn
    42 years of community service with the trade union, Meals on Wheels and the Auto Workers Community Credit Union.
  • Viola Pilkey
    Significant contribution of time and talent to social causes and political parties.
  • Bob Hooper
    "Oshawa's #1 Fan"
  • Ken Shaw
    A tireless volunteer devoted to numerous charities.
  • Dave Thompson
    Dedication and leadership in the development of rugby in Oshawa.
  • Jim Potticary
    Advocating for the health, welfare and happiness of senior citizens
  • Oshawa Block Parents Association
    Providing a safe haven for the children in our community.

Culture Counts Awards

The Oshawa Culture Counts Awards celebrate and honour the creative and cultural achievements of the community in three categories:

  • Oshawa Culture Counts Professional Artist
  • Oshawa Culture Counts Emerging Artist
  • Innovation and Creation Champion Award

Selected recipients are acknowledged at a City Council meeting in the spring.

Work Sample Submission Criteria

  • Visual, Fine Craft, Multimedia: Include up to five images. All images must be in JPEG format, no larger than 2 MB each. Please include an image list containing the title, dimensions, and date of the artwork.
  • Music – performances, technical, or production (all genres): Include up to two songs as a web link to YouTube videos, Soundcloud files, etc.; if an album is submitted, please note two songs you would like the Jury to listen to and for all include appropriate production credits, such as the publisher and performance dates.
  • Theatre, Performance, Dance: Include five minutes of a recent work via web link. Please cue media to the starting time, and include appropriate production credits such as the director, writer, and performance dates.
  • Writing: Include up to two samples of current work (Word/PDF), no more than ten pages. Please include appropriate production credits, such as the date, publisher, and editor. Please note any passages you would like the Jury to read.
  • For an organization or collective, please provide work samples that support the nomination. This could be a web link to the website with notes on the areas you would like the Jury to focus on or PDF/Word files of brochures or other marketing materials explaining the organization's impact.

Eligibility

  • Applicants and nominees must be current or former residents of the City of Oshawa, work in the City of Oshawa, or collaborate with an Oshawa-based organization
  • An applicant or nominee may be the recipient of only one award per year
  • City of Oshawa staff are not eligible for an award but may nominate individuals
  • An individual cannot be nominated posthumously

Nomination Form

Thank you for submitting your nominations. The deadline for submissions was 5 p.m. on March 10, 2023. The winner will be announced later this spring.

Review Process

Nominations for the Culture Counts Awards will be peer-reviewed and selected by a subcommittee of the Cultural Leadership Council.

For each category noted above, City staff will develop an evaluation matrix and guideline for assessing the recipient of the awards.

Applicants will be required to demonstrate their artistic merit, critical acknowledgement of the work/ initiative, evidence of recognition by the local community, and describe their career path/ organizational background and association to the arts discipline/ initiative.

Oshawa Culture Counts Award: Professional Artist

This award recognizes an established artist of any arts discipline (including performing, visual, cinematic, design, architecture and literary arts) who has demonstrated creativity, originality, professional maturity and artistic leadership in the community.

The following criteria will be used to select the award recipient:

  • Artistic merit / interest
  • Critical acknowledgments of the artist's work (e.g. exhibition/performance opportunities, publications, reviews, articles, etc.)
  • Recognition by local arts community

2022 Recipient

Margaret Rodgers

Margaret Rodgers has been a leader in the contemporary art community of Durham Region since the 1990s. She is an artist, writer and curator. She was founder of The IRIS Group, taught at Durham and Centennial Colleges, and was Director/Curator at Visual Arts Centre of Clarington.

In 2014, Margaret had an exhibit at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery (RMG), Close Ups, which featured photographs from the Thomas Bouckley Collection. Her latest body of work Crosswords, in 2021, explores feminist theory and socio-political issues. Margaret’s artwork has been exhibited in various galleries and her work can be found in public and private collections.

Since, 1996 IRIS, a collective of women artists living in the Durham Region has been a forum to share ideas, offer mutual support, and develop community outreach projects dedicated to women’s causes. In 2014, IRIS was the recipient of a City of Oshawa ArtsVests grant program to create links between business and art organizations. In 2015, Margaret and fellow IRIS members developed a community garden project with YWCA residents in Oshawa.
As a curator at the RMG and Visual Arts Centre of Clarington Margaret brought exciting contemporary exhibitions to the community. As a published author, Margaret has written various books and articles for visual art journals, including the book “Locating Alexandra” (Toronto: ECW, 1995) about Painters Eleven artists and Oshawa resident Alexandra Luke.

Previous Recipients

  • Marissa Sweet (2021)
  • Dani Crosby (2020)
  • Grant Cole (2019)
  • Ron Lambert (2018)

Oshawa Culture Counts Award: Emerging Artist

This award recognizes an artist in the early stages of their career in any arts discipline (including performing, visual, cinematic, design, architecture and literary arts) who is skilled and determined to advance their artistic capabilities. This individual understands the value of their gift within the community, and leverages these skills to inspire and enrich the lives of fellow citizens.

The individual must be between 12 to 30 years or have begun their artistic practice within the past five years.

The following criteria will be used to select the award recipient:

  • Artistic merit / interest
  • Evidence of commitment to artistic practice
  • Career path in an artistic discipline
  • Critical acknowledgments of the artist's work (i.e., exhibition/performance opportunities, publications, reviews, articles, etc.) (see above comment)
  • Recognition by the local arts community

2022 Recipient

Bolu Adefemi

Bolu is a Canadian singer/songwriter based in Oshawa who emerged as an important new artist. Her internationally acclaimed song “Make It Right”, is a powerful call to action about social injustices. Shortly after performing her song publicly for the first time, Bolu was performing it for media nationwide and around the world.

Bolu is already a world changer. This impactful young woman continues to use her voice, determination and many talents to make positive impacts on the world. Bolu was honoured with the Universal Women’s Network Youth award and became their 2020 Youth Ambassador. Also, in 2020, she received the Zimbabwe Young Achievers Award.

Previous Recipients

  • Leequette Santiago (2021)
  • Meaghan Kehoe (2020)
  • Joaquin Manay (2019)
  • Crown Lands (Cody Bowles and Kevin Comeau) (2018)

Innovation and Creation Champion

This award honours an individual, collective and/or organization in the creative and cultural industries who has created or enhanced an event, product, program or partnership in the past year. In addition, the award recognizes work that is unique, transformative, and positive in its impact on arts, culture, and heritage in Oshawa.

The following criteria will be used to select the award recipient:

  • The level of creativity and innovation of the event, product, program or partnership
  • The community impact of the event, product, program or partnership
  • Notable achievements relevant to event, product, program or partnership

2022 Recipient

Oshawa Museum

For over 60 years, the Oshawa Museum (OM) has celebrated the history of Oshawa with engaging events, inspiring exhibitions, and an immense collection of archival materials. Nestled on the shores of Lake Ontario, in beautiful Lakeview Park, the OM shares the story of Oshawa from Indigenous inhabitants to present day. The OM is managed by the Oshawa Historical Society.

The OM strives to tell a more inclusive history of the community, one that includes people, places, and events that have not been included in previous local histories.

In the fall of 2021, the OM developed a video project, highlighting the rich Hanukkah celebrations as told by members of Oshawa’s Jewish community. The OM partnered with Empty Cup Media, an award winning Oshawa based film company, to film and produce a ‘microdoc’, “Traditions & Celebrations: The Story of Oshawa’s Jewish Community”.

The research used in this project will be included in a new book on local history that the staff of the Museum are currently researching and writing. The focus of this book, expected in 2024, is to tell the stories that were unwritten and untold previously.

Previous Recipients

  • Bawaajigewin (2021)
  • Oshawa Public Libraries (2020)
  • Laura Suchan (2019)
  • Mary Krohnert and the LivingRoom Community Art Studio (2018)
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