2020 City of Hamilton Arts Awards Event Moves Online
Hamilton, ON – To ensure the safety of all Arts Awards program participants and staff, the Hamilton Arts Awards event initially scheduled to take place June 11 at Theatre Aquarius Dofasco Centre for the Arts will be presented online in a series of web-based performances and award presentations during Hamilton Arts Week, June 11 through 20.
Five pre-recorded videos will be screened featuring award presentations, expanded nominee profiles, interviews with award recipients and messages from Mayor Eisenberger and City Councillors. Two feature performances by celebrated Hamilton artists that explore the theme of “Resilience” will bookend the video series. The videos will be screened on Facebook and available on the Arts Awards webpage www.hamilton.ca/artsawards. Feature performers and additional details will be announced in the coming weeks.
Nineteen awards totalling $35,000 in cash will be presented in 11 disciplines including Lifetime Achievement, Arts Innovation and The Shirley Elford Emerging Artist Prize in Arts Education and Community Arts.
About Hamilton Arts Week
The City of Hamilton Arts Awards is a founding event of Hamilton Arts Week, a city-wide celebration of Hamilton’s creative community. Hamilton Arts Week 2020 will also move online this year, with an array of digital presentations from June 11 to 20, 2020. The Hamilton Arts Council (HAC) has directly funded 13 Signature Events that highlight various genres of the arts and the diversity of Hamilton’s artists and performers. The programming for this year’s Arts Week includes dance, literary, visual, and theatre arts with opportunities for audiences to observe, interact, collaborate, and discover new skills from the safety of their own home. Platforms include videos, podcasts, livestreams and digital publications accessed through the HAC’s website and social media channels. The HAC is planning to list all regional arts events, classes, performances, and presentations that will take place during Arts Week. Artists and groups are invited to submit their events at www.hamiltonartscouncil.ca/artsweek.
Quick Facts
- Five video presentations will be screened on the Arts Awards Facebook page through Watch Parties starting on June 11, 13, 15, 17 & 19 at 7 pm. www.facebook.com/CityofHamiltonArtsAwards
- First presented in 1976, the Hamilton Arts Awards program is one of the oldest in Canada. It continues to recognize the vital contributions of the city’s arts sector and to celebrate the exceptional achievements of individual artists and organizations.
- The Hamilton Arts Awards program is managed by the Tourism and Culture Division of the City of Hamilton.
- Cobalt Connects, the 2020 Arts Awards community partner, oversees the adjudication process and event production.
- Independent juries comprised of discipline-specific artists and arts professionals evaluate all nominations.
Additional Resources
- Hamilton Arts Awards nominee profiles: www.hamilton.ca/artsawards
- Hamilton Arts Council, Arts Week: www.hamiltonartscouncil.ca/artsweek
“Now more than ever we recognize the importance of artists to our quality of life and well-being. We are grateful to have this longstanding program to celebrate the contributions that artists and arts leaders bring to our Hamilton community.” - Carrie Brooks-Joiner, Director, Tourism and Culture Division