Since the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Distinguished Artist awards were launched in 2005, eight Albertan communities have hosted the awards event celebrating Alberta’s most accomplished artists. Now, Lac La Biche County and Portage College are gearing up to co-host this foremost Alberta cultural event.
Their community celebration of the arts will focus on the region’s status as a cultural crossroads overflowing with natural beauty. The region has more than 150 lakes and rivers flowing on either side of the continental divide and is one of Alberta’s major tourism areas. Lac La Biche County Mayor Omer Moghrabi also highlights the region as “…one of the most historic and diverse communities in Alberta.” He sees hosting the 2021 Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Distinguished Artist Awards as a fantastic way to share the richness and vibrancy of the region’s art and culture scene with the rest of the province.
The Distinguished Artist Award’s gala will be held at Portage College which is known for its growing and diverse art collection in the College’s Museum of Aboriginal Peoples’ Art & Artifacts. The collection includes works of previous Distinguished Artist awardees Jane Ash Poitras and Alex Janvier, along with those of visual arts luminaries from across Canada. Portage College President and CEO Nancy Broadbent is looking forward to the ripple effect the 2021 Distinguished Artist Awards will have on the region’s arts community and on students in the College’s art programs.
The County and College will be fundraising towards an arts endowment to support emerging artists and to help build the community’s artistic focus. This will be one of the many legacies the region anticipates resulting from their enthusiastic plans and approach to the 2021 Distinguished Artist Awards. We’ll keep you posted on these plans over the coming year.
