Arts Leadership Awards
4 awards are presented to recognize and celebrate outstanding individuals, philanthropists, businesses and/or organizations devoted to the arts in the following areas:
- Community Arts
- Literary Arts
- Performing Arts
- Visual Arts
These awards of merit have no monetary value, however, recipients are recognized and celebrated at the awards ceremony and will take home an embossed blown glass sculpture from Soffi Studio and a medal.
Arts Leadership Award Categories
Windsor Endowment for the Arts will present one Arts Leadership Award for each of the four following categories:
1. Community Arts
This award is presented to those who have shown outstanding leadership by developing and/or maintaining community arts in Windsor and Essex County, especially through the following activities:
- Increasing community participation in the arts;
- Broadening local access to the arts;
- Using the arts as a means to promote social awareness or change;
- Developing public projects that enhance the general quality of life of those in the community and/or within specific under-serviced, disadvantaged, at-risk or specialized groups.
Specific examples of community arts leadership might include the organization of arts education classes, urban arts improvement initiatives, or the restoration of public landmarks.
2. Literary Arts
This award is presented to those who have demonstrated outstanding leadership in the literary arts in Windsor and Essex County, by advancing any or all of the following disciplines: fiction, non-fiction, poetry, screenwriting, playwriting, journalism, and book publishing.
Specific examples of literary arts leadership might include the organization of creative writing workshops for veterans, a series of local poetry readings, or public seminars designed to help emerging local authors find publication.
3. Performing Arts
This award is presented to those who have demonstrated outstanding leadership in any of the following areas:
- Music: vocal, choral, orchestra, opera, new music projects, composition, conducting, arrangement, musical production, recording, education;
- Dance: dancer, company, school, director, producer, choreographer;
- Theatre: actor, comedian, mime, puppetry, director, company, playwright project, school.
Specific examples of performing arts leadership might include the organization of public recitals or plays; or the maintenance or development of a local performance arts venue.
4. Visual Arts
This award is presented to those who have demonstrated outstanding leadership in the following areas:
- Fine Art: painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, mixed media, installation, performance, bookmaking;
- Fine Craft: clay, ceramic, fiber, glass, leather, metal, wood, mixed media;
- Design Art: architectural design, interior design, architectural landscape design, urban design, product design, visual communication design, costume design, set design, fashion design, editorial design and illustration;
- Media Art: film, photography, holography, electronic media, digital art, video.
Specific examples of visual arts leadership might include the development of public gallery spaces, the screening of local independent films, or the hosting of craft shows. Another example might include the organization of a program that showcases the works of local designers.
Award Nominations
Arts Leadership Awards are awarded to individuals, philanthropists, businesses and/or organizations who have demonstrated the following:
- Long-standing contribution to the arts community of Windsor and Essex County.
- Demonstrations of leadership, innovation, creativity, and professional excellence.
- Broadening of access to the arts, and/or using the arts as a means of social awareness or change.
- Commitment to artistic development, especially through service as a role model or mentor.
Candidates who meet the eligibility requirements are encouraged to be nominated.
Eligibility Requirements
- Be an individual, business, or organization that has resided in the City of Windsor or one of the municipalities within Essex County for at least one year prior to being nominated.
- Made a noteworthy contribution to the arts community, either through a single project, a career of active involvement in the arts, or several years of commitment to an organization or organizations that support(s) the arts.
- Show dedication to broadening public access to the arts and a devotion to the use of art as a means of social awareness and change.
- Demonstrate a willingness to serve as a role model or mentor to those who seek to advance as artists.
- Committed to professional growth.
- Demonstrate exemplary leadership, innovation, creativity, and excellence in one of the four Arts Leadership Award categories listed below.
Nomination Process
We are pleased to welcome your nomination of a candidate for an Arts Leadership Award from Windsor Endowment for the Arts (WEA). Please note that nominees can not nominate themselves.
WEA reserves the right to decline any nominations that do not meet the eligibility requirements, so it is strongly advised you review and understand the eligibility requirements before proceeding.
Nominations will be accepted from Tuesday, January 25 to midnight Friday, March 25, 2022.
We offer an ONLINE nomination platform. However, the online nomination form will NOT allow you to save your work so if an error occurs when you submit you will have to start from scratch. Be advised to type your work in a Word Doc or similar format beforehand and then copy and paste to the nomination form to save you time and frustration.
If you encounter technical problems when trying to submit your nomination, email Stephanie at info@wea-arts.com.
STEP ONE: Click on “AWARDS NOMINATION CHECKLIST” button for a list of the documentation required to nominate a candidate.
STEP TWO: Assemble the Supporting Material to be uploaded to WeTransfer.com
STEP THREE: Fill out the online nomination form
Click on the “NOMINATE FOR AN ARTS LEADERSHIP AWARD” button below to submit your nomination and upload the supporting material to the WeTransfer.com link.
STEP FOUR: Confirm your submission was received
Once you have submitted your nomination form and uploaded your supporting material, check your email to confirm your submission has been received. If you do not receive confirmation, please email Stephanie at info@wea-arts.com to confirm WEA received your nomination.
Awards Selection Process
All award recipients are chosen by a jury made up of community members recognized for the knowledge, skill, and expertise they bring to their artistic fields. The Board of Directors of WEA is responsible for their selection. The identity of the jurors will be made public at the Awards and Grants Ceremony.
The decisions of this jury are final.
Program Timeline
- January 25: Online nomination portal opens.
- March 25: At midnight, the online nomination portal closes.
- Mid-April: The jury panels review and deliberate on the award nominations.
- May 2: Successful award recipients and their nominators will be notified by phone call and/or email.
- May: The WEAs Awards and Grants Ceremony. Date & Venue TBD
Confidentiality
Personal information submitted by the nominators and discussions pertaining to either the nominator or the nominee are held in strict confidentiality.
Frequently Asked Questions
Click the button below to read the list of Frequently Asked Questions.