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, or specialized groups.
Leamington Arts Centre

Specific examples of community arts leadership might include the organization of arts workshops, festivals or events that promote arts education and appreciation while fostering connection among artists and art enthusiasts.

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.

Teajai Travis

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.
Robert Franz

Specific examples of performing arts leadership might include the organization of public recitals or plays; or the creation of a theatre company.

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.
Susan Gold

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.

ARE YOU A MEMBER OF WEA?

Due to the increasing cost of our website hosting fees, we have instituted a new rule this year – only WEA MEMBERS are eligible to nominate candidates for Arts Leadership Awards.

Not a Member of WEA? No problem! You can purchase an Individual Membership for $25.00 by visiting our Join & Support page.

  • An Individual WEA Membership is valid for 1 year from the day of purchase
  • All membership fees are eligible for a charitable tax receipt
  • Members will be added to our mailing list to stay informed about our events like The WEAs Awards & Grants Celebration on May 31, 2024
  • Members will be invited to attend our Annual General Meeting (AGM) in mid-November where they have the right to vote. At this year’s AGM, the 2024 art grant recipients will give a progress report on their grant projects!

If you have purchased a WEA Membership in the past but are unsure if it is still valid, contact Stephanie at info@wea-arts.com.

Join us to SUPPORT, PROMOTE, and CELEBRATE artists and arts organizations in Windsor-Essex

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

The online nomination portal will be open from Wednesday, January 31 to midnight of Sunday, March 31, 2024.

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 31 – the online nomination portal opens
March 31 – at midnight, the online nomination portal closes
Mid-April – the Jury Panel adjudicates the award nominations
May 1 – award recipients and their nominators will be phoned/emailed
May 31 – 4 Arts Leadership awards and 11 arts grants will be distributed at The WEAs Awards & Grants Celebration at Mackenzie Hall Cultural Centre

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

EVENTS

CONTACT WEA

P.O Box 7024, Windsor, ON N9C 3Y6

Web: www.wea-arts.com