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
The nomination window will open on Monday, January 8, 2023.
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
TBA
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
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