Toronto Arts Foundation Awards

The 2009 Toronto Arts Foundation Awards, with cash prizes totaling $44,500, celebrated artists, cultural professionals and arts supporters from every creative discipline who make significant contributions to Toronto’s artistic and cultural life.

Arts for Youth Award – a $15,000 cash prize established in 2007 by Martha Burns, Jim Fleck and Jim Pitblado, this award celebrates an individual, collective or organization that has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to engaging Toronto youth in the arts.

2009 Winner: Mammalian Diving Reflex

Finalists: Expect Theatre I I Supporting Our Youth (SOY)

RBC Emerging Artist Award – a $7,500 cash prize presented to an emerging Toronto artist working in any medium or performing arts discipline in celebration of current accomplishments and future potential. Established in 2006 by RBC Foundation, this award is intended to support the development or completion of new work. In 2009, in addition to increasing the value of the award from $5,000 to $7,500, RBC Foundation awarded $1,000 to each of the runners-up.

2009 Winner: Anusree Roy

Finalists: Kate Cayley I Ravi Jain I

Muriel Sherrin Award for International Achievement in Dance – a $10,000 cash prize presented to an artist or creator who has made a contribution to the cultural life of Toronto through outstanding achievement in dance. The recipient will also have participated in international initiatives, including touring, studying abroad and participating in artist exchanges.

2009 Winner: Christopher House

Finalists: Marie-Josée Chartier I I Menaka Thakkar

Rita Davies and Margo Bindhardt Cultural Leadership Award – a $10,000 cash prize sponsored by Margo Bindhardt’s family and Toronto Arts Foundation. This award is presented biennially to an individual who has demonstrated creative cultural leadership in the development of arts and culture in Toronto. Administrators, volunteers, artists and creators are eligible for consideration.

2009 Winner: Miriam Adams

Finalists: Sally Jones I Ross Manson

The Globe and Mail Toronto Business for the Arts Award – recognizes a Toronto-based business that has made a significant contribution to the arts in Toronto. Established in 2006, this award is presented in partnership with Business for the Arts. The recipient will receive an original work of art created by Nobuo Kubota.

Winner: Scotiabank Group.

Over the past ten years, Scotiabank and its employees have provided more than $23 million to Arts & Culture initiatives, including contributions in support of programs, projects and organizations in the communities in which we live and work. Scotiabank is a major supporter of the Art Gallery of Ontario, The Canadian Opera Company, The Canadian Stage Company, the National Ballet of Canada, Soulpepper Theatre Company and Scotiabank Nuit Blanche.

Finalists: The Drake Hotel, Tim Hortons

In the five years since its opening, The Drake Hotel has come to be known as an energetic hub for visual and performance art as well as dining and hospitality. Through its cultural programming, The Drake strives to provide a platform for nurturing culture while exposing diners, hotel guests and the local community to the works of artists in a variety of media including musicians, dancers, painters, photographers, video, performance, and installation artists.

Tim Hortons storeowners have supported Art Starts programs since 2006. Since that time Tim Hortons has continued to fund innovative, creative programs at Art Starts sites and other Toronto venues. The impact of Tim Hortons’ arts-based support has extended through Art Starts to over 500 children and youth ranging from 4 to 24 years of age.