Christina Kingsbury and Garth Laidlaw to receive funding
The Guelph Arts Council has awarded two local artists, Christina Kingsbury and Garth Laidlaw, the Jane Graham Memorial Award this year.
Since 2006, the Jane Graham Memorial Award has fostered creativity and artistic development for local artists. Artists throughout Guelph applied to receive the award, which among other benefits, offers funding to pursue specialized professional development opportunities.
Both Kingsbury and Laidlaw reside and work in Guelph and have made significant contributions to the local community. The Jane Graham Memorial Award provides the funding for artists to pursue further education or developmental practices in the arts.
Kingsbury received a bachelor of fine art with a minor in environmental studies from York University in 2005. Focusing on a multi-media approach with a particular penchant for sculpture-based installations, Kingsbury seeks to connect the natural world with the passage of human experience. Ecology plays a massive role in her practise as much of her art seeks to offer a reconciliation with and to nature in the face of man-made intervention. In her request for assistance, Kingsbury outlined a plan to take two intensive courses in papermaking, as well as the opportunity for one-on-one mentorship at a professional and educational paper art studio.
Laidlaw studied animation at Sheridan College and earned a bachelor of applied arts. Since then, he has honed his skills as a storyteller, animator, illustrator, and entrepreneur. Laidlaw writes and illustrates children’s books, creates short animations, dabbles in graphic and logo design, and illustrates board games. Laidlaw recently self-published his first children’s book Sayni and the Windowjet Brothers and hopes to continue creating children’s content.His application cites the need for funding to attend the 2016 Packaging Your Imagination Conference hosted by the Canadian Society of Children’s Books Authors, Illustrators, and Performers. Taking part in the conference will provide Laidlaw with opportunities to attend workshops and seminars by established writers and illustrators, as well as receive critical feedback from art directors for future projects.
The committee in charge of reviewing the applications and selecting the recipients have praised both Kingsbury and Laidlaw’s artistic practices, creative agendas, as well as their involvement in the Guelph community. The community and culture of Guelph will benefit from the further enriched contributions of these two local artists.
The Jane Graham Memorial Award was established in memory of Jane Graham, a local artist, following her untimely death in 2005. Graham herself attended the University of Guelph, studying Fine Art and graduating in 1983. Due to donations made to the Guelph Arts Council in her name, the council was able to assist visual artists residing and practising in Guelph and Wellington County.
Photo courtesy of fp-via-CC0.