Three Quebec artists are among the winners of the Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts.
Jocelyn Robert, an interdisciplinary artist from Quebec, has been hailed for the key role he plays in the development of future generations of Quebec artists.
Mr. Robert works in visual arts, music, audio art, digital art, performance, installation, video and writing. His visual artworks and videos have been exhibited internationally and his sound works can be found on over 30 CDs.
He has taught at Mills College in Oakland, California, at the University of Quebec in Montreal and, since 2008, has been a professor at the School of Art at Laval University.
Monique Régimbald-Zeiber, a painter and author born in Sorel, is also one of the winners.
His works are included in various collections, including those of the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, the Musée d’art de Joliette and the Galerie de l’UQAM. They have been exhibited in Quebec, Canada and Europe.
A teacher and researcher, she holds a doctorate in literature on the practices of the Russian avant-garde.
“I have always had the feeling that we were faced with the urgency of ensuring the dissemination of work like that of Monique Régimbald-Zieber, because it is a feminist, because it addresses large areas of inclusive thought, because it is aimed at groups “invisibilized” by history, by language, by the dominant power”, wrote the director of the Galerie de l’Université du Québec à Montréal, Louise Déry, who nominated the artist.
The third winning Quebec artist is artist, teacher, storyteller, researcher and navigator Pierre Bourgault, born in Saint-Jean-Port-Joli.
Mr. Bourgault founded the sculpture school of Saint-Jean-Port-Joli in 1967. Since the 1970s, he has created habitable public works of art influenced by the river and horizontality and participates in a large number exhibitions in Quebec, in Canada and abroad.
He is also co-founder of Est-Nord-Est, an international artists’ residence located in Saint-Jean-Port-Joli.
Winners also include jeweler and goldsmith Brigitte Clavette of Fredericton.
Ms. Clavette won the Saidye-Bronfman award, which recognizes excellence in fine crafts. As tradition dictates, the Canadian Museum of History will acquire one of his works.
Curator, artist and author Gerald McMaster receives the Outstanding Contribution Award.
The winners of the visual arts awards will each receive a medallion and a $25,000 scholarship.
The other artists honored this year are Moyra Frances Davey from New York, Carole Condé and Karl Beveridge from Toronto and David Ruben Piqtoukun from Plainfield, Ontario.