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Mayor’s Lunch for Arts Champions awards

Local artists and arts organizations were honoured February 20 at the second annual Mayor’s Lunch for Arts Champions . The sold-out event featured a panel discussion with Mayor Naheed Nenshi theatre artist Rebecca Northan and Calgary Stampede CEO Vern Kimball on the role of the arts in a vital city followed by the presentations of this year’s six Cultural Leaders Legacy Awards.

The winners are: Dean Bareham co-founder and co-artistic director of Green Fools (ATB Financial Healing Through the Arts Award); visual artist Roberto Roza (Calgary Catholic Immigration Society New Canadian Artist Award); visual artist Chris Cran (Doug & Lois Mitchell Outstanding Calgary Artist Award); Paul Welch actor and founding artistic director of Third Street Theatre (Enbridge Emerging Artist Award); Antyx Community Arts Society (Sandstone City Builder Award); and multimedia artist and community organizer Sharon Stevens (William MacLachlan Community Beacon Award).

The winners each received a $5000 cash prize and Cran (pictured above) also received a residency at The Banff Centre. Each Legacy Award is funded by a $10000 contribution from a local philanthropist or organization with equal matching money from Calgary 2012 and will be awarded annually for four years with winners determined by a jury of peers.

The $25000 in proceeds from ticket sales to the event were distributed between three projects currently raising funds on InvestYYC.com including Sage Theatre’s Ignite! festival a new play by Cheryl Foggo about John Ware and a Pro Musica event.

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