Ceramic artist Maurice Savoie 28th recipient of Saidye Bronfman AwardGatineau, Quebec, October 15, 2004 — Maurice Savoie of Longueuil, Quebec, one of Canada's most highly respected ceramic artists, has been named the 28th recipient of the $25,000 Saidye Bronfman Award. The announcement was made yesterday by Stephen R. Bronfman, on behalf of the Samuel and Saidye Bronfman Family Foundation, at a gala award ceremony at the Canadian Museum of Civilization. The Samuel and Saidye Bronfman Family Foundation, the Canadian Museum of Civilization and the Canada Council for the Arts are partners in the Award. An additional highlight of the award ceremony was the première of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's short "Artspot" television profile on Maurice Savoie, which will air on the CBC national network and on CBC Newsworld in the coming months.
In bestowing this important award, the peer assessment committee wished to recognize Maurice Savoie's outstanding career as a pioneer in the field of ceramics: "For more than 50 years, Maurice Savoie's work has raised the profile of Canadian ceramics well beyond the borders of this country. By daring to ignore entrenched conventions of his craft, he opened new possibilities for later generations. Although Savoie's long-standing commitment and devotion to his practice has few parallels in Canadian history, his sculptural, decorative and architectural ceramics never failed to reflect a delightful sense of humour and a lack of self-consciousness."
Maurice Savoie is the recipient of an extensive list of honours and awards and his work is represented in major collections nationally and internationally. He is a Member of the Order of Canada and of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. Savoie has exhibited his work in over 100 group and individual shows in Canada and abroad in Czechoslovakia, England and the United States. Earlier this year, Centre Materia in Québec City held its one-person retrospective Maurice Savoie: An Alchemical Journey.
Savoie's pieces can be found in the collection of Library and Archives Canada; the Conseil des métiers d'art du Québec; Loto-Québec; Claridge Inc.; the National Gallery of Canada; the Secretary of State, Ottawa; the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec; the Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal; Jean A. Chalmers; Indusmin; and the Quebec Delegation in Paris.
The Saidye Bronfman Award 2004 exhibition on Maurice Savoie will be on display at the Canadian Museum of Civilization from October 15, 2004 to September 11, 2005. It will feature works drawn from various stages of Maurice Savoie's 50-year career. An additional highlight will be an exquisite video produced by the Canadian Museum of Civilization that profiles Mr. Savoie at work in his studio.
Celebrating its 28th anniversary this year, the Saidye Bronfman Award was established by the Samuel and Saidye Bronfman Family Foundation to provide leadership in recognizing and honouring the high levels of excellence achieved by Canadian craft artists. The Canada Council for the Arts administers the nomination and adjudication processes. The $25,000 annual award is one of the largest individual visual art prizes in Canada.
In addition to the cash prize awarded to the recipient, the Canadian Museum of Civilization, through a further grant from the Samuel and Saidye Bronfman Family Foundation, acquires works by the Saidye Bronfman Award recipient for its permanent collection. In recent years, the Samuel and Saidye Bronfman Family Foundation has contributed over $270,000 for the purchase of works by previous Award recipients. The Canadian Museum of Civilization's fine craft collection is the largest public contemporary craft collection in Canada, with over 2,000 works by artists from across the country.
For further information on the Saidye Bronfman Award and profiles of previous recipients, visit http://www.civilization.ca/arts/bronfman/brint01e.html
FACT SHEETS
Media Information:
Heather A. Hatch
The Haley Group
Tel.: (416) 961-2220
E-mail: haleygroup@rogers.com
Media Relations Officer
Canadian Museum of Civilization
Tel.: (819) 776-7169
Fax: (819) 776-7187
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