Toronto, June 25, 2020 – Visual artist Mary Anne Barkhouse is the recipient of the 2020Ontario Arts Council Indigenous Arts Award. This award, created in 2012, celebrates the work of Indigenous artists and arts leaders who have made significant contributions to the arts in Ontario.

In recognition of this honour, Mary Anne will receive $10,000, a framed certificate and an Indigenous-designed blanket. A public presentation of the award will be made at a future date.

The jury members were unanimous in selecting Mary Anne for this award. As they stated: “Mary Anne’s work is grounded in connections to family, generations and the land. She holds these strong themes in a delicate balance with her sense of wonder, humour, and respect – and each of her sculptures becomes a three-dimensional story. Her art truly transcends the boundaries of colonial discourse.”

Congratulations Mary Anne! 

Harvest, Part of the National Gallery of Canada’s permanent collection