The MacLaren Art Centre is looking forward to celebrating artist and community leader John Hartman this Thursday, September 27 at the 2018 MacLaren Legacy Dinner. Hartman was chosen as our 2018 Legacy Award honoree for his extraordinary commitment to building strong arts communities and supporting the work of rising artists. His generosity has extended to the creation of The John Hartman Award, an annual bursary of $4000 granted to a promising young artist at the beginning of their career.
Last Saturday, we had the pleasure of catching up with 2015 John Hartman Award recipient Tanya Cunnington at the opening of her latest exhibition at Loop Gallery in Toronto. Entitled Dream, comfort, memory, this solo show is the first presentation of artwork Cunnington made with Hartman’s support. She had this to say of the award’s impact on her life:
“I received the John Hartman Award at a very pivotal time in my life. As a new mother, I was working through issues of finding my identity as a mom and an artist, as well as justifying the expense of art supplies, and trying to balance everyday life with time spent in my studio.
Not only did this award make art supplies accessible to me, it also gave me the freedom to experiment with different materials and develop an entirely new body of work that was quite different from my previous practice. Having the support of John Hartman and the MacLaren really allowed me to believe in myself as an artist, and I am so grateful to them both for allowing me that confidence.”
The John Hartman Award is administered by the MacLaren Art Centre and intended to permit emerging artists greater studio time for research, experimentation and the development of new work. Past recipients include visual artists Richard Watts (2010); Duane Linklater (2011); Matt Bahen (2012); Julia Vandepolder (2013); Matt Macintosh (2014); Erika DeFreitas (2016); and Kristie MacDonald (2017).
