The winner of Sobey Art Award, presented by Scotiabank, will be announced at a gala reception at the Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal. The $50,000 art prize will go to one of five short-listed Canadian artists on November 7, 2006.

“There’s a great deal of emerging talent in contemporary art in Canada. We hope this award will provide significant opportunity for one such artist,” says Donald Sobey, executive director of the Sobey Art Foundation.

An exhibition featuring the five finalists for the Sobey Art Award will be on display from October 17, 2006 to January 7, 2007 at the Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal.  The exhibition includes work from:

West Coast:  Steven Shearer

Prairies/North: Annie Pootoogook

Ontario: Janice Kerbel

Québec:  BGL

Atlantic Canada: Mathew Reichertz

The Sobey Art Award is a biennial award to be given to an artist under 40 who has had an exhibition in a public or commercial art gallery within 18 months of being nominated. A panel of curatorial advisors, one from a major gallery in each of five regions, chose the short-list and will determine the winner.  

THE CURATORIAL PANEL 2006:

West Coast:  Christina Ritchie, Contemporary Art Gallery, Vancouver

Prairies/North:  Patricia Deadman, MacKenzie Art Gallery, Regina

Ontario: Wayne Baerwaldt, Illingworth Kerr Gallery, Calgary

Québec: Stéphane Aquin, Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal

Atlantic:  Shauna McCabe, The Rooms, St. John’s

For more information or to arrange an interview with the short-listed artists, members of curatorial advisory panel and/or Donald Sobey, contact Eleanor King at (902) 424 5169.

____________________________________________________________________

For more information on the Award and the short listed artists, contact:

Eleanor King, Coordinator Sobey Art Award
(902) 424 5169    
C/O Art Gallery of Nova Scotia
1723 Hollis Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3J 3C8
www.sobeyartaward.ca
info@sobeyartaward.ca
Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal
1380 Sherbrooke Street West, Montréal, Québec, H3J 2T9