Guelph Arts Council is pleased to announce that the 2023 Jane Graham Memorial Award will be shared by artists Miki Tamblyn, Jude Akrey, and Kira Alexanian. The recipients submitted requests for assistance to pursue specialized professional development opportunities to further their artistic skills and professional networks.
Miki Tamblyn (she/they) is a multimedia artist and wildlife biologist who aims to create works of all kinds that celebrate life through collaborating with the other-than-human world. They are a print-maker, basket weaver, hide-tanner, mask-maker, natural-dye enthusiast and overall handi-craft lover. She draws inspiration from her experiences of connecting closely with animals through her work in wildlife rehabilitation, raptor training, and as a field biologist. Miki currently works as mentor for children at the Guelph Outdoor School where she gets to be creative and nature connected everyday- building fires, carving spoons, tracking animals and fostering a loving relationship with the land.
Jude Akrey is a white queer, autistic artist occupying Between the Lakes Treaty Territory No.3 (otherwise known as Guelph, ON). Their work is entrenched in the ongoing exploration and perpetual re-definition of queer identity as something that is inherently transitory and ambiguous. This identity- fluid, complex, illuminating- informs their painting practice, and is complemented by autistic systems of communication and shared interactions that create an underlying framework for the logic of their paintings and drawings. They are dedicated to investigating the power of empowered communities through shared learning and artmaking. Jude recently graduated from the University of Guelph with a BA in Studio Art.
Kira Alexanian (she/her) is a multi-disciplinary artist based in both Guelph and Hamilton, Ontario. Throughout the years, Kira has developed an intuitive practice that reacts to environments both real and imagined. Her recent paintings and textile work utilize an expansive use of colour and whimsical imagery to explore dreamlike environments. A recent graduate of the University of Guelph Studio Art program, Kira aims to further experiment with her work and exhibit across the province, all while continuing her part-time work at the Carnegie Gallery in Dundas, Ontario. Overall, through a variety of mediums, Kira aims to broaden her audience, instilling in them a sense of magic and wonder towards the natural world.
Established in memory of local artist Jane Graham following her untimely death in March 2005, the Guelph Arts Council Jane Graham Memorial Fund is managed by The Guelph Community Foundation. As a result, GAC is annually able to assist visual artists residing and actively practising in Guelph-Wellington in pursuing professional development opportunities that will contribute to their artistic growth.
For more information about the Jane Graham Memorial Award program and Guelph Arts Council, please visit guelpharts.ca
