Guelph Arts Council is thrilled to announce the recipients of two of its awards supporting artistic growth and youth opportunities in the community.
Jane Graham Memorial Award – Isabella “Issy” De Tullio (she/they)
Issy is a queer multi-disciplinary artist based in Guelph, Ontario. Rooted in her Italian heritage and community values, Issy’s practice invites viewers to reconsider where we assign value and how we define worth. Through humble materials and layered storytelling, their work honours resilience, resourcefulness, and reverence for simple blessings. Exploring the tensions between cherished relationships and the stains of grief and expectation, she embraces what she has inherited and discards what has been imposed. Gesturing towards connection across generations, cultures, and silences, Issy offers radical love within frameworks built to be demanding and repressive.
Issy holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Guelph’s School of Fine Art and Music, graduating with distinction and earning multiple awards for her work.
Receiving the Jane Graham Memorial Award marks a pivotal moment in Issy’s artistic career. “I have been making art for a few years now, but this opportunity feels like a new beginning,” they share. With access to professional printmaking facilities at Centre3, Issy looks forward to deepening their connection to process and materiality, refining their practice, and exploring work on a larger scale than previously possible.
“As an art student, printmaking was my bread and butter,” Issy explains. “But since graduating a few years ago, the processes I worked so hard to refine have been inaccessible to me in my home studio.” Returning to a professional printmaking space feels like “a homecoming,” that will allow them to reconnect with materials and ways of working that are central to their practice. With “way more confidence compared to the last time I had access to a professional printmaking studio,” Issy sees this opportunity as a chance to work toward “a greater degree of polish that has felt out of my reach.” Reflecting on the shift from academic training to professional practice, they add, “Resources make my career easier, but resourcefulness makes my career possible.”
Youth Opportunities Award – Mryam AlSaad
Mryam AlSaad is the co-founder and co-organizer of the Skov Park Neighbourhood Group, a community-focused initiative in Guelph promoting environmental stewardship, local food security, and accessible learning. With support from the Youth Opportunities Award, Mryam will lead a community-based arts project designed to give children and youth a hands-on, inclusive, and creative experience, integrating art with the natural environment. The project aims to foster connection, joy, and engagement among young participants while celebrating creativity and community.
Guelph Arts Council congratulates Issy and Mryam on their achievements and looks forward to seeing the impact of their work on the local arts community.
