2018 recipients of MHA awards for excellence

SHMF announces the 2018 recipients of excellence awards

As part of its ongoing recognition and support of visual art careers in New Brunswick, SHMF is pleased to announce recipients of the 2018 Marie Hélène Allain Fellowship Award.

Andrea Mortson of Sackville and Maya Padrov of Gagetown will be recognised as artists who have distinguished themselves in professional practice and who are embarking on a significant body of new work in their Fellowship year. Both artists will receive the 10,000 prize on June 19 at a reception in their honour at Shadow Lawn in Rothesay.

Andrea Mortson is a Sackville based painter who has operates within the tradition of landscape and figurative art but pushes the boundaries of both. She has developed a unique visual language that allows her to interweave what she describes as “realms of observation, dream and memory.” Based on the recommendation of a professional, independent jury, Ms. Morton will receive the Marie Hélène Allain Fellowship Award, both in recognition of her career accomplishments and in expectation of an exciting new inquiry into the conventions of art history. Nominator Gemey Kelly, Director of Owens Art Gallery characterized Mortson as one of the most compelling painters at work in Canada today, noting the curatorial and critical attention with the major international exhibition Oh Canada at MASS MoCCA.

Maya Padrov, a ceramic artist currently working from her studio in Gagetown, is most worthy of recognition through a Marie Hélène Allain Fellowship Award for her stunning body of work. A master of sculptural form, Padrov is equally an innovator in surface texture and glazing techniques. She explores the tension between the mass produced and the handmade—traditional and industrial function. Nominator Shannon Merrifield describes Padrov’s trajectory as” the journey of a world class artist” The professional jury expressed great interest and excitement in the proposed exporatory work that Ms. Padrov envisions for the Fellowship year.

The Foundation is grateful to esteemed jurors Peter Laroque, Sarah Maloney and Kevin Rice for their thoughtful adjudication of this award. Marie Hélène Allain, the inspiration for this career award, will personally present Ms. Padrov and Ms. Mortson with the award.