Portrait of Linda Rae Dornan, Strathbutler Award 2010
In recognition of both her pioneering embrace of interdisciplinary media and her significant community contribution to the visual arts in New Brunswick, Sackville artist Linda Rae Dornan is this jury’s choice for the 2010 Strathbutler Award.
The jury found that the multi-sensory dynamic of Dornan’s work embodies a willingness to experiment and to evolve, and applauded the passion that accepts the possibility of failure in a quest to find a visual language responsive to time and to place. Dornan has achieved a richly nuanced body of work that explores the personal and embodies the universal. Her art practice embraces sculpture, installation, mixed media and performance art. She has an impressive exhibition record and has won national recognition in these newer areas of the visual arts.
The jury appreciated and endorsed the commendations of Dr. Ann Koval, Associate Professor of Art History at Mount Allison University and Mr. John Murchie, Co-ordinator of Struts Gallery in Sackville. In a letter of nomination, Dr. Koval characterized Dornan’s dominant themes as “the complexity of communication, using repetition of word and gesture to explore our need to be heard, to be seen and to love”. Mr. Murchie’s assessment recognized Dornan’s significant contribution over a lengthy period of time to New Brunswick’s cultural communities. These comments, together with the evidence of the written and visual presentation, informed the jury’s decision that throughout the twenty years of her professional life, Ms Dornan has had a profound and positive impact on excellence within the visual arts of New Brunswick.