William Kilbourn Award for the Celebration of Toronto's Cultural Life
A $5,000 cash prize presented to an individual performer, teacher, administrator or creator in any arts discipline, including architecture and design, whose work is a celebration of life through the arts in Toronto. Established in 1996, this award is funded through an endowment made possible by private donors who wished to celebrate the life of William Kilbourn (1926-1995). Kilbourn was an author, an educator, an historian and a politician, serving as alderman for the City of Toronto (1970-76) and as a board member of the Toronto Arts Council for seven years, serving as its president from 1981 to 1984.
David Anderson draws on the magic of theatre and puppetry to celebrate the local histories and current interests of Toronto’s diverse communities. He has been instrumental in developing a culture that supports rehearsal and performance in Toronto’s public spaces, and has taken full advantage of these asserted rights as founder of Clay and Paper Theatre. His efforts to captivate broad audiences have also led him to develop the wildly successful Day of Delight festival of love and desire and Night of Dread parade of fear and commemoration.
Marc Glassman is a community builder, facilitator and
mentor with a flare for pushing artists and audiences alike to define
and redefine the possibilities of artistic expression. In addition to
co-founding the MOVING PICTURES and IMAGES festivals, his creative commitments
range from work as an arts journalist and film curator to proprietor of
Pages, Toronto’s famously extensive indie bookshop. He creates opportunities
for other artists to share and grow their work such as the multi-disciplinary
literary programme, This is Not a Reading Series. Marc is the editor of
two leading film magazines: Montage, published by the Directors Guild
of Canada and POV for the Documentary Organization of Canada.
Thomas Hendry’s bold work as a playwright, theatre administrator and arts activist continues to have a meaningful impact on the Canadian arts community. Hendry has helped to define and develop Canadian theatre through his writing and his support of Canadian works and premieres. In addition, Hendry has developed policy and institutions that support the arts. His efforts as co-founder of Arts and the Cities and as Policy Director of the Toronto Arts Council (1984-1995) have contributed to dramatic increases in municipal spending on the arts and improved equal access to these benefits.