The shortlist for the thirtieth annual Hamilton Literary Awards was announced in November and contains celebrated local writers and their works
On Dec. 14, the Hamilton Arts Council will be holding their thirtieth annual Literary Awards. The shortlist has been announced, featuring 16 local authors and their works. The categories are fiction, non-fiction, poetry, children's books and the Kerry Schooley Book Award.
The HAC partners with the Hamilton Public Library to hold the event. The ceremony will feature live readings by shortlisted writers, along with the live announcement of the winner of each category.
Megan Divecha, the program and community engagement coordinator at HAC, explained a bit about the awards' history. The Literary Awards first began in 1993 and have since become an annual tradition that recognizes and celebrates local authors from the Hamilton community.
The Awards are meant to bring the city's growing literary community together and to expand the audiences of local literature. Divecha explained that the purpose of the awards is to help build audiences for local authors and to grow professional networks for authors and community members interested in literacy. The Awards offer opportunities for interacting with publishers, local booksellers and the authors themselves.
"If this audience member is new to the literary art scene in Hamilton, then I hope they walk away with an appreciation for how rich the literary art scene is in [the city]. And if they're already entrenched in that literary art scene, then I hope they make connections to grow their personal and professional networks," said Divecha.
"If this audience member is new to the literary art scene in Hamilton, then I hope they walk away with an appreciation for how rich the literary art scene is in [the city]. And if they're already entrenched in that literary art scene, then I hope they make connections to grow their personal and professional networks."
Megan Divecha, program and community engagement coordinator, Hamilton Arts Council
This year, the Literary Awards are being hosted by Anuja Varghese, winner of this year's Governor General's Literary Fiction Award.
The process for organizing the event begins in March, when applicants can submit their books for consideration. Once applicants are confirmed to be eligible, their applications are brought before an adjudication panel comprised of 15 Canadian literary arts professionals, three for each category. After each book is scored, the shortlist is announced and then planning for the ceremony begins.
Divecha herself recalled being inspired by the excerpts read by the authors when she was a student attending the Awards. Having been impacted by hearing live readings at past awards ceremonies, she hopes that other students can also feel inspired that way.
If students are interested in being more involved in the literary arts, the Awards are a great way to meet with people in the industry. At the same time, they are also a great way to see artistry and creativity make local history.
Tickets start at the accessible rate of $5, and there are a limited number available. They can be bought here. Divecha encourages students to get in contact with her if they would like more information about the event, the shortlisted authors or ticket prices.
The Hamilton-based multimedia artist sat down with the Silhouette to talk about her new residency with the Hamilton Arts Council, mangoes and the power of zines
Sonali Menezes laughed over the phone when she confessed that her dining room table had been doing double duty, operating as both her eating and studio space. The Hamilton-based multimedia artist and creator of award-winning zine, “Depression Cooking,” had never had a studio of her own, due to the hefty price tag of her undergraduate degree. That all changed though when Menezes was chosen as Hamilton Arts Council’s newest Artist in Residence. The Artist in Residence program provides free studio space, among many other forms of support for artists.
“Having access to the studio space through this residency is really amazing because it actually allows me to have a dedicated workspace,” she said.
The studio also helped Menezes in building her latest exhibition, “Queen of the Fruit," at the Tangled Art Gallery. She used the provided studio space to build various sculptures for the gallery’s display cases. According to Menezes, the exhibition is a mixed media project dedicated to the mango and its culinary prominence within many Indian households. Painting, sculpture and audiovisual installations are present throughout the entire exhibition.
Though she experiments with many mediums throughout her work, Menezes takes a particular liking to zines, even describing them as her “first love.” When asked why, the artist explained her fondness comes from the unconventionality of the format itself.
“The reason I like zines so much is because they take artwork off the white wall of galleries and just put it directly into working people’s hands. They’re an accessible art medium,” she said.
The reason I like zines so much is because they take artwork off the white wall of galleries and just put it directly into working people’s hands. They’re an accessible art medium.
Sonali Menezes, Artist in Residence, Hamilton Arts Council
She hoped to continue this practice through her own work, going against the highly secluded and privatized culture of the art world as explained by Menezes, and instead making art an experience to be enjoyed by everyone.
Sonali Menezes will be creating in the Hamilton Arts Council’s and The Cotton Factory's residency studio from November 2023 to April 2024. To learn more about Sonali and her work, visit her website here.
It’s been said that art is meant to be seen. However, for young and emerging artists, finding spaces to be seen in is not always easy. Cadillac Fairview Lime Ridge Mall wanted to change that. In partnership with the Hamilton Arts Council, the mall hosted its first Youth and Emerging Artists’ Art Exhibition from Oct. 24 to Oct .28.
The exhibition was set up near one of the mall’s entrances, the free-standing white walls making the 122 artworks impossible for shoppers to miss. Any style of work was accepted and so paintings, illustrations, photography and mixed media work were showcased.
CF Lime Ridge first proposed the idea of the exhibition and approached the Hamilton Arts Council for their help in making it happen.
“My inspiration was… giving the youth a platform so they can showcase their work, especially the young emerging artists… Within our community here in Lime Ridge Mall, the retailers [were] extremely proud because they know that they’re working in a place that is giving back to the youth,” Liem Vu, the general manager of CF Lime Ridge, explained.
The theme for the exhibition was Cadillac Fairview’s brand purpose: “Transforming Communities for a Vibrant Tomorrow.” The artists manifested this theme in numerous different ways, from depictions of nature to portraiture to representations of pain.
On the opening night of the exhibition, four artists whose work best aligned with the theme were awarded. A jury consisting of representatives from Cadillac Fairview, the Hamilton Arts Council, First Ontario Credit Union and Earls Court Gallery determined the winners.
“I think that if there's any opportunities for us to bring…youth and emerging artists together to help support their career, to me that's what our mandate at the Hamilton Arts Council is…to advocate and to create opportunities for professional development for artists,” said Annette Paiement, the executive director at the Hamilton Arts Council.
Sarah May Coward was selected as first in the Emerging Artists category for her acrylic on canvas piece The Peoples Dance. Karolina Bramwell Rousseau achieved second for Strength in Biodiversity, a piece done entirely in pen and ink. Brian Kellam was chosen third for his oil and acrylic piece titled View from the Porch. Trynton Fisher, who had two pieces in the exhibition, won the youth (under 18) category with his digital piece True Beauty.
Fisher operates the @asap.tf Instagram account but appreciated the opportunity to get involved with the community and show his work to a greater audience. There were several other artists featured who had had no or few opportunities to show their work in an exhibit before.
The exhibit provided an excellent introduction of these artists to the public, with several of the pieces that were for sale garnering attention from attendees. For this reason, there are already discussions in place to run the exhibition next year, only bigger and better.
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