CARFAC announced today that Regina artist, Holly Fay, has won the National Visual Arts Advocacy Award. This award honours a professional artist who has made a significant contribution to the Canadian visual arts community.
Fay has been involved in the Saskatchewan arts community in several capacities as an artist, educator, writer, curator, mentor and advocate for visual arts in the province. Fay has participated in many juries and committees, and has worked on the boards of Neutral Ground, CARFAC Sask and others. As board Chair for the Art Gallery of Regina. Holly spearheaded the gallery’s visual identity renewal, revitalization of the major fundraising gala and advocated for the gallery’s Facilities Expansion Plan. In 2004 Holly took part in actions to defend the Dunlop Art Gallery and rallied against its proposed closure.
As a member of the board of CARFAC Saskatchewan, she played a key role on the CARFAC SASK Mentorship Program Development Committee. She has also served on the selection committee in 2001, 2004, 2013 and 2014 and was a mentor in the program three times.
“The artists Holly mentored have all continued to make art, exhibit work in public galleries, and all have served on boards in the visual arts community and/or worked in public galleries,” said nominator Karen Schoonover. “For more than twenty years Holly Fay has been an active supporter for visual arts — contributing her time, energy, experience, creative ideas and organizational skills.”
The National Visual Arts Advocacy Award will be presented in Saskatoon on Friday May 29th.
Award Presentation
Friday, May 29th, 9:00 pm
Village Guitar & Amp Co.
432 20th Street West, Saskatoon
About Holly Fay
Holly Fay received an MFA at the University of Ulster in Belfast, Northern Ireland and completed undergrad degrees at the University of Regina. Fay’s art practice encompasses painting, drawing, mixed media and installation, with projects that have examined emergent patterns, systems of knowledge, ideas of place and phenomenology. Fay’s work has been awarded several Sask Arts Board grants, and is represented in public collections including the Mackenzie Art Gallery, the City of Regina and the Saskatchewan Arts Board. Fay has exhibited in Canada and abroad.
Holly Fay is an instructor in 2D studio in the Visual Art Department at the University of Regina, and is a Resident Artist and instructor at the Neil Balkwill Civic Arts Centre. Fay teaches studio workshops and CARFAC Sask workshops in professional development. Fay is a freelance writer in visual arts, and is an adjunct curator for the Art Gallery of Regina.
About the National Visual Arts Advocacy Award
The inaugural National Visual Arts Advocacy Award was presented to Kim Ondaatje and Tony Urquhart – two of CARFAC’s founding members – in 2008, in celebration of CARFAC’s 40th anniversary. A new era of arts activism was born under their leadership, and through this award, we pay tribute to further achievements made by artists in the improvement of the socio-economic conditions of visual artists, and the overall well-being of the visual arts community.
Marlene Creates of Portugal Cove, Newfoundland won in 2009; Todd Janes from Edmonton, Alberta received the award in 2010; Sarah Petite from Fredericton, New Brunswick was honored in 2011; Pat Durr from Ottawa in 2012, Bill Horne from Wells BC in 2013 and Johnnene Maddison from London Ontario in 2014.