Award recipients for BC Applied Art and Design announced

Premier Christy Clark and British Columbia Achievement Foundation Chair Keith Mitchell are pleased to announce the four recipients of the seventh Annual Carter Wosk BC Creative Achievement Awards for Applied Art and Design.

“I congratulate these talented British Columbians for inspiring us with their work in applied art and design,” said Premier Clark. “They demonstrate the strength and vitality of our applied arts and design community and highlight our Province’s record of creative achievement.”

This year’s recipients will join 26 previous recipients who have been honoured since the launch of the award in 2005.

“From jewellery to handcrafted chairs, wood furniture and glass art, today’s recipients have applied their ingenuity to create innovative designs with a function,” said Mitchell.

The BC Creative Achievement Award of Distinction was presented to Dr. R.T. (Phil) Nuytten, OBC, LLD, DSc. of North Vancouver for his creative innovation in the field of atmospheric diving suits and submersibles. This special lifetime award honours Dr. Nuytten for his unique designs enhancing underwater research, exploration and rescue and his outstanding contributions to applied design in British Columbia.

Each recipient will be recognized at a presentation and exhibition event in the fall at Shaw TV Studios. The award recipients will receive $5,000 and a British Columbia Creative Achievement Award seal to signify their creative excellence.

Dr. Robert Belton, associate professor of art history at UBC Okanagan and a director of the BC Achievement Foundation, chaired an independent jury panel that selected the 2011 award recipients. The jurors included Sam Carter, professor emeritus at Emily Carr University of Art and Design, Omer Arbel, past recipient and industrial designer, Nancy Bendtsen, of Inform Interiors and Angelika Werth, past recipient and instructor, Kootenay School of the Arts.

The Carter Wosk British Columbia Creative Achievement Awards for Applied Art and Design are named in honour of B.C. philanthropist, academic and visionary Dr. Yosef Wosk, whose financial support makes these awards possible and for Sam Carter, B.C. educator, designer and curator.