Vines Art Festival's Heather Lamoureux wins Canada Council for the Arts' John Hobday Award in Arts Management

Prize, shared with Calgary’s Toyin Lafenwa Oladele, provides leadership mentoring and $10,000

Toyin Lafenwa Oladele (left) and Heather Lamoureux.

VINES ART FESTIVAL artistic director Heather Lamoureux has won a national mentorship award given out by the Canada Council for the Arts.

She and Calgary’s Toyin Lafenwa Oladele have earned this year’s John Hobday Awards in Arts Management.

Lamoureux will be mentoring with Julia Aoki, program manager for the Vancity Office of Community Engagement at Simon Fraser University. The project will focus on leadership that cultivates and sustains nurturing and healing work environments. They’ll delve into ways of bringing personal knowledge and philosophies to organizational practices.

Vines Art Festival, which culminated in a big outdoor celebration at Trout Lake last month, is a groundbreaking event that blends sustainability, activism, and social justice with the arts. Lamoureux’s background includes working for Raven Spirit Dance, the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival, and the Firehall Arts Centre, as well as facilitating movement classes for elders and youth.

Oladele, meanwhile, will be mentored by Alex Sarian, president and CEO of Calgary’s Arts Commons, to develop leadership skills.

The John Hobday Awards in Arts Management recognize the contributions of arts managers in organizations across Canada by supporting professional development.

In addition, each winner will receive a $10,000 prize in recognition of their work in the arts.

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