OCNews

Okanagan College communications professor and artist Amy Modahl has been announced as a winner of this year's Tanabe Prize, alongside artist Robin Hodgson.

The two artists, based in the B.C. Interior, will each receive $15,000 in recognition of their exceptional creativity and promise of future achievements.

Modahl expressed her excitement and gratitude for receiving the prestigious award, stating, "I'm so honored to have been chosen to receive this award that will support my work as an artist, especially because I also received a Canada Council grant. Beyond focus on my own practice, winning the Tanabe Prize is causing me to reflect and learn about giving back to my community. The generosity and thoughtfulness of renowned artist Takao Tanabe, who founded this prize, is truly astounding. With this award, Tanabe has elevated the careers of so many artists through the years. I'm so pleased to now be among them together with Robin Hodgson, recipient of the Emerging prize."

Modahl's artwork explores the vocabulary of space, visual-translation, and human and material gesture through painting, drawing, stop-motion animation, and performance. Her work has been featured in solo exhibitions at the Kamloops Art Gallery and the Kelowna Art Gallery, and her talent and creativity have now been recognized with the Tanabe Prize.

The Tanabe Prize is open to painters in British Columbia and is administered by the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. There is no application process for either curators or artists, and the winners are selected by a panel of curators connected to British Columbia galleries and museums. The names of the selectors are confidential.

The Tanabe Prize was founded by Takao Tanabe to elevate the careers of talented artists in British Columbia. Born in Prince Rupert, B.C., in 1926, Tanabe lives on Vancouver Island. His paintings reflect his interest in abstraction and the landscape.

You can learn more about Amy Modahl and her work online. Read more about the prize in the media release from the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria.