The WEAs & Windsor Mayor’s Arts Awards

The Windsor Endowment for the Arts (WEA) and the City of Windsor are pleased to be partnering once again for the 2024 WEA Arts Awards and Grants, along with the Windsor Mayor’s Arts Awards (WMAAs), all to be showcased in a special community celebration.

These biennial awards and grants, last presented in 2022, offer a platform to support, recognize, and celebrate creative individuals and organizations in Windsor and Essex County. Everyone is invited to join this year’s special presentation for FREE as it promises an evening brimming with creativity and celebration.

The celebration will feature remarks from WEA President Stephanie Barnhard and Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens, alongside the presentation of the various awards and grants, guest presenters, live performances, a DJ, local food vendors, and an art exhibition in the Common Ground gallery.

Among the live performances, singer Florine Ndimubandi will represent the Francophone creative community, while a musical performance by Windsor Symphony Orchestra cellist Karen McClellan will accompany the ‘In Memoriam’ presentation.

WEA will present 11 art grants totalling $31,000 and 6 Art Leadership Awards of merit to individuals and organizations in Community Arts, Literary Arts, Performing Arts, and Visual Arts. Mayor Drew Dilkens will present 3 WMAAs, one each to an individual artist, arts organization, and arts volunteer.

Quotes
“WEA is thrilled to host an event that celebrates the transformative power of connection. With the Gordie Howe International Bridge being constructed just blocks from Mackenzie Hall, the forthcoming celebration draws inspiration from this monumental project, embracing the theme of ‘Building Bridges’. We are reminded of the significance of bridges, not just in physical infrastructure but also in fostering understanding and collaboration among diverse communities. Our celebration embodies this spirit, inviting artists and arts organizations to embrace their role as bridges for positive change. Through this celebration, we aspire to unite members of our region’s vibrant creative community for an evening filled with art, music, and dialogue, serving as a catalyst for building lasting connections and forging a path towards unity and collaboration.”
– Stephanie Barnhard, President, Windsor Endowment for the Arts

“The Windsor Mayor’s Arts Awards program is one of many components of Council’s overall significant investment in arts, culture and heritage in Windsor. I am pleased to once again partner with WEA to present our awards together in a meaningful way that celebrates a broad spectrum of artists, arts organizations and creatives. These programs provide a further opportunity to support, encourage and recognize our local artists, while building on Windsor’s proud history of investment in our creative community. I thank our partners at the Windsor Endowment for the Arts for the positive significant impact the organization has had on the region’s creatives, and I forward to once again teaming up with WEA to celebrate all of the recipients later this month.”
-Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens