Christine Tremblay receives award for two-decade commitment to the arts

The award, named in honour of Ottawa artist Victor Tolgesy who died in 1980, was presented jointly by the City of Ottawa and the Council for the Arts in Ottawa.

Tremblay receive the award for her 20-plus year commitment to the arts. During that time she has brought the arts and business communities together and has developed partnerships at the municipal, provincial and international levels. “I am honoured and humbled to receive this award and to be recognized by my peers in the arts community for the work that I am so passionate about,” Tremblay said in a statement. “I consider myself very fortunate to be surrounded by opportunities, creative people and the chance to make a difference to our quality of life everyday I go into work.”

The founding executive director of Arts Ottawa East (AOE), Temblay was a major player behind the opening of the $38-million Shenkman Arts Centre. Tremblay played a crucial role in seeing the project through four sets of studies over the past 20 years. “Christine’s energy and unfaltering commitment were critical in keeping this project alive and in the development of the unique partnership model that has been created,” said Heather Jamieson, president of the AOE Board of Directors. “But, Christine’s vision extended far past the bricks and mortar of an arts facility. Her vision led to the launching of the ARTicipate Endowment Fund, which has already raised close to $5-million to support artistic activities at the Shenkman Arts Centre.”

Tremblay’s nomination came about through the efforts of Paulette Gagnon, last year’s award winner, and Chantal Rodier, director of the ARTicipate campaign. Tremblay’s nomination was also supported by Shenkman Arts Partners and community leaders.

Previous winners of the Victor Tolgesy Arts Award include Paulette Gagnon, Julian Armour, Barbara Clark and Ian Tamblyn.