(clockwise, left to right) Michelle Thrush, Amanda Forbis & Wendy Tilby, and Mieko Ouchi have been named the recipients of the 2023 Distinguished Artist Award. (Photos supplied by Griffin Cork)

By Chris Brown, CHAT News Today

Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Distinguished Artist Award recipients announced

Aug 31, 2023 | 2:58 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Two weeks before a ceremony in Medicine Hat, the recipients of the 2023 Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Distinguished Artist Award have been announced.

Theatre artist and educator Mieko Ouchi, actress and artistic director Michelle Thrush, and animators Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby will be awarded their prize and celebrated at the Esplanade on September 16, 2023. The awards have been distributed since 2005.

This is the first time the ceremony has taken place in Medicine Hat.

Lt.-Gov. Salma Lakhani will preside over the awards event, which is on from 4-6 p.m. in the Esplanade Theatre. There will be entertainment throughout and the evening will include a conversation with the 2023 Distinguished Artists, led by Clint Lawrence from Medicine Hat College.

Everyone is welcome and admission is free.

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A reception from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Esplanade Art Galleries will follow.

Artists, musicians, dancers, filmmakers, authors and more are among the 23 past recipients, which include former Medicine Hat resident and renowned puppeteer Ronnie Burkitt.

Biographies on the recipients, from a news release, are below.

MIEKO OUCHI

Mieko Ouchi’s practice encompasses decades of work in theatre for young audiences, the creation of compelling historical dramas, and extensive support for new play development in Canada. Her thirty plus years as a theatre and film director, screenwriter, dramaturg, artistic leader, and playwright have had a tremendous impact nationally and internationally.

Mieko’s work has received extensive recognition including multiple Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Awards, Betty Mitchell Awards, AMPIA Rosie Awards, the Carol Bolt Prize (Playwrights Guild of Canada) and a Governor General’s nomination for Literary Award for Drama. Mieko’s artistic impact is further magnified by the positive influence she has had on countless fellow artists through her work as a teacher, mentor, speaker, and equity activist. Her focus on creating safe artistic spaces proves that, to her, how the work is made is as important as what gets made.

MICHELLE THRUSH

Nehiyaw performing artist Michelle Thrush is known for her wide-ranging contributions as an actor, director, producer, and community builder. Her television credits include some of Canada’s most successful and critically lauded works: Arctic Air, Moccasin Flats, North of 60, Motherland, Northern Exposure, Dreamkeeper, and her much-awarded interpretation of Gail Stoney across five seasons of Blackstone. In 2023, Thrush can be seen in Bones of Crows, a Marie Clements film exploring the history of residential schools, and in Little Bird on Crave and APTN. She has received multiple national and international awards for best performances as an actor.

Michelle Thrush is a founder of the Southern Alberta Indigenous Youth Awards, and Artistic Director of the ground-breaking Making Treaty 7 Cultural Society. Through this work, she has helped launch multiple careers and is celebrated as a mentor, leader, and inspiration to a new generation of filmmakers and performing artists across turtle island.

WENDY TILBY & AMANDA FORBIS

Three-time Oscar nominated Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis are celebrated contributors to the art of film animation. Their unique visual style has captured the hearts and the imaginations of audiences worldwide in ground-breaking short films exploring themes of human connection, environmentalism, and the fragility of life. Their animated films have garnered multiple awards including the Palme d’Or for best short film at the Cannes International Film Festival, Best Short Animated Film at the Sundance Festival, three Oscar nominations and multiple other international awards.

From their home in Calgary, they work on their projects and collaborate on commissioned works including theatrical projections for Alberta Ballet as well as EMMY-nominated TV commercials. Globally respected artists and community-minded individuals, they launched the Bleak Midwinter Film Festival to share their love of animated films with their neighbourhood. They are also teachers who foster other animators through workshops and master classes in locations ranging from the Tokyo University of the Arts to the University of California, Berkeley and secondary schools in Calgary and across Canada.