The New Brunswick Arts Board is an arm’s length arts funding agency with a legislated mandate to facilitate and promote the creation of art as well as administering funding programs for professional artists in the province.
Nathalie Rayne, Marketing, communication and Translation Specialist
Every year in the fall, artsnb staff spends a large amount of our time putting together the Lieutenant-Governor’s Award Ceremony. Every person in the office plays a role in making sure New-Brunswick’s highest Art Award is coordinated.
It all starts in June with the application deadline. The program officers look through the files to make sure they are complete, and begin to build a jury, which takes place in July. Once the winners are chosen, our Executive Director contacts them to give them the good news; they have just won $ 20 000 and the prestigious title of Lieutenant-Governor Award laureate!
Once the winners are contacted, we start the process of organizing the ceremony. Our director of administration contacts the winners, coordinates with the Old Government House staff, and deals with the hotel accommodations. A guest list is put together and invitations are sent out.
Meanwhile, the winners are interviewed for the winner’s booklet, and a photographer is hired to capture the winners in their own environment. Those photos are used for everything from the booklet, to media.
When the day finally arrives, the winners are available during the day for media interviews, either in person at the hotel, or by phone. They then have time to prepare for the Lieutenant-Governor’s Award dinner which is hosted by the Executive Director of artsnb.
After the dinner, the winners and their guests are brought to Old Government House for the beginning of the ceremony. Each winner is presented with a pin and a citation by the Lieutenant-Governor, and they then have time to give their prepared speech to the crowd.
Once the ceremony is complete, the winners, the guests and the staff are able to relax, and enjoy some appetizers prepared by Old Government House. The whole process is a lot of work, but is worth all the time and effort. We love to recognize artists in the province, and it is a wonderful event celebrating excellence in the New Brunswick Arts Community.
Here is a short video of the 2014 Lieutenant-Governor’s Awards ceremony!
