A. J. Casson Award
Encyclopedia
The A. J. Casson Award is given to an artist whose work is considered the best submission to the annual “Open Water” competition organized by the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour
(CSPWC). It is named after Alfred Joseph Casson (1898–1992), painter
. and a member of Canada's “Group of Seven
”. It is officially given “for outstanding achievement in watercolour painting” and is considered Canada's most significant award in this most challenging medium.
"Open Water" is as implied open to any artist working in watercolour. The juried
exhibitions have over the years been held in a number of notable exhibition venues including The National Gallery of Canada
(Ottawa, Ontario), The Art Gallery of Ontario
(Toronto, Ontario), The Beaverbrook Art Gallery
(Fredericton, New Brunswick), The University of Alberta
[Calgary], The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia
(Halifax), The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria
(British Columbia), The Peel Heritage Complex
(Brampton, Ontario) and the John B. Aird Gallery (Toronto, Ontario).
The competition has attracted a distinguished series of jurors and entries from not only Canada
but from many other countries.
The award consists of a bronze medal created by Dora de Pedery-Hunt
which carries an image inspired by one of Casson's most iconic landscapes. The naming of the award in honour of a beloved CSPWC member and the longest surviving founder of the Society was approved by Casson himself shortly before his death. He was actively involved in the selection of the image and in approving the first sculpted maquette
.
Accompanied by a cash award the medal was first presented in 1991 when it replaced the CSPWC's Honour Award, a diploma
, which had been presented annually from 1956 onwards to the “outstanding watercolour of the year”. During a transition period 1991 to 1997 the medal was accompanied by the Honour Award diploma but the latter was phased out in 1998.
Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour
The Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour , founded in 1925 is considered to be Canada’s official national water colour Society. Since the 1980s the Society has enjoyed Vice-regal Patronage from the incumbent Governor-General of Canada...
(CSPWC). It is named after Alfred Joseph Casson (1898–1992), painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
. and a member of Canada's “Group of Seven
Group of Seven (artists)
The Group of Seven, sometimes known as the Algonquin school, were a group of Canadian landscape painters from 1920-1933, originally consisting of Franklin Carmichael , Lawren Harris , A. Y. Jackson , Franz Johnston , Arthur Lismer , J. E. H. MacDonald , and Frederick Varley...
”. It is officially given “for outstanding achievement in watercolour painting” and is considered Canada's most significant award in this most challenging medium.
"Open Water" is as implied open to any artist working in watercolour. The juried
Juried (competition)
A juried competition is a competition in which participants' work is judged by a person or panel of persons convened specifically to judge the participants' efforts, either by the competition's stated rubric or by a subjective set of criteria dependent upon the nature of the competition or the...
exhibitions have over the years been held in a number of notable exhibition venues including The National Gallery of Canada
National Gallery of Canada
The National Gallery of Canada , located in the capital city Ottawa, Ontario, is one of Canada's premier art galleries.The Gallery is now housed in a glass and granite building on Sussex Drive with a notable view of the Canadian Parliament buildings on Parliament Hill. The acclaimed structure was...
(Ottawa, Ontario), The Art Gallery of Ontario
Art Gallery of Ontario
Under the direction of its CEO Matthew Teitelbaum, the AGO embarked on a $254 million redevelopment plan by architect Frank Gehry in 2004, called Transformation AGO. The new addition would require demolition of the 1992 Post-Modernist wing by Barton Myers and Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg...
(Toronto, Ontario), The Beaverbrook Art Gallery
Beaverbrook Art Gallery
The Beaverbrook Art Gallery is a small art gallery on the southwest bank of the Saint John River at the edge of the central business district of Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada...
(Fredericton, New Brunswick), The University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
[Calgary], The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia
Art Gallery of Nova Scotia
The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia is the provincial art gallery for the province of Nova Scotia. It is located in the central downtown region of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada with a branch gallery in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia....
(Halifax), The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria
Art Gallery of Greater Victoria
The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria is a Canadian art gallery located in Victoria, British Columbia. Opened in 1951, the gallery possesses notable works by artists such as Emily Carr, and has one of Canada's most significant collections of Asian art...
(British Columbia), The Peel Heritage Complex
Peel Heritage Complex
The Peel Heritage Complex is a museum/art gallery/archives for the Peel Region, located in Brampton, Ontario, Canada.Originally the Peel County Courthouse, Brampton Jail , and registry office, this complex hosts award-winning exhibition...
(Brampton, Ontario) and the John B. Aird Gallery (Toronto, Ontario).
The competition has attracted a distinguished series of jurors and entries from not only Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
but from many other countries.
The award consists of a bronze medal created by Dora de Pedery-Hunt
Dora de Pedery-Hunt
Dora de Pedery-Hunt, CM, O.Ont was an artist who designed various coins and medals and was awarded the Order of Canada. On September 29, 2008, she died from colorectal cancer....
which carries an image inspired by one of Casson's most iconic landscapes. The naming of the award in honour of a beloved CSPWC member and the longest surviving founder of the Society was approved by Casson himself shortly before his death. He was actively involved in the selection of the image and in approving the first sculpted maquette
Maquette
A maquette is a small scale model or rough draft of an unfinished architectural work or a sculpture...
.
Accompanied by a cash award the medal was first presented in 1991 when it replaced the CSPWC's Honour Award, a diploma
Diploma
A diploma is a certificate or deed issued by an educational institution, such as a university, that testifies that the recipient has successfully completed a particular course of study or confers an academic degree. In countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia, the word diploma refers to...
, which had been presented annually from 1956 onwards to the “outstanding watercolour of the year”. During a transition period 1991 to 1997 the medal was accompanied by the Honour Award diploma but the latter was phased out in 1998.
Winners
| 1956-1990 | Honour Award Recipients | 1991-2011 | A. J. Casson Award Winners |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Tom Hodgson | 1991 | Michael Dobson |
| 1957 | Maxwell Bates | 1992 | Sam Black |
| 1958 | Ethel Raicus | 1993 | June Selznick Drutz |
| 1959 | Marion Greenstone | 1994 | John Inglis |
| 1960 | William Roberts | 1995 | Neville Clarke |
| 1961 | Bobs Cogill Haworth |
1996 | Anthony J. Batten |
| 1962 | Peter Kolisnyk | 1997 | June Selznick Drutz |
| 1963 | Herbert Ariss |
1998 | David Ladmore |
| 1964 | Goodridge Roberts Goodridge Roberts William Goodridge Roberts was a Canadian painter known for his landscape paintings and unassuming still lifes and interiors.Goodridge Roberts was the son of poet and novelist Theodore Goodridge Roberts and Frances Seymour Allen... |
1999 | Neville Clarke |
| 1965 | Ray Cattell |
2000 | Daniel Barklay |
| 1966 | D. Mackay Houston |
2001 | Marilyn Blumer Cochrane |
| 1967 | John Henry Martin | 2002 | Vivian Thierfelder |
| 1968 | Bobs Cogill Haworth | 2003 | Chow Jian Sheng |
| 1969 | Harriet Manore Carter | 2004 | Karen Wilson |
| 1970 | Eric Freifeld | 2005 | David McEown |
| 1971 | Ray Cattell | 2006 | Jennifer Annesley |
| 1972 | Tom LaPierre | 2007 | Joanne Lucas Warren |
| 1973 | John Newman | 2008 | Linda Kemp |
| 1974 | Dainis Miezajs | 2009 | William Rogers |
| 1975 | Ray Cattell | 2010 | Josy Britton |
| 1976 | June Selznick Drutz | ||
| 1977 | Les Tait | ||
| 1978 | recipient unknown | ||
| 1979 | Janet Mitchell | ||
| 1980 | Tom LaPierre | ||
| 1981 | Osvald Timmas | ||
| 1982 | Sam Black | ||
| 1983 | Dainis Miezajs | ||
| 1984 | Ann MacIntosh Duff | ||
| 1985 | Sam Black | ||
| 1986 | Bobs Cogill Haworth | ||
| 1987 | Vivian Thierfelder | ||
| 1988 | Pat Clemes | ||
| 1989 | June Selznick Drutz | ||
| 1990 | Susan Leopold |