Arts & Letters

Awards reception: Friday April 22 | 7:30pm | Free Event

This exhibition celebrates the 2022 winners of the Arts & Letters Awards, as well as a selection of the diverse and vibrant submissions by residents of Newfoundland and Labrador in Visual Art, Literary Arts and Music.

Open to the residents of Newfoundland and Labrador, the aim of the program is to stimulate creative activity, both amateur and professional, by providing cash prizes, adjudication and the exhibition of meritorious entries.

In 1951, Minister of Education, Samuel J. Hefferton, consulted with prominent citizens to explore how to promote wider interest in provincial cultural activities. The government decided to establish an annual grant beginning in 1952, creating has become known as the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts and Letters Awards. Today, the program is administered by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation.

During the 70 years since the first competition was held, winners have included individuals who have become a major part of the artistic culture of the province. Past winners include Michael Pittman, David Blackwood, Vessela Brakalova, Rae Perlin and Christopher Pratt in the visual arts; Cassie Brown, Percy Janes, Megan Gail Coles, Kevin Major, Helen Fogwill Porter, Bernice Morgan and Lisa Moore in the literary arts; and Rob Power, Mary Barry, Duane Andrews and Clare Follett in the music category.