Brandon University student nets pair of prestigious arts awards

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A Brandon University Fine Arts student has earned two prestigious awards this month. Eleni Kilbride was presented with a Recognize Scholarship from the Manitoba Arts Council, and was named winner of the C.D. Howe Scholarship for Art and Design from the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.

Eleni Kilbride

The scholarships, which are valued at $2,000 for the Manitoba Arts Council and $5,000 from the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, will help Kilbride finish her honours year this year, with a specialization in painting, and pursue the next steps in her career.

“I have always loved being part of the Fine Arts program here at BU,” Kilbride said. “Like many students it has been a balancing act to make it to my final year. These opportunities and awards have helped reinforce my passion and I am extremely grateful for being nominated and selected.”

The two scholarships are doubly impressive because along with study and studio time, Kilbride has also been juggling childcare and education — she is homeschooling two of her three children this year due to Covid risks.

“Our department is proud of Eleni’s successful application with the Manitoba Arts Council scholarship and honoured to have her receive the CD Howe Award from the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts,” said Kevin deForest, chair of BU’s Ishkabatens Waasa Gaa Inabateg Department of Visual Art. “These generous awards are so encouraging and are paving the way for her post-BU art career.”

The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts has been supporting the Canadian visual arts since 1880. Their C.D. Howe Scholarship for Art and Design provides significant opportunities for graduating undergraduate students from professional art and design colleges and universities in Canada, helping them to pursue further formal study or professional development. Typically, it is presented at Spring Convocation, but was instead presented to Kilbride in a special Zoom ceremony this past weekend.

The Manitoba Arts Council was established in 1965 to promote the arts. Their Recognize Scholarship, which is quite competitive, supports training and study for full-time Manitoban art students.

 

 

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