Multidisciplinary Artist Ghazal Partou Recieves $10,000 For Artistic Achievement
TORONTO – On Thursday October 15th, the Toronto Arts Foundation announced that Ghazal Partou, a multidisciplinary artist, is the recipient of the third TELUS Newcomer Artist Award. Ghazal Partou received $10,000 for her artistic achievement and significant contribution to the community.
The TELUS Newcomer Artist Award celebrates newcomer artists in the City of Toronto who have an outstanding body of work and make a significant contribution in the community. The award is administered by Neighbourhood Arts Network, an initiative of the Toronto Arts Foundation. Through its research, Toronto Arts Foundation identified a great need to support newcomer artists in Toronto. This award, sponsored by TELUS, is an exceptional way to celebrate their accomplishments.
“Winning the TELUS Newcomer Artist Award, without a doubt, is a fresh start in my career in Toronto,” said Partou. “As a newcomer, it is a strong motivation to continue what I have been up to and a huge show of support from a community which I chose to be a part of. I am so grateful for this recognition and I will try to make the best out of it.”
Ghazal Partou is an Iranian multidisciplinary artist who moved to Canada in 2013. Her many accomplishments include exhibiting in Tehran where she received the Persbook Contemporary Art Award and the National Sculpture Biennial Award. Since landing in Toronto, Ghazal has been active in more than ten art projects as an actor, creative director and designer, and has collaborated twice with the Tirgan Festival, the world’s largest celebration of Iranian arts and culture. In 2014, to voice her concerns about political unrest, Ghazal designed an Antiwar Freeze Flash Mob in Yonge-Dundas Square with 100 performers. Her current focus is to make the most of Toronto’s multicultural atmosphere, and she uses her art to develop a language that transcends race, nationality and ethnicity.
“The jury was blown away by the artistic calibre of this year’s finalists,” said Ella Cooper, Manager, Neighbourhood Arts Network. “It is a challenge to pick one recipient for the $10,000 award, but we take pride in celebrating these newcomer artists and offering them as much exposure as possible.”
The finalists for the award included Daniele Bartolini, Carlos Delgado, Maryam Hafizirad, Maha Munaf and Dana Prieto. To learn more about all of the finalists please visit the Neighbourhood Arts Network at: www.neighbourhoodartsnetwork.org.
About Toronto Arts Foundation
The Toronto Arts Foundation is a charitable organization that provides the opportunity for individuals, private and public foundations, corporations and government agencies to invest in and strengthen the arts in Toronto. We are powered by a vision: Creative City: Block by Block, a commitment to connect every Toronto neighbourhood to the transformative social and economic benefits of the arts. Through sponsorships, legacy gifts and donations to our Creative City Funds, Toronto Arts Foundation gives voice to the arts, shines the spotlight on Toronto’s exceptional talent, and connects communities to the arts. To learn more about the Toronto Arts Foundation, please visit our website at www.torontoartsfoundation.org
The Neighbourhood Arts Network
The Neighbourhood Arts Network is a strategic initiative of Toronto Arts Foundation. With over 1,000 members to date, we create online resources, partnerships and professional development events that help community engaged artists and organizations do what they do best: enrich Toronto and transform it into a more vibrant and livable city. For more information please visit: www.neighbourhoodartsnetwork.org.
Contact information:
For more information about this Vision Award partnership please contact Francesca Perez, Community Investment Manager at francesca@torontoarts.org, or by phone at 416 392 6802 x 204.