WEST COAST FORESIGHT:

Philanthropist Michael Audain. Image: protocol.gov.bc.ca

1. From the Globe and Mail: Vancouver philanthropist Michael Audain donates $2 million to endow an Indigenous Art Curatorial Chair at the National Gallery of Canada:

Read the full article HERE

Mr. Audain recieved the order of British Columbia in 2007. He has a long history of activism and generous support for visual arts and culture in British Columbia. As an art collector, past-president of the Vancouver Art Gallery and chair of the Vancouver Art Gallery Foundation, Mr. Audain has dedicated himself to ensuring the success of major exhibitions and programs at art galleries in Vancouver and Victoria.

Mr. Audain has been a benefactor of the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, the Evergreen Cultural Centre, and the Belkin Art Gallery. He supports a program of awards, carrying his name, for lifetime achievement in the visual arts.



Gordon Smith, T1, 2007. Image: equinoxgallery.com

2. From the National Post: In 1953, Vancouver painter Gordon Smith and his wife were the first people to hire Arthur Erickson to design a house:

Read the full article HERE

In May, Gordon Smith was awarded the $25,000 Audain Prize for Lifetime Achievement in the Visual Arts by the Jack and Doris Shadbolt Foundation for the Visual Arts and the Audain Foundation. The Shadbolt Foundation also presented local artists Isabelle Pauwels and Luanne Martineau with the $12,000 VIVA Awards.


Arthur Erickson, Smith House, designed 1964. Image: arthurerickson.com