The bouyant mood at the Mayor’s Arts Awards luncheon was more than a little tempered by the collective terror that the mayor to come would not be as hospitable to the arts as currrent mayor David Miller.
Not that mayoral candidate Joe Pantalone wasn’t doing his best to work the room. Pants was definitely keeping busy chatting up the hundreds of arts administrators and artists who crammed the Arcadian Court at the event honouring local arts lights.
Those of us at NOW Magazine (a co-sponsor of the Toronto Arts Awards) who got to attend the event had to be happy with our table, which included Pantalone himself, RBO Emerging Artist award short-lister Michael Wheeler and theatre vet R.H. Thompson, who added a welcome dose of boisterousness to the afternoon, improvising cheers for just about everything that happened.
CBC’s Q host Jian Ghomeshi was excellent as emcee, though, really, is it necessary to mention in an introduction that he hosts the radio show that has won awards for best cultural program in the country – I mean, is there another one?
Here are this year’s winners:
RBO Best Emerging Artist: Jamie Travis
Arts For Youth Award: Manifesto Community Projects
William Kilbourn Award For The Celebration Of Toronto’s Cultural Life: Mallory Gilbert
Toronto Arts Business Award: BMO Financial Group
Roy Thomson Hall Award of Recognition: José Ortega
