Arts Awards

Arts in Education Award: Brenna McAllister

Brenna graduated from Brock with an Honours BA in Theatre and a Bachelor of Education. She began teaching with the DSBN at Governor Simcoe Secondary before moving to St. Catharines Collegiate in 2007. Headed into her twenty-second year of teaching Drama, Brenna focuses on developing new plays with her students, exploring issues that are important to them. Past themes have included bullying, homelessness, mental health, autism, grief/healing, environmental activism, girl power, overcoming trauma/adversity, identity/acceptance and of course...magic! Brenna truly believes that theatre has the power to not only entertain but more importantly to educate both the participants and the audience.

Many students at Collegiate live at or below the poverty line and do not have access to arts education outside of school, so Brenna’s goal is to provide them with as many experiences on and off the stage as possible. Some highlights include: Commotion Theatre Project, Sears/National Theatre School Drama Festival, Summerworks, Devised Drama Day, FRAMES, Jarico Films For Youth, as well as trips to Shaw and Mirvish. In 2016 and again in 2023 Brenna’s students were selected to represent Canada at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe – bringing original works to Scotland – and in March 2025 they are headed to Europe.

Emerging Artist Award: Amber Lee Williams

Amber is a visual artist who lives and works in St. Catharines. She has a BA (Honours) in Studio Art from Brock University and an MFA from the University of Waterloo. She has taught many classes and workshops (photography, sculpture, painting, drawing, paper making, etc.) in the Niagara region, at locations such as: Niagara Artist Centre, Brock University, Niagara College, Kristen French Child Advocacy Centre, RiverBrink Art Museum, Niagara Pumphouse Arts Centre, Grimsby Public Art Gallery, and more.

As mother of two daughters, family is at the center of her artistic practice. Her research resides in and around the home, observing and photographing the daily lives of her children, as well as drawing inspiration from the possessions and photographs left behind by deceased loved ones. Navigating the inevitable shifting of relationships and thinking about how everyday objects can serve as prompts to remembering are important methodologies in her work. Primarily working in various experimental photographic and sculptural mediums, Amber not only explores the ways in which we remember, but also all that is lost. With a particular interest in the concepts of grief and longing, her work reflects on the ephemeral nature of existence.

Established Artist Award: Cole Lewis

Cole is a mom and theatre artist from St. Catharines. She specializes in creating live performance from design ideas, exploring new modes of storytelling, and fusing technologies to the stage. Her practice includes directing, playwriting, and the design of moving image works.

Twice nominated for Dora-Awards, Cole’s practice uses humour, design, and technology to explore notions of violence, expose questions of bias, and unsettle standard conceptions of truth. Cole wrote and directed “1991” for Why Not Theatre’s RISER Project. She also originated direction and co-wrote Suitcase in Point’s “Keith Richards: A One Woman Show”.

Recently, Cole co-created “2021” at Tarragon Theatre’s 2024 Greenhouse Festival, began a new play at Caravan Farm Theatre’s 2024 National Playwright Retreat and co-researched Dramaturges of the Unreal through Nightswimming’s 2024 PureResearch. She was the lead Artist Mentor (2023 + 2024) for Suitcase in Point’s Electric Innovations program and completed the first draft of “Grief Redux” for Stratford Festival (seed commission). She also adapted Kyo Maclear’s “Virginia Wolf” for Geordie Theatre.

Cole is a Co-Founder of Suitcase in Point, Co-Artistic Director of Guilty by Association, holds an MFA from Yale and teaches at Toronto Metropolitan University.

Making a Difference Award: Deanna Jones

Deanna is a Niagara-born artist, actor, writer, director and producer. She is a co-founder of Suitcase in Point Multi-Arts Company and was the company’s Artistic Director from 2007-2024. She has toured to festivals nationally and internationally in her over 20-year experience as a professional artist.

Her acclaimed play, “The Keith Richards One Woman Show” was nominated for a Dora award in 2015 and toured throughout Western Canada. In 2011 Deanna received the City of St. Catharines Emerging Artist of the Year Award and in 2019, she was a nominee for Niagara’s Women in Business Cultural Arts Award.

Deanna grew up in Welland, Ont. and has a history of collaboration with hundreds of theatre, music, film, literary and installation artists. Bringing creative impulses to life in unsuspecting places is one of her favourite things to do.

Patron of the Arts Award: Annette Urlocker

As a mother and a teacher, Annette has had a ring side seat to observe the growth of The Arts in St. Catharines. The arts are like a rain forest: a rain forest nourishes the land while the arts nourish the soul.

St. Catharines is fortunate to have a solid art base and over time many stages have been developed with the ultimate being the Performing Arts Centre. As a person who values the rewards that the arts have to offer, Annette actively supports many projects. She was an early contributor to the funding of the new FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre and was one of their first volunteers, continuing in both roles to this day.

Other projects that earned Annette’s support were the murals at Lock 7 on the Welland Ship Canal and the healing garden at Hotel Dieu Shaver Hospital. Bursaries at Brock and donations to the Niagara Community Foundation have provided Annette with additional opportunities to continue to support the arts.

Jury's Pick Award: Christina Hartmann

Christina is the founder of A Third Space Pottery Studio. In 2014, having recently been laid off, she quickly found out that jobs for middle aged women were scarce. Following a dream she had been talking about for a long time, Christina moved back to Niagara after living away for 30 years with the intention to start a community pottery studio.

Starting slowly, in January 2015 with classes from her basement, by July 2018 Christina moved into space in an old factory just off the downtown core. Over the next few years, A Third Space tripled its studio space. Membership keeps growing, and some members have used the studio to start their own small pottery business. The main purpose of the studio lives up to the name, "Third Space", which is the term for places where people meet and make friends. Over the years, A Third Space has become a welcoming place where people from all over the Niagara Region come because they love spending time there.

Nominators (all award categories)

• Must be 18 years of age or older.
• Can be an individual, organization or business residing in any city.
• Cannot be an immediate family member of the nominee.
• Artists cannot self-nominate.
• Cannot be a member of the Jury or City of St. Catharines' staff.

• Nominee must have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to engaging St. Catharines' residents through arts education activities.
• Artistic collectives (e.g., band, duo, troupe, collective, etc.) are eligible for nomination provided that a minimum of 75 per cent of the collective has worked in St. Catharines consecutively for the past two years or longer.
• Nominee may be self-taught or have art training through formal education, apprenticeship, or with a mentor or elder.
• Open to all artistic disciplines including, but not limited to, dance, performing arts, fine craft, visual arts, media arts, film, music, theatre and writing.

• Nominee must be in the early years of launching a professional career.
• Emerging artists have created and publicly presented a modest body of independent work and are ready for the next steps in their artistic development.
• Artistic collectives (e.g., band, duo, troupe, collective, etc.) are eligible for nomination provided that a minimum of 75 per cent of the collective has worked in St. Catharines consecutively for the past two years or longer.
• Nominee may be self-taught or have art training through formal education, apprenticeship, or with a mentor or elder.
• Open to all artistic disciplines including, but not limited to, dance, performing arts, fine craft, visual arts, media arts, film, music, theatre and writing.

Established Artist Award

• Nominee is recognized as a professional by their peers (artists working in the same artistic tradition), which could include critical recognition or excellence.
• Nominee has a history of public presentation or publication.
• Nominee must be actively producing work (within the last three years).
• Individual artist or arts professional who is 18 years of age or older.
• Artistic collectives (e.g., band, duo, troupe, collective, etc.) are eligible for nomination provided that a minimum of 75 per cent of the collective has worked in St. Catharines consecutively for the past two years or longer.
• Nominee may be self-taught or have art training through formal education, apprenticeship, or with a mentor or elder.
• Open to all artistic disciplines including, but not limited to, dance, performing arts, fine craft, visual arts, media arts, music, theatre and writing.

Making A Difference Award

• Nominee has made a significant contribution to the growth and development of arts and culture in St. Catharines, e.g., their leadership has led to a new or significant event, organization or initiative.
• Organizations are eligible for nomination.
• Artistic collectives (e.g., band, duo, troupe, collective, etc.) are eligible for nomination provided that a minimum of 75 per cent of the collective has worked in St. Catharines consecutively for the past two years or longer.

• Nominee has shown consistent and substantial support to the arts in St. Catharines, including, but not limited to visual arts, performing arts, literature, music, film, or any other creative discipline.

• Support can include financial contributions, sponsorship of artistic events or exhibitions, commissioning new works, providing resources or infrastructure for artists.

• Support can also include significant partnerships established between the recipient and the arts community. This could involve working closely with artists, arts organizations or cultural institutions to develop and execute joint projects, initiatives, or programs.

• Individuals, organizations, and businesses are eligible for nomination.

Members of the public are invited to submit an Arts Awards nomination in any award category. Submit a brief statement outlining why you feel the individual, collective, or organization should be nominated.

Nominee Submission Review

Nominees will have the opportunity to review the information included in their nomination so they can expand upon their contributions and experiences. Nominator details will be shared with nominees and may be shared through the Award Selection process and recognition efforts.

A Jury will adjudicate the submissions to select the Arts Awards recipients. The Jury will be comprised of arts community leaders who reflect the diversity of St. Catharines’ arts sector. The Jury will evaluate the nominations based on the artistic excellence, career, and impact of the individual, collective or organization. A member of the Arts and Culture Advisory Committee will audit the Jury session to ensure that a fair and transparent selection process is followed.

• Arts in Education Award: Brenna McAllister
• Emerging Artist Award: Amber Lee Williams
• Established Artist Award: Cole Lewis
• Making a Difference Award: Deanna Jones
• Patron of the Arts Award: Annette Urlocker
• Jury's Pick Award: Christina Hartmann

• Arts in Education Award: Alice Burke 
• Emerging Artist Award: Vik Mudge
• Established Artist Award: Sandy Middleton
• Making a Difference Award: Todd Green
• Jury's Pick Award: Matter of Black

• Arts in Education Award: Dr. Rachel Rensink-Hoff
• Emerging Artist Award: Kathryn Sinopoli
• Established Artist Award: Amy Friend
• Making a Difference Award: Emily Oriold
• Patron of the Arts Award: Frank Goldspink
• Jury's Pick Award: Monica Dufault

• Arts in Education Award: Curtis Tye
• Emerging Artist Award: Elise Naccarato
• Established Artist Award: Peter Shea
• Making a Difference Award: OPIRG Brock
• Patron of the Arts Award: Janet Patridge
• Jury's Pick Award: Jean Bridge