Organizers of the $70,000 Sobey Art Award, Canada*s pre-eminent prize for contemporary Canadian art, today announced the longlist of 25 artists selected by the Curatorial Panel. 

West Coast & Yukon
Rhonda Weppler & Trevor Mahovsky; Luanne Martineau; Keith Langergraber; Evan Lee; Julie York

Prairies & The North
Paul Butler; Marcel Dzama; Sarah Anne Johnson; Jon Pylypchuk; Althea Thauberger

Ontario
Shary Boyle; Christian Giroux & Daniel Young; Luis Jacob; Kelly Richardson; Derek Sullivan

Québec
David Altmejd; Raphaëlle de Groot; Manon De Pauw; Pascal Grandmaison; Adad Hannah

Atlantic
Alexandra Flood; Tara K. Wells; Ilan Sandler; Graeme Patterson; Joe McKay

The shortlist for the 2009 Sobey Art Award will be announced on May 1, 2009.  Selected work from the shortlisted artists will be featured in an exhibition at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia running September 5 to November 5, 2009. The winner will be announced during a gala event at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia on October 15, 2009. 

The 2009 Sobey Art Award Curatorial Panel comprises: Liz Wylie, Curator, Kelowna Art Gallery; Kitty Scott, Director, Visual Arts, The Banff Centre;  Ivan Jurakic, Curator, Cambridge Galleries; Louise Déry, Director/Curator, Galerie de l'Université du Québec à Montréal; Terry Graff, Curator and Deputy Director, Beaverbrook Art Gallery.

For more information please contact:

Sarah Fillmore
Acting Chief Curator / Curator of Exhibitions
902-424-5169
fillmose@gov.ns.ca

Robert Zingone
Assistant Curator, Contemporary Art
902-424-3001
zingonrj@gov.ns.ca

Sobey Art Award
C/O Art Gallery of Nova Scotia
1723 Hollis St., Box 2262
Halifax NS B3J 3C8
Fax: 902-424-7359
www.artgalleryofnovascotia.ca