Ontario Arts Council has awarded Shirley Cheechoo with the 2022 Indigenous Arts Award for her contribution to the Indigenous arts in Ontario. The award, being presented at the Weengushk International Film Festival on July 10th consists of $10,000, a framed certificate and an Indigenous-designed blanket.
Shirley Cheechoo’s work reflects her Cree cultural background and her experience as a survivor of residential school through many of her accomplishments.
This award recognized her work as an arts leader as the founder of Weengushk International Film Festival, co-founder of Debejehmujig Theatre Group,and served as Chancellor of Brock University (2015-2020), the first women and Indigenous Canadian in this positions.
“With her distinguished career and outstanding impact, this is Shirley’s time to be honoured. She has achieved international reach with her artistic works, while also pouring herself into community work with generosity and selflessness. Her amazing work passing on skills to the next generation through the WFI is especially noteworthy.” -OAC Assessors
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