Award Judges
Flavio Belli, Artist, Curator & Art Consultant
Murray & Marvelle Koffler Founder’s Award
Flavio Belli is an artist, curator, art consultant and art collector with a broad range of experience in the Canadian cultural community. He is the current Chair of the Al Green Sculpture Studio and School in Toronto. His artworks have been shown in over 50 exhibitions and form part of public and private collections including the National Gallery of Canada. Flavio served on the Board of the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition for 10 years and during that time was also a member of the Sculpture Selection Committee for the McMurtry Gardens of Justice. He served on the Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board from 2005 to 2012. Flavio was also curator of the Carrier Gallery in the Italian community’s Columbus Centre from 1990 to 2005 and has acted as its guest curator since 2016.
Karen Carter, Co-Founder and Director, Black Artists’ Network and Dialogue (BAND)
Best of Student Award
Karen Carter is a cultural sector executive who enjoys working in creative and educational environments. She has over 20 years of experience working and volunteering in a range of arts, culture and heritage settings in Toronto.
Karen is the former Executive Director of Heritage Toronto, a City of Toronto agency responsible for the education and promotion of Toronto’s heritage. She is the founding Executive Director of Myseum of Toronto and Co-Founder and Director of Black Artists’ Network and Dialogue (BAND), the organization is dedicated to supporting emerging Black artists in Canada and abroad. Karen’s most recent projects include CArt, a Caribbean art gathering connecting artists from the region to the international art world, and the BIPOC fellowship, supporting the development of a more diverse cultural landscape in Canada.
Kestin Cornwall, Artist & Assistant Professor, Faculty of Design at OCAD University
Best of Painting Award + Honourable Mention
Over the past ten years, Kestin Cornwall has focused on creating relevant, progressive art. He has used a varied practice of combining hand drawings, digitally removing the human hand, and then forcing the human element back into the work. Kestin critically charts current political, social, and economic landscapes with compositions brimming with references to media, popular culture, music, and art history. Kestin explores culture and humanity’s relationship with beauty, sex, nature and a long history of cultivation. In addition, Kestin’s work aims to ask questions regarding equality, immigration and what it means to be Black in North America.
Many of his influences include contemporary graphic realism, street art and old comics, with a complimenting mystery factor, often mirroring timeless depictions of pop culture. Each piece depicts an analysis of our obsession with beauty, age and change.
Kestin Cornwall is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Design at OCAD University.
Michelle Forsyth, Artist & Professor, OCAD University
Best of 3D Works Award
Michelle Forsyth holds an MFA from Rutgers University (New Brunswick, NJ); and a BFA from the University of Victoria (Victoria, BC). Their work has been exhibited internationally at venues including Corkin Gallery (Toronto, ON); Mulherin + Pollard, (New York, NY); Zaum Projects (Lisbon, Portugal); The BRIC Arts Media House (Brooklyn, NY); Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar (Doha, Qatar); Pentimenti Gallery (Philadelphia, PA); Auxiliary Projects (Brooklyn, NY); The Hunterdon Museum of Art (Clinton, NJ); The Luminary Center for the Arts (St. Louis, MO); The Charleston Heights Arts Center (Las Vegas, NV); Deluge Contemporary Art (Victoria, BC); and Mercer Union (Toronto, ON). They currently hold a tenured position at OCAD University (Toronto, ON) and are represented by Corkin Gallery (Toronto, ON).
Adrian Hayles, Artist, Owner & Director, Worth Gallery
Worth Gallery Award
Adrian Hayles is the Owner and Director of Worth Gallery located in the heart of Toronto. Worth is a two-level Gallery focused on street art and art in public spaces.
Andrew Hunter, Author, Artist, Curator & Activist
Catherine Bratty Award for Best of Art Fair & Most Innovative Use of Material Award
Andrew Hunter (born Hamilton, Ontario, Canada) is an author, artist, curator, educator and activist. At heart, their work is multi-disciplinary and exploratory, incorporating writing, visual art, performance and media, as well as academic and archival research and story-telling. Acknowledging their status as a settler, they are committed to collaboratively developing and sharing new approaches that break from colonial models and embrace the need for the genuine critical decentering of whiteness. In addition, the mental health of individuals, communities and cultures is of fundamental importance to their life and work.
A graduate of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Hunter has, over a 30 year career, worked nationally and internationally. They have held senior curatorial positions across Canada (including at the Vancouver Art Gallery and Art Gallery of Ontario) and have produced exhibitions and publications for such institutions as the National Gallery of Canada, Winnipeg Art Gallery, the Banff Centre for the Arts, Concordia University, University of Toronto, Museum of Modern Art Dubrovnik (Croatia), Hammer Museum at UCLA, and Museum of Fine Arts Boston, among many others.
Nancy Jacobi, Founder, The Japanese Paper Place
Best of Paper Award
Nancy Jacobi, founder of The Japanese Paper Place (The JPP) in Toronto, started the company 40 years ago to encourage creativity through the special qualities of washi, Japanese papers, some of which have been in production for 1400 years. In that quest, Nancy has supported throngs of artists both independently and through collaborations with major arts organizations, galleries, universities and colleges. With them, The JPP has presented lectures and exhibitions, sponsored workshops and special events, including the World Washi Summit in 2008. She has acquired a vast collection of outstanding artwork on washi by prominent Canadian artists. Now with the next generation continuing the work and mission of The JPP to support Japanese papermakers and inspire creativity with washi, Nancy is chronicling her fulfilling life as a “washipreneur” while championing artists who have embraced it in exceptionally effective ways.
Tiana Koffler Boyman, Co-Chair, Koffler Centre of the Arts
Murray & Marvelle Koffler Founder’s Award
Tiana Koffler Boyman is immediate past co-chair of the Koffler Centre of the Arts, a prominent contemporary cultural platform and Gallery presenting Canadian and International artists who explore the critical ideas and concerns of our time. The Koffler presents a cross-disciplinary arts program that promotes inter-cultural dialogue through a diverse range of programs and exhibitions in visual arts, literature, digital, public engagement and youth arts education.
Ms. Koffler Boyman is involved in the philanthropic community for over 30 years providing her focus to health, science, and arts related organizations. She has sat on numerous boards of charitable organizations including the Canadian Friends of the Weizman Institute of Science in Israel, the Board of Sterling Hall School, the Marvelle Koffler Breast Centre at the Mount Sinai Hospital. Tiana and her husband, Marc, are active supporters of the arts including, Toronto Outdoor Art Fair, MOCA, Luminato, the Israel Museum and the Museum of Tolerance in Israel, Tiana is the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and remains an active board member of the Koffler Centre of the Arts and Luminato Festival, Toronto.
Nadya Kwandibens, Photographer & Current Photo Laureate, City of Toronto
Best of Photography and Digital Media Award + Honourable Mention
Nadya Kwandibens is Anishinaabe from the Animakee Wa Zhing #37 First Nation in northwestern Ontario. She is an award winning portrait and events photographer, a Canon Ambassador, the current Photo Laureate for the City of Toronto, and has travelled extensively across Canada for over 14 years. In 2008 she founded Red Works Photography. Red Works is a dynamic photography company empowering contemporary Indigenous lifestyles and cultures through photographic essays, features, and portraits. Red Works specializes in natural light portraiture and headshots sessions plus event and concert photography. Red Works also provides image licensing, workshops, presentations and print products and has been exhibited in group and solo shows in Canada and United States.
Nadya is an Ontario Arts Council Indigenous Arts Award laureate. Jurors stated, “Nadya is an intrepid, ground-breaking and influential artist. She has brought an Indigenous voice to portrait photography that recontextualizes images and shows us our true selves.”
Cathy Malloy, Interim Chief Curator, City of Toronto
Mayor’s Purchase Award
Cathy Molloy is currently the Interim Chief Curator, City of Toronto. Previously she was the Director of the Markham Museum, Director of the Aurora Historical Society, Curator at the Markham Museum. Cathy is a proud 3rd generation Torontonian, born in Riverdale, raised in Scarborough, currently residing near Yonge & St. Clair. She has a keen interest in all art forms and is honoured to participate in the 62nd Toronto Outdoor Art Fair.
Tara Moore-Jones, President, The Japanese Paper Place
Best of Paper Award
Tara Moore-Jones grew up in a household surrounded by beautiful paper, art and artists. Working at The Japanese Paper Place off and on for most of her life, it was a natural transition to take over running the business, when her stepmother Nancy Jacobi who founded The JPP decided to step back. With other life experiences under her belt like attending U of T, getting her diploma in Interior Decorating and working as a Realtor in downtown Toronto, Tara brings her well-rounded skills and systematic approach to overseeing the day-to-day operation of the business. In her other life, she has 3 children and a husband, all creative individually and benefitting from Tara’s seasoned multi-tasking ability.
Lee Petrie, Curator, Archive Hospitality
Gladstone House Award
Lee Petrie (BA, MA, MMSt) is a curator and arts program manager based in Toronto.
In her 25 year career, Lee has worked with hundreds of artists to bring exhibitions and programs to Toronto Pearson International Airport, the Living Arts Centre, the McMichael Canadian Art Collection and the Varley Art Gallery. Lee is the Curator for Archive Hospitality, which operates Gladstone House and The Broadview Hotel in Toronto and The Postmark Hotel in Newmarket (opening fall 2023). She manages the creation and installation of art in the hotels and the resident artist program at Gladstone House. Lee is also Chair of the Toronto Public Art Commission.
Sarah Quinton, Curatorial Director Emeritus, Textile Museum of Canada
Best of Craft & Design Award, Best of Jewellery Award & Ceramics Excellence Awards
Sarah Quinton has worked in the visual arts for over 25 years as a curator, cultural administrator, educator, and artist. Her curatorial practice includes benchmark projects that have come to define a discourse that focuses on complex intersections between art, craft, and design. She has taught and lectured at museums, galleries, universities, and colleges. She has extensive expertise as a juror for international and national art exhibitions, national, provincial, regional, and local arts councils, and has sat on numerous volunteer boards and advisory committees. In Fall 2022, she was recognized with the honorary title of Curatorial Director Emeritus, Textile Museum of Canada.
Lisa Wolfin, Executive Director and Founder, Art Vancouver
Best of Online Art Fair Award + Honourable Mention & Tri-Art Painting Prize
Lisa Wolfin is a renowned artist, curator, and the creative force behind some of Vancouver’s most influential art initiatives. With a deep-rooted passion for the arts, Lisa has made significant contributions to the city’s vibrant artistic landscape.
As the founder of Art Vancouver, Art Downtown, and the Vancouver Visual Art Foundation, Lisa has spearheaded numerous art events and exhibitions that have brought together artists, collectors, and enthusiasts from around the world. Her unwavering dedication to promoting and showcasing the work of both emerging and established artists has played a pivotal role in fostering a thriving art community.
Mark Zadorozny, Artist & Owner and Director, Mark Christopher Gallery
Best of 2D Works Award + Honourable Mention
Mark Zadorozny is a Toronto-based artist, art gallery owner, director, curator and advisor. As a perpetual student of art and its history, he opened his own art gallery, Mark Christopher, in 2007. Mark exhibits a variety of artists and styles, ranging from abstraction to realism. He is also a board member of Arts Etobicoke. This year celebrates 50 years as a non-profit organization that supports the arts and culture in the Etobicoke community.
