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Dufferin Arts Council to distribute more money with this year’s scholarships

June 14, 2024   ·   0 Comments

By Paula Brown

The Dufferin Arts Council (DAC) will be handing out more money to help local artists this year, after announcing an increase in the monetary amounts of two bursaries.

In a press release issued on June 4, the Dufferin Arts Council said it would be increasing the monetary amount for the Anne Laurier Scholarship from $2,500 to $3,000.

The Anne Laurier Scholarship is an annual bursary given to three Dufferin County students who will be graduating high school this year and are preparing to attend an accredited university or college.

The bursary is available to students studying a wide range of programs in the visual, literary, and performing arts.

“After a careful review of our financial position and acknowledging the contributions to the scholarship fund by our generous donors in recent years, it’s time to increase the scholarship amount. With the cost of education and costs in general these days, we trust this is welcome news for arts students in Dufferin,” said acting chair, Catherine Carpenko.

The DAC also noted the efforts of board member Shelagh Roberts in pushing the financial review forward, which led to the increase in funding available through the Anne Laurier Scholarship Fund.

According to the Dufferin Arts Council, over $100,000 in grant funding had been awarded to Grade 12 students going on to study the Arts at Colleges and Universities across Canada via the Anne Laurier Scholarship Fund, since 1996.

Submissions for the Anne Laurier Scholarship Fund are required to be submitted by the end of June.

In the same press release, the Dufferin Arts Council also announced an increase in the funding amount of the Reed T. Cooper Bursary in Visual Arts.

“We are so grateful to share the news that the Cooper family has generously increased the award amount to $3,500 from the previous amount of $3,000,” said DAC board member, Michele Maycock, who has sat on the committee that assesses the submissions.

The Reed T. Cooper Bursary in Visual Arts was established in 2006 by the Dufferin Arts Council to honour the artistic achievements and contributions of local artist Reed T. Cooper following his death.

Each year, the Reed T. Cooper Bursary is awarded to one or two mid-career visual artist(s) in Dufferin County, who display a unique talent and a potential for excellence.

The bursary is intended to help artists develop their careers by providing a financial boost for further studies, setting up exhibitions of their work, research, travel, and other professional opportunities. 

In order to be eligible for the Reed. T Cooper Bursary, applicants must have worked in art professionally for at least five years, be a resident of Dufferin County or the Headwaters region, and be a member of the Dufferin Arts Council. Past recipients of the Cooper Bursary can re-apply for the funding after a period of five years. 

Some of the eligible media for the bursary include paintings, sculptures, printmaking, ceramics, fibre arts, glass, wood, photography, and digital or computer-generated art.

Applications for the Reed. T Cooper Bursary Fund can be received until the end of September.

Artists interested in applying for the Anne Laurier Scholarship Fund or the Reed T. Cooper Bursary in Visual Arts can do so by visiting: www.dufferinarts.com.

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