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Grads receive Governor General’s Award

Concordia alumnae Angela Grauerholz and Carol Wainio distinguished for careers in visual and media art
March 11, 2014
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By James Gibbons


Through her lens, photographer Angela Grauerholz captures dreamy images that explore themes of memory and space.

Carol Wainio and Angela Grauerholz | Photo credit: Faculty of Fine Arts

For her prolific artistry, the Concordia graduate, MFA 80, has received a Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts from the Canada Council for the Arts (CCA) — and she isn’t the only alumna to be honored.

Painter Carol Wainio, MFA 85, will receive the distinct gold medallion, too, at a ceremony to take place in the nation’s capital on March 26.

“I always wanted to slow down the moment by taking a picture,” says Grauerholz, originally from Hamburg, Germany. “I slow down the moment and create a space that can be filled.”

The veteran photographer has worked at Université du Québec à Montréal since 1988. She has represented Canada at numerous international contemporary art exhibitions, such as the Sydney Biennale in Australia.

Wainio’s artworks, characterized by a monotonous color palette, have been featured in over 30 solo exhibitions across the country.

Watch a video of Anna Grauerholz:

She was included in the National Gallery of Canada in 2005. “These days a lot of my works are about concern for the future,” says Wainio, an adjunct professor at the University of Ottawa.

“My work has always had something to do with history, with narrative.”

Grauerholz and Wainio join Diana Nemiroff,  BFA 74, MFA 85, and Jana Sterbak, BFA 77, who both received the Govenor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts in 2012, as well as sculptor Jocelyne Alloucherie, MFA 81, who received the distinction 2000.

Watch a video of Carol Wainio:



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