Visual artist Cynthia O'Brien has been selected as the recipient of the 2008 CAO Mid-Career Artist Award

The Council for the Arts in Ottawa is pleased to announce that visual artist Cynthia O'Brien has been selected as the recipient of the 2008 CAO Mid-Career Artist Award, which includes a $1,000 cash prize.

"Cynthia has demonstrated a commitment to her arts practice that has firmly established her as an artist of great potential," says Tara Wong, CAO Board Member and Chair of the Awards Sub-Committee. Cynthia is the third artist to receive this award, which is intended to recognize and encourage the achievements of Ottawa artists who have evolved beyond the emerging stage in their careers.

Cynthia O'Brien has exhibited her work at local and national galleries for the past ten years. She has received numerous awards and is represented in private and public collections. Her work has been purchased by the City of Ottawa and the Canada Council Art Bank. Her most recent exhibition "Loss" was an ambitious and detailed ceramic installation shown at the City of Ottawa Art Gallery. In addition to her work as a visual artist, Cynthia has been active in Ottawa's visual arts community as a teacher, organizer, board member and volunteer.