Photo: Michelle Wilson and Ian James

Council for the Arts in Ottawa's Victor Tolgesy Arts Award to be presented to Tom Henighan

The Council for the Arts in Ottawa (CAO) is delighted to announce that this year's Victor Tolgesy Arts Award recipient is Tom Henighan. Mr. Henighan is an author, teacher, cultural critic and Professor Emeritus at Carleton University.

Mr. Henighan will receive the award from Mayor Larry O'Brien on Monday, February 11, 2008 at the 19th Annual CAO Sweetheart Lunch for the Arts in the Great Hall of the National Gallery of Canada. The Victor Tolgesy Arts Award is presented as a joint venture by the City of Ottawa and Council for the Arts in Ottawa. The law firm of Gowling, Lafleur, Henderson LLP generously contributed the cash prize of $5,000 associated with the award.

In addition to the cash prize, Mr. Henighan will receive a bronze special edition version of the 1963 sculpture by the late Victor Tolgesy, entitled Seed and Flower. The award, named in honour of Ottawa artist and community volunteer, Victor Tolgesy, recognizes an individual who has made a significant contribution to the arts in Ottawa. Among the 18 past recipients are: Trudi LeCaine and John Roberston, who were the first recipients of the award in 1988, Pat Durr (1989), Barbara Clark (1994), Peter Boneham (1997), Julian Armour (2000), Jennifer Dickson (2001), and Penny McCann (2006).

Nichole McGill, Council for the Arts in Ottawa's Awards Chair, noted, "In addition to Tom Henighan's many artistic endeavours, the Selection committee found Tom's mentorship and nurturing of emerging literary talent especially notable. Tom's colleagues and students have described him as inspiring, eloquent, dedicated and generous. His influence on the local and national literary community continues to have an impact."

Tom Henighan's achievements have included authoring 15 books including fiction for adults and youth, poetry, short stories and literary and cultural studies. His most recent book, Viking Terror, was short-listed for the 2007 Ottawa Book Award for Fiction. He served as Associate Editor of Ottawa Revue and was one of the founders of Arc Poetry Magazine, which is now in its twenty-seventh year. He has written three thought provoking studies of Canadian culture, The Presumption of Culture (1996), Ideas of the North: a Guide to Canadian Arts and Culture (1997) and The MacLean's Companion to Canadian Arts and Culture (2000). He has acted as a cultural consultant at the municipal, provincial and national levels. His work as an educator has spanned 40 years at Carleton University and included the introduction of ground-breaking academic courses. He was a pioneer in the medium of television education. In 1976 he presented a "University of the Air" series on science fiction and in 1981 he conceived, wrote and hosted a 48 program series "Brave New Universe". In 2005 Mr. Henighan established Stoneflower Press, which provides publishing opportunities for writers. He continues to guide and mentor students of all ages including visits to schools and making presentations to students in Grades Four, Five and Six.