Arts Awards Short List

Ardyth Brott, CM

Ardyth Brott is co-founder and Executive Director of the Brott Music Festival, National Academy Orchestra of Canada and BrottOpera. An author and lawyer, she is a visionary leader in Canadian classical music, and champions emerging artists, music education in schools, inclusivity, and innovative programming—most recently commissioning groundbreaking operas featuring all-Indigenous and Black-led creative teams.

Gary Smith

Hamilton native. 83 years young. Arts lover. Director, choreographer, critic, author, teacher, dramaturge. Media supporter of local and international Hamilton born artists. Raised focus for the arts in the Hamilton Spectator and a variety of international publications for 50 years. Directed 75 Hamilton productions, some by local playwrights.

John Terpstra

Over the past 45 years, John Terpstra has published 14 books of poetry, 6 works of creative non-fiction, and numerous chapbooks. He has won and been short-listed for a variety of national awards, including the Governor General’s Award for Poetry and the Charles Taylor Literary Non-Fiction Prize. He has won a number of Hamilton Arts Literary Awards in both categories, and in 2016 was given the City of Hamilton Writing Award. His most recent book, A Carpentry of Words and Wood, chronicles his life in writing and woodworking.

Lyla Miklos

Lyla Miklos is a broadcast journalist, community organizer, education worker, publicist, vocalist and writer. Lyla’s queer, feminist, sex positive, social justice activism informs her work. Lyla uses her powerful voice, evocative language, creative talents and organizational skills to connect communities, educate citizens, celebrate artists and liberate humanity.

Tom Beckett

A life-long supporter of Canadian artists and early champion of Indigenous art, Tom Beckett is the third-generation director of Beckett art galleries and studios in Hamilton. A formal art education at Christie’s in England led to establishing galleries across the country before bringing his experience back to where it started – Hamilton.

Adrien Crossman

Adrien Crossman is a queer and non-binary artist, educator, and curator. They co-founded and co-run the online arts publication off centre, and act as director of Orchid Contemporary, an independent gallery they run out of the garage in their backyard. Crossman is an Assistant Professor in the School of the Arts at McMaster University.

Alfie Smith

"Hamilton is blessed with a wealth of great blues guitarists. None is better than Alfie Smith when it comes to the acoustic slide and he's got a voice to match."

- Graham Rockingham, The Spec

Ardyn Gibbs

Ardyn Gibbs (they/them) is a queer and trans settler-Indigenous (Mohawk) digital new media artist, designer, and arts worker. Grounded in queer futurity, their work prioritizes feeling and desire while exploring the affective qualities of queerness and spatial relationships. They are passionate about dreaming, place-keeping, and fostering meaningful relationships.

Casa Studio

Casa Studio, a Hamilton-based small-batch ceramics studio, led by painter Jasmine Cardenas and potter Colin Mummery. Their practice is grounded in experimentation and a deep exploration of the materiality of clay. Defined by a tactile approach to collaging with clay, they are committed to blending art with functionality.

Clarence A. Porter

As an artist, my role involves capturing and conveying the essence of my personal visual and emotional experiences through art, taking moments that resonate deeply with me - whether they are fleeting glimpses of beauty or profound contrasts - and translate them into visual forms using the vibrant colors of soft pastels.

Danielle Hitchcock

With 20 years experience in branding, wayfinding/signage and web design - Danielle is a truly multidisciplinary graphic designer. She holds a Bachelor of Design from York University/Sheridan College and she believes great design lives in the nuances. Her passion about effective visual communication leads her practice and her life.

David Hudson

David Hudson (he/him) is a choreographer, educator, and Executive Director of Hamilton Arts Council. With over 20 years in dance and arts leadership, he champions inclusive engagement and the power of the arts to transform communities. David lives in downtown Hamilton with his husband and their two dogs.

David Trautrimas

David Trautrimas explores contemporary cultural phenomena in a multi-media practice encompassing sculpture, installation, photo based processes, digital imaging and printmaking. Oscillating between abstracted and representational renderings, his works have examined those popular icons, ordinary objects and architectural spaces that influence and inform everyday life.

Deborah Sloboda

Dr. Deb Sloboda is a Professor and reproductive biologist at McMaster University. She holds a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Early Origins of Health and Disease. Her work investigates early life impacts on fetal and placental development. She also engages with expectant parents and services that support pregnant women and people, advocating for a healthy start to life.

Delio E. Delgado

Delio Delgado is an established Canadian-Dominican artist based out of Hamilton. Between 1997 and 2023 Delgado has exhibited in public and alternative spaces in The Caribbean, Europe, USA and Canada, including: Houston Museum of African American Cultures, The Ulrich Museum Of Art, The civil Museum of The City of Cremona, The Art Gallery of Peterborough, The Print Biennial in Varna, The Biennial of Dominican Republic, The Havana Biennial, and recently at YouMe Gallery, as well as Carnegie Gallery in Hamilton.

Eli Nolet

Eli Nolet (they/them) is a queer trans settler-Indigenous artist and arts worker from Hamilton, ON. Their work explores how technology, DIY publishing, collaboration, and material affect can function as vessels for queer potentiality. Across their practice, Nolet is interested in questioning the binaries of visibility, legibility, and normativity.

Emma Rush

Emma Rush is “widely regarded as one of Canada’s premier classical guitarists” (Vivascene Magazine) and her career has commanded worldwide recognition through performances in Europe, China, Mexico, the USA, and across Canada. She has released five solo albums and her work has been heard on CBC, NPR, and Radio France.

Hexe Noire

Hexe Noire, fierce Mother of Haus of Noire, serves drag that’s dripping in queer pop culture refernces and heart. A dazzling queer mama of four, she brings sparkle to storytimes and camp to the nightlife stage. Her performances radiate pride, joy, and a deep love for community, glitter, and liberation.

Kaime Sherman

Kaime Sherman is a visionary arts educator, founder of the Academy of Imagination & Dramatic Arts | AiDa, and a passionate advocate for accessible, transformative arts education. She empowers all ages through drama, improv, and the art of expressive speaking for success. Her innovative programs inspire creativity, confidence, and connection. She believes the arts uplift the human spirit.

Kamaldeep Kaur

Kamaldeep Kaur, an India-born, Canada-based artist and art instructor, blends traditional techniques with contemporary themes. Working with gouache and natural pigments on Wasli paper, she explores identity and emotion. With 40+ exhibitions across India, Canada, Germany, and the U.S., her work is supported by Ontario Arts Council grants and celebrated internationally.

Kiera Boult

Kiera Boult is an interdisciplinary artist and performer; her practice utilizes camp and comedy to skeptically address issues that surround the role and/or identity of the artist and the institution. She holds a BFA in Criticism and Curatorial Practice from OCAD University and is Vtape’s Manager of Outreach & Public Programming.

Lester Coloma

Lester Coloma is a Hamilton-born artist and mural painter of Filipino heritage, known for dynamic large-scale works that celebrate history, culture, and community. Blending realism with storytelling, his murals bring public spaces to life across the city, connecting people through vibrant visuals and narratives rooted in local and cultural heritage.

Marta Hewson

Marta Hewson is a Hamilton-based Fashion, Portrait, and Fine Art Photographer who brings a fashion-inspired approach to every shoot through lighting, styling, and posing. Her sessions are designed to be a confidence-building and uplifting experience, where every client leaves feeling empowered, celebrated, and like they just stepped out of a magazine. 

Luckystickz

Luckystickz is a Canadian recording and steelpan artist whose work bridges Caribbean rhythms with soulful storytelling. A Berklee graduate and cultural leader, he uses music to inspire, educate, and uplift youth through his foundation, redefining how art empowers communities locally and globally.

Myke Hutchings

Musician, clown, storyteller Myke Hutchings provides musical and comedic diversions that deliver entertainment, engagement, education and enrichment. Myke uses music, play and humour to connect with Hamiltonians of all ages.

Priyanka Tope

Priyanka is an emerging Kathak dancer, choreographer, vocalist, and educator based in Waterdown. Her work is deeply inspired by both her local community and global events, blending tradition with contemporary relevance. Through performance and teaching, she strives to create meaningful connections and spark dialogue through the classical art of Kathak.

Radha S. Menon

Stateless in the UK until age seventeen, activist and multi-disciplinary artist Radha S. Menon emigrated to Regina, Saskatchewan in 1995 where her performance career abruptly ended, and her writing career began. Her plays have been produced at theatre festivals in Canada, the US, UK and India. Menon founded Red Beti Theatre in Hamilton in 2011.

Rollie Pemberton

Rollie Pemberton is a Hamilton-based musician and author. He has released six albums as Cadence Weapon, three of which were shortlist nominees for the Polaris Music Prize. He won the award for his album Parallel World in 2021. Pemberton served as Poet Laureate of Edmonton from 2009 to 2011.

Same Boat Theatre

Same Boat Theatre is dedicated to telling authentic and provocative stories that challenge the heart and confront the mind. With a focus on new and established plays, we strive for compelling theatre that speaks to our community.

Sonali Menezes

Sonali Menezes (she/her) is a Hamilton-based artist and writer. Her zines live in zine libraries worldwide. Her work has been exhibited at Tangled Art Gallery, Xpace Cultural Centre, Martha Street Studio, and the Art Gallery of Hamilton. Her first book, Depression Cooking is forthcoming with ECW Press in 2026.

Tania LaCaria

Tania LaCaria is an Italian-Canadian artist with a BA in Fine Arts (York, 2006) and CIDA diploma in Interior Design (Sheridan, 2009). Her work explores paradox - how opposing truths coexist - through themes in gender, social structure, body politics and women’s issues. LaCaria also mentors creatives, helping them find their voice and overcome artistic blocks.

Tanis Sydney Macarthur

Tanis Sydney MacArthur has been a costumier for performing artists for 30 years. She is also an interpretive dance artist, choreographer, aerialist, stilt walker, prop maker and creature designer. In collaboration with Cobalt Connects, she created The Arctic Fox, Inspired by Icebergs, Fly South and Ooona the Octonaut, large-scale inflatable sculptures.

Dayna Gedney

Dayna Gedney is the founder and operator of Hamilton Craft Studios, a women-led creative hub supporting artists through access to professional tools, space, and opportunity. Her volunteer-driven leadership has fostered an inclusive, collaborative community and helped launch the careers of emerging makers across Hamilton’s growing creative economy.

Karen Logan

Karen Logan, a dedicated visual artist, believes in giving back to the arts community, embodying the principle “you get what you give.” For over 20 years, she has supported fellow artists by serving as President, Treasurer, and Newsletter Editor in various organizations, fostering creativity and encouragement throughout their artistic journeys.

Linda Fraser

Linda promotes the Hamilton music scene through marketing, fundraising, event planning, and more through Hamilton Blues Lovers, Escarpment Blues Society, Creative Arts, Hamilton Musicians' Guild, Carnegie Gallery, and Grand River Blues Society. She created and produces Cable 14’s Ensemble!, showcasing area music to a wider community.

Lisa La Rocca

Lisa La Rocca is the Chair of the Hamilton Music Advisory Team and Co-chair of the new Women in Music Hamilton/Halton chapter. Lisa also serves as a volunteer board member on the Downtown Hamilton BIA, Hamilton-Halton-Brant Regional Tourism Association, and as an active member of Hamilton’s arts community.

MaryAnn Demsar and Sandi Richardson

Sandi Richardson having a career in television and film production and MaryAnn Demsar retired HWCDSB drama teacher were fundraising council members at the St Thomas Aquinas Centre for the Arts of which their children attended. When the Centre was being closed Sandi and Mary Ann cofounded the St Thomas Aquinas Scholarship. For thirty-one years this annual award was given to a HWCDSB graduating student who was furthering their education in the Arts or an Arts apprenticeship program.

Nancy Cabral-Leverton

Curating and volunteering in the art world allows me to be part of the creative process, even though I’m not an artist. My contributions, along with the transferable skills from my corporate career, have made a lasting impact. Not only is this work personally fulfilling, but an incredible opportunity to connect with creative minds, learn about the behind-the-scenes workings of galleries, art organizations, artists and continue to sharpen my artistic skills. Through these ongoing experiences, I have now found my new focus!

Rachel Conduit

Rachel is dedicated to creating meaningful spaces where people connect through art, music, and community. She operates B-SIDE, a free-to-use art gallery and music venue, runs two bars, a restaurant, and two artist studio spaces—each reflecting her passion for accessibility, creativity, and fostering vibrant cultural experiences.

Smokestack

Smokestack is a leading producer & presenter of limited-edition prints. Based in the creative hub of The Cotton Factory, the bridged operations between Smokestack’s Studios and Gallery are grounded in the support of Canadian artists working in print-based media, and encouragement of community engagement with printmaking as a unique fine-art discipline.

Steven Hilliard

A queer community curator and organizer of 2SLGBTQIA+ events and happenings in Hamilton, Steven is both halves of the House of Adam and Steve. His passion to foster community and carve out safer spaces stems from a passion for giving queer artists a stage and making the world brighter and more queer place.