Mike W. Bryant
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Jun 21/00) - This year's winner of the Don Cardinal Bursary award has been chosen.

Seth Lippert, a Sir John Franklin high school graduate, was chosen as the winner for a $1,000 art scholarship, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Yellowknife.

The Rotary Club has been actively involved with awarding local art scholarships since 1996. The award is named to honour Don Cardinal, a Northern artist who died in 1992.

A trust fund was established in his name, and contributed to by other famous Northern artists, such as Bern Will Brown and Gabe Gely.

Interest from the trust fund is used to pay the scholarship.

"The Rotary Club has an ongoing commitment to the community, particularly to the youth, and for the individual, this award gives them some recognition among the art community and some assistance to furthering their education," said Peter Allen, a member of the Rotary as well as a judge for the this year's award.

Candidates for this year's award, including Lippert, were Luke Marshall, Loni Weselowski, Georgina Johnston and Moses Hernandez -- all recent graduates from Sir John Franklin and St. Patrick high schools.

Runners-up for the award will each receive an artist's portfolio case.

According to Betty Wilcox, a Sir John art teacher and organizer of the competition, the scholarship often proves to be a much-appreciated bonus for the successful candidate going on to post-secondary education. "Art is one of the most expensive programs at the post-secondary level," Wilcox said.

"Most students are shocked when they reach that level, because at school most of the art supplies are paid for by the school. But at the post-secondary level, nothing is supplied for them."

When reached for comment, Lippert said that he was pleasantly surprised the award was given to him, noting the competition that he faced.

"I was really surprised when I found out today (June 12)," Lippert said.

"The competition was really close. There was some other people who should have got it too. I am very happy with it."

Lippert's central piece was a drawing, depicting an orange transforming into a glass of orange juice and a cow's skin that comes and turns into a vest.