Laura Power
Northern News Services
Friday, June 15, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - After a close contest between three young artists for the Rotary Arts Scholarship, it was announced June 4 that two of the young women would share the $1,000 prize.

The two winners, Joanna LePrieur and Cara Van Tighem, happen to be good friends who plan to attend the same school - Alberta College of Art and Design - in the fall. The judges decided that though their work is very different, they are equally talented.

But that's not to say Kimberly Legler, the runner-up for the prize, did not impress the judges. Because Legler plans to spend the next year working and producing art, and will not be enrolling in post-secondary school, she was not eligible to win the scholarship.

Lisa Seagrave of the Gallery of the Midnight Sun, one of the judges for the scholarship, said Legler was impressive.

"We often come down just to the wire over who we're going to give it to because it's a tough decision," she said.

Seagrave has been involved in the judging process for this scholarship for many years and said it often comes down to other areas such as community involvement.

LePrieur sees it as a good thing that she will be splitting the award with her friend.

"It's good 'cause we're both going to the same school, so it's nice that we get to share it," she said.

Legler has her eyes on Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design in Vancouver for the future, but will spend the next year in Yellowknife working on her art. She said she will take a class in drawing with artist Terry Pamplin and will have a few exhibits on display at Squatterz Books and Curiosities in Old Town.

Though she didn't get the scholarship, Legler shared a couple of other awards. She and LePrieur were both winners of the Art 30 class award, and she shared the Nahji art award with both LePrieur and Van Tighem.

She said she would have liked to have been recognized for something on her own, "but I was happy with what I got."

Each of the artists left an impression on Seagrave, who said "we were very impressed with all three of them and they all presented themselves very well."