Just what we need - another $50,000 art prize

Howdy!

If you remember, on the 19th of January the first Hnatyshyn Foundation Visual Arts Award was awarded. If I look closely, it got written about in two newspapers. Well now the Art Gallery of Ontario was able to convince Aeroplan that there should be another $50,000 award. On top of it, it ain't even a Canadian award, their line is 'five Canadian and international artists each year.'

From what I've heard, it costs about $200,000 to give away $50,000. And even then that doesn't guarantee that the prize gets noticed. This explosion in prizes ain't going to do a darn thing for 'art in Canada,' although I betcha dollars to doughnuts that the jury and the winner make out like bandits this spring.