October 11, 2005 Source: Carleton University:
http://www.carleton.ca/duc/News/news10110501.html Carleton Student Katie Cholette Wins Prestigious Award From National Gallery Katie Cholette, a doctoral student in Canadian Studies at Carleton University, has won a $12,000 Research Fellowship from the National Gallery of Canada. The award encourages and supports advanced research, with emphasis on the investigation and use of the Gallery’s collections. "I am excited and honoured to receive this award," says Cholette, whose research will examine the relationship of the National Gallery of Canada with two Canadian artists, Greg Curnoe and Jack Chambers. While researching Curnoe’s work for her Master’s thesis, she learned that Curnoe and Chambers were friends and part of a dynamic circle of artists in London, Ontario during the 1960s and 1970s. " I decided to expand my work to include Chambers," says Cholette. "They were both active advocates of the rights of artists in Canada at a time when there was vigorous debate about the role of contemporary artists and how they could or should contribute to the promotion of a national cultural identity." Cholette received the University Medal in Arts when she graduated with a B.A. in Art History from Carleton in 1999. As part of her master’s degree in Canadian Art History also at Carleton, she co-curated an exhibition at the Carleton University Art Gallery on the works of Canadian artist Carl Beam. "Working in the Gallery was extremely helpful as it has an extensive collection of contemporary Canadian art, which is my field of specialization." Since its opening in 1992, CUAG has scheduled an average of 15-16 exhibitions annually, has published 40 exhibition catalogues, and has built a rich, permanent collection. "I then decided to pursue my Ph.D. in Canadian Studies and again chose Carleton’s joint interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in Canadian Studies because it was the first doctoral program of its kind in Canada and allowed me to combine my interest in contemporary Canadian art with broader political and social issues," says Cholette. "I really want to thank Brian McKillop, Michael Bell, and Roger Mesley from Carleton who wrote letters of support for my fellowship application." -30-
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