Kent Monkman
Artistic Achievement Award
Visual Artist
Toronto, Ontario
Visual artist Kent Monkman speaks about his work in a short by David Hartman.
Highlights from the nomination statement
Nominator: Naomi Johnson, Executive Director, imagineNATIVE
“Kent has inspired generations of artists and challenged larger Canadian conceptions of its history and its relations to Indigenous people.”
Collection of the Denver Art Museum.
Image courtesy of the artist.
“We are lucky to inhabit this earth at a time of certain great artists - who inspire and challenge our conceptions of what art can do. I strongly feel that Kent should be acknowledged as one of these “greats” [and] I feel fortunate to have witnessed the career and talents of Kent Monkman[.]”
Kent Monkman, Study For Artist and Model, 2003, acrylic on canvas, 50.8 cm. x 60.96 cm.
Collection of Kent Monkman.
Image courtesy of the artist.
“[He has showed the] consistent care, dignity, and respect he has for the subject matter he explores but more importantly for the Indigenous people whose stories he is putting forth.”
Follow the winner
See the artist’s works that are part of the Canada Council Art Bank collection.
Discover the 2025 Winners
View video portraits of the artists, images of their artwork, and find out why they were nominated.
Do you know someone who deserves a GGArts award?
The next deadline for nomination is October 5, 2025.
For more information, view the guidelines.