Joan Chalmers Explained
| Margaret Joan Chalmers |
| Birth Date: | 30 May 1928 |
| Birth Place: | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Death Place: | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Awards: | Order of Canada
Order of Ontario |
Margaret Joan Chalmers, (May 30, 1928 - December 2, 2016) was a Canadian philanthropist and supporter of the arts.
Born in Toronto, Ontario,[1] she and her parents, Floyd and Jean Chalmers, founded the annual Chalmers Awards in 1972, which donates $25,000 CAD to artists in dance, theatre, crafts, film, the visual arts and music.
She was involved with the travelling exhibit, Survivors in Search of a Voice: The Art of Courage, which as a collaboration among 24 prominent Canadian women artists and over 100 breast cancer survivors.
While celebrating her 70th birthday in 1998, she announced that she would provide 20 arts groups with a total of $1 million in funding.[2]
Chalmers was the partner of former singer-songwriter Barbra Amesbury.
She died on December 2, 2016, in Toronto, from injuries suffered in a fall.[3]
Honours
- In 1985 Ms Chalmers received the Diplôme d'Honneur from the Canadian Conference of the Arts
- In 1987 she was made a Member of the Order of Canada.
- In 1987 she was awarded a Doctor of Fine Arts, honoris causa from NSCAD University.
- In 1992 she was promoted to Officer of the Order of Canada.
- In 1993 she received the Ramon John Hnatyshyn (RJH) Award for Voluntarism in the Performing Arts.
- In 1994 she was awarded the Order of Ontario.
- In 1994 she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Law from the University of Waterloo.
- In 1997 she was promoted to Companion of the Order of Canada.
- In 2001 she received the Governor General's Award for Visual and Media Arts in the Outstanding Contribution category.
Notes and References
- Birth Notices, The Globe and Mail, 31 May 1928, page 12
- http://www.arts.on.ca/English/Winners-of-the-1998-Chalmers-Awards-Are-Announced-and-Joan-Chalmers-Gives-Away-Extra-Million.html Ontario Arts Council press release, 25 May 1998
- News: Joan Chalmers turned philanthropy into activism. Martin Morrow. The Globe and Mail . 16 December 2016 .
