The winners of the sixth annual Nooks & Crannies Festival of Recycled Art have been announced, showcasing the creativity and environmental awareness of local artists who have transformed the downtown core of Okotoks. This year’s top honours go to Juliana Freund, who claimed first place for her piece Hero of Recycling, displayed at On Tap (Location 9). Jennifer Stables earned second place with The Rambling Recyclers at Stockton Garden (Location 11), while Lisa Schwartz secured third place with her Fabric Lion Mosaic at A Very Delightful Boutique (Location 6).
The jury, consisting of Okotoks Mayor Tanya Thorn; Dawn LeMaistre, Executive Director of the Okotoks Chamber of Commerce; Stephen Strand, artist and journalist with Okotoks Online; and Allan Boss, Culture & Heritage Services Team Lead, evaluated each entry based on technical execution, creative use of materials, environmental messaging, and effective integration with the nook or cranny location.
“It was great to hear the judges’ thoughts on each piece. Their diverse interests and backgrounds sparked some great conversations about the installations,” said Allan Boss. But with all the impressive work on display, choosing the winners was no easy task.
In addition to the top three, Honourable Mentions were awarded to:
- Dena Kubota for Advice from a Caterpillar at Location 14, Old Church Theatre.
- Gordon Mackey for Cardboard Bear at Location 3, CIR Realty.
- Camille Betts for Hanging Fish at Location 1, Okotoks Art Gallery.
As part of the public art program, all 17 artists were awarded a fee for their participation, with the top three also receiving prize money.
There is still time to explore these remarkable recycled art installations before the festival wraps up on August 24. Congratulations to all the winners and participants for making this year’s Nooks & Crannies Festival another success. For more details and to explore the winning installations, visit our Nooks and Crannies Page.