Digital Innovations: EQ Bank's Emerging Digital Artists Award
We’re all familiar with the effects of the digital age: with the emergence of social platforms designed for the circulation of images, everyone fancies themselves a photographer, a curator, a journalist. It is in this setting that digital art emerged, as a response to the increased accessibility and information-sharing the internet gives us. Similar to how technological development has impacted the way we pay bills, read the news, and connect with friends, it has impacted the way art finds its way into our culture. Instead of holding an exhibition in a gallery, collect images on Tumblr. Rather than performing on stage, host a Twitter play or create a character on Instagram. And the internet isn’t the only site for digital innovation in art. Programs designed for photo and video editing, animation, and sound recording allow artists to expand their practices offline, too.
Given the increased accessibility and affordability of their work, digital artists found themselves in a funding gap, waiting for both public and private funding bodies to catch up to the rapid rise of online and screen-based art practices. The team at EQ Bank is no stranger to creative digital solutions, and before the brand had launched, there was already a desire to find ways of supporting digital innovation beyond the bank. The changes that have come along with digital platforms and technologies resonate across sectors, and are hardly limited to the death of the cheque. How could we use our explorations and experiences in fintech to assist the growth of digital art, a sister phenomenon of networked culture? Thus the idea for the Emerging Digital Artists Award was born: a program dedicated to celebrating digital artists across Canada, who had forgone brush and canvas for twenty-first century tools.
Founded by Equitable Bank in 2015 with the support of CEO Andrew Moor, the Emerging Digital Artists Award is a creative complement to EQ Bank and a testament to our ongoing commitment to supporting creativity in the digital space. Moor envisioned a project that would bring art into the fold of our company’s current conversations about the digital revolution, and create opportunities for those working in the business sector to engage with diverse aspects of digital culture. In our third year of offering this award, we’ve seen a fantastic range of emergent digital art practices in Canada and have recognized fifteen exemplary finalists hailing from Winnipeg, Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area, Montreal, and Halifax. To all our other creative Canadian cities, heads up—we’re looking to you for next year’s winner.
The winner of the third annual EDAA, Fanny Huard, was announced on October 5, 2017. Her winning artwork AEIUO, along with the works of the four award finalists, will be on display at Trinity Square Video, Toronto, ON, until October 12. http://www.trinitysquarevideo.com/
If you'd like to know more about the EDAA, you can visit our website, follow us on Twitter @edaa_eqb, or send a line to edaa@eqbank.ca.
