– -Jatin Naik

Mississauga’s very own MARTY Awards was celebrated late last month on Thursday May 23. Leading artists from diverse fields were honoured at the 2019 MARTY awards ceremony hosted by the Mississauga Arts Council (MAC). The awards were presented at the Mississauga Convention Centre to a house full of attendees. This year, the MAC celebrated the 25^th anniversary of the MARTY Awards. A large number of nominated artists, who are chosen based on criteria demonstrating excellence in their work,  walked the red carpet.

Artists, including nominees and their family members and friends were present, as well as prominent Mississauga politicians, celebrities  and business leaders. We also saw arts patrons, volunteers, and so many engaged art lovers in the community. The cocktail area, as always, was very lively and our emerging artists loved to meet the movers and shakers in the city, including media personnel.

The Mississauga Arts Council (MAC) established in 1981 by City Resolution, is a non-profit registered charity governed by a Board of Directors. Their mission is to foster, develop, support and champion a vibrant, dynamic arts community in Mississauga. The MAC is instrumental in advocating for the building of Arts spaces including Meadowvale Theatre, the Art Gallery of Mississauga and the Living Arts Centre. The MAC regularly hosts and promotes events each year to create a vibrant arts and culture community in the city. The MARTYS is also known as the Mississauga Arts Awards, an awards ceremony that has been recognizing excellence in the field of arts, in the city of Mississauga, since the past 25 years.

The  following winners during the ceremony in the below mentioned categories:

Festival of the Year – Bollywood Monster Mashup

Lifetime Achievement – Lata Pada
Hazel McCallion Volunteer of the Year – Michael Buchert
Laurie Pallett Patron of the Arts – Heather Snell
Emerging Visual Arts – Katherine A. Laird
Established Visual Arts – Hans

Emerging Music – Instrumental – Julijana Hajdinjak
Established Music – Instrumental – Ross MacIntyre

Emerging Music Vocalist – Jacelyn Holmes
Established Music Vocalist – Arlene

Emerging Music Group – Uforia
Established Music Group – The Dreamboats

Emerging Digital Arts – Alexander Desouza
Established Digital Arts – Shazia Javed
Emerging Literary Arts – Paul Edward Costa
Established Literary Arts – Keith Garebian

Established Theatre Arts – Calliope Sound Productions
Established Dance – Suma Nair
Emerging Fashion and Beauty – Adrian Arnieri
Established Fashion and Beauty – Rashi Bindra