Five artists awarded national Rewilding Arts Prize on World Art Day
Press Release
April 15, 2026, TORONTO — On World Art Day, five Canadian artists are being recognized for work that reimagines our relationship with the natural world, when that world is increasingly at risk.
The David Suzuki Foundation and jury selected the 2026 Rewilding Arts Prize winners from more than 650 submissions throughout the country, and a shortlist of 20 finalists. The artists work across disciplines including sculpture, installation, digital media, performance and community-based practice.
“Data can tell us what’s happening, but art makes us care,” said Jode Roberts, manager of the David Suzuki Foundation’s Rewilding Communities program. “These artists are reshaping how we relate to the living world, and creating work that is profoundly beautiful and compelling.”
The 2026 Rewilding Arts Prize winners are:
- Carrie Allison (Dartmouth, N.S.)
A nêhiýaw/Cree and Métis artist whose beadwork and sculptural practice examines land, labour and colonial histories,reclaiming ancestry while examining lawns and crops as tools of colonial control. - Nevada Lynn (Whistler, B.C.)
An interdisciplinary Métis artist whose work explores buffalo repatriation and Indigenous resurgence, using materials like beeswax and reclaimed skulls to connect cultural and ecological restoration. - Nicole McDonald-Fournier (Montreal, Que.)
An agro-ecological artist whose urban rewilding practice centres plant autonomy, using performance and installation to question human control over ecosystems. - Masumi Rodriguez and Elena Kirby (Montreal/Toronto)
A collaborative duo working with invasive plant species through fibre-based installations and community workshops, exploring stewardship and the politics of “invasivity.” - Xiaojing Yan (Markham, Ont.)
A Chinese-Canadian artist creating living sculptures using fungi, native plants and organic materials, her installations explore diasporic identity and ecological relationships between human and non-human worlds.
The national jury of eight Canadian artists were all recipients of the inaugural Rewilding Arts Prize.
“It was an honour to be introduced to so many artists responding to what’s actually happening on the land right now,” said Hashveenah Manoharan. “Their work pushes us to think about what’s coming, and how we can live better alongside other species.”
To learn more about the winners and their work, visit: https://davidsuzuki.org/artsprize
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For more information, please contact:
Stefanie Carmichael, David Suzuki Foundation: scarmichael@davidsuzuki.org, 437-221-4692
About the David Suzuki Foundation: The David Suzuki Foundation (davidsuzuki.org) is a leading Canadian environmental non-profit organization. The Foundation has offices in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal.
About the Rewilding Arts Prize: The Rewilding Arts Prize (davidsuzuki.org/artprize) is an initiative of the David Suzuki Foundation, in partnership with Rewilding Magazine, that showcases artists whose work helps reimagine and restore relationships between people and the living world. By supporting artists working at the intersection of art, ecology and culture, the prize aims to deepen conversations about care, stewardship and ecological renewal.
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