Current students and alumni from York University’s School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design (AMPD) were among this year’s winners at the 2026 Toronto Arts Awards.
The awards were presented at the Mayor’s Arts Lunch on April 28, hosted by Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow. Presented annually by the Toronto Arts Foundation, the awards recognize artists, cultural leaders and organizations whose work contributes to the city’s arts and culture sector.
This year, AMPD alumni and students were nominated across multiple categories, with work spanning visual art, music and community-focused projects. Their work reflects a strong connection to Toronto’s arts community, with a focus on collaboration and public engagement.
Congratulations to the following AMPD award recipients:
Breakthrough Artist Award
Vladimir Kanic
(MFA ’25, Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, current PhD student in Biodigital Media and AMPD instructor in Creative Technologies)
The Breakthrough Artist Award recognizes emerging artists making a significant impact with bold, innovative work early in their careers.
Vladimir Kanic is a transmedia artist creating living algae sculptures that transform spectators’ breath and carbon emissions into oxygen, confronting climate crisis impacts. Informed by maritime heritage and ocean freediving experience, he treats breath as method and material, envisioning symbiotic futures through interspecies collaboration, ecological care, and embodied environmental awareness.
Community Arts Award
Beny Esguerra
PhD candidate, Musicology and Ethnomusicology
The Community Arts Award recognizes artists and organizers who use art to engage communities, foster inclusion and drive social change.
Beny Esguerra is a two-time JUNO-nominated artist, composer, and educator known for blending Afro-Indigenous Colombian traditions with contemporary urban music. As leader of New Tradition Music and director of Wheel It Studios, he champions community-engaged arts in Toronto, mentoring emerging artists while creating nationally recognized, socially conscious work.
The following AMPD alumni were also recognized as finalists:
Jon Catanus (BFA ’18)
Breakthrough Artist Award finalist (Jazz category)
Jen D. Fabico-Smith (BFA ’07)
Community Arts Award finalist
Elham Fatapour (MFA ’21)
Breakthrough Artist Award finalist
This year’s recipients join an impressive group of AMPD alumni who are past Toronto Arts Award winners, including alumnus Justin Gray (MA ‘14), recipient of the 2015 Breakthrough Jazz Artist Award, who recently became the first Canadian to win a Grammy for Best Immersive Audio Album.
Congratulations to all AMPD alumni and students who were recognized this year for their impact across Toronto’s arts community.
To learn more about the Toronto Arts Awards and this year’s recipients, visit the Toronto Arts Foundation website.
Cover photo (left to right): Vladimir Kanic, Jen D. Fabico-Smith, Beny Esguerra