VIBC founder wins prestigious arts award

published by asingh on Thu, 10/04/2012 - 12:34

The founder of the Vancouver International Bhangra Celebration (VIBC), Mo Dhaliwal, has been awarded the prestigious 2012 The Arnold Edinborough Award.

Dhaliwal, originally from Abbotsford, was nominated by the Museum of Vancouver for his tireless work with VIBC and the curation of the Bhangra.me exhibit.

He will be honoured at the Business for the Arts Awards Gala on October 4, 2012 in Toronto.

"Eight years ago I founded the Vancouver International Bhangra Celebration Society (VIBC) as a means to build community and bridge gaps between people," said Dhaliwal.

"We embarked on an especially ambitious project two years ago, when we decided to tell the very special story of Bhangra in Vancouver over the past 40 years. This resulted in an exhibition produced by the Museum of Vancouver called "bhangra.me" that was mounted in May of 2011 and ran for 6 months."

The Arnold Edinburgh Award is a unique distinction that annually rewards a Business Professional in Canada that goes above and beyond in their volunteerism and commitment to the arts.

Dhaliwal who is well known in the South Asian and BC arts community, also hosts a monthly bhangra night called High Society in downtown Vancouver.

For more on the award go to www.businessforthearts.org.