Persona

Tascona, Tony

Tony Tascona was born in St. Boniface, Manitoba in 1926. He attended the Winnipeg School of Art and the University of Manitoba School of Fine Arts between 1948 and 1952. He worked as a electroplating technician between 1953 and 1971. This position provided him with a knowledge of metallurgy and its related technologies that he subsequently put to use in his sculptures. In 1971 he left this position to devote himself to his art. Single-artist shows include those at the Winnipeg Art Gallery, Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Frederickton, N.B., and La Galerie Internationale, Ribe, Denmark. He has participated in numerous group exhibitions as well. Tascona has won major awards for his artwork, finishing first and second many times in Winnipeg shows and other local exhibitions. In 1970 he received citations from the Royal Canadian Academy, the Royal Architectural institute of Canada and the Italian Academy of Arts and Works. He also received an honorary degree from St. John's College of the University in 1994. In addition to his art work, Tascona has been very involved in the arts. He was prairie region Vice-President of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (1979-1981), served on the Board of the Winnipeg Art Gallery (1975-1976), and was involved in the Canadian Conference of the Arts (1990-1993). He is married to Doreen Millen and currently resides in Winnipeg.