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Thea Koerner
The Leon and Thea Koerner Foundation provides funding to students from British Columbia who wish to study in the arts at a pre–professional level.
Since 1955 over eight hundred students have received funding for pre–professional studies in such disciplines as ballet, music, conducting, dramaturge, modern dance, creative writing, fine arts, and theatre.
Students from British Columbia who wish to attend any recognized institution in their field of study anywhere in the world are eligible for funding consideration through The Leon and Thea Koerner Award in the Fine and Performing Arts.
In May 2008 the Board of Governors established The John Koerner Award in the Fine and Performing Arts. This special award within the category of The Leon and Thea Koerner Award in the Fine and Performing Arts was created in honour of John Koerner, a nephew of Leon Koerner and former Governor of the Foundation.
John Koerner, one of Canada's well known and long standing artists, came to Vancouver from Prague as a young man with his parents and brother in 1939. Leon (the younger brother of his father, Theodore) and Thea had recently settled here. Since that time, he has represented the artistic expression of the Koerner family appreciation of the Canadian welcome to the world. His immediate affinity for the landscape of the west coast and his positive, peaceful approach to the human condition have led to a vast body of work, shown around the world. John Koerner has expressed the tradition of philanthropy of the Koerner family by giving many of his works to institutions of healing and solace.