Orillia Region Arts and Heritage Awards Night Is Wednesday
By John Swartz
Wednesday evening, November 27, Orillia’s arts community celebrates its own with the Orillia Region Arts and Heritage Awards. There are 17 nominees in five categories and at 7 p.m. the recipients will start to be announced (schmoozing is at 6 p.m.) at Creative Nomad Studios.
The awards are presented by North Simcoe Arts (formerly ODAC) and the Orillia Museum of Art and History and are free to attend.
The nominees in each category include:
Education in the Arts, Culture, and Heritage Award
Patrick Gowan is a recently retired music teacher from Notre Dame Catholic School.
Sukhi Kaur is the manager of North Simcoe Arts Hearts program (Helping the Elderly with ARTS).
Amanda Marino is a development officer at the Leacock Museum and created the Decoding Anne Lister and A Leacock Love Story exhibit.
Christina Bosco is a music teacher at Twin Lakes Secondary School.
Event in Arts, Culture, and Heritage Award
The International Women’s Day Art Show committee has organized the annual exhibit for 27 years.
Deb Shelswell, Mary Ann Tully, Shannon Hawke, Juliana Hawke
Lake Country Pride and the Mariposa Arts Theatre have worked together to present a spring program, Queer Cabaret, now in its second year, and the Orillia Pride March.
The Lightfoot Days Festival committee resurrected the festival that fell off the map because of the pandemic and in two years has welcomed tourists from several U.S. States, all of Ontario and Quebec.
Emerging Artist Award
Champagne Top’Her is a leading figure in the Orillia drag community and has performed at MAT’s Queer Cabaret.
Brooke Gray Lawrence is currently studying fine arts at Concordia University.
Bella Frances is another of the Jefferies clan who has taken up music and performing.
Restoration, Renovation and Publication Award
Mariposa Arts Theatre is nominated for their 50th anniversary celebration which included a display of items from their past.
Mary Aileen Reed is the creator of the Ramara Voice Facebook group which chronicles the history of the township and the Chippewas of Rama.
Rob McCron has worked tirelessly for a few years on behalf of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 34 to establish a memorial of the Fairmile explosion in Veteran’s Park.
Qennefer Browne Achievement Award
Mary Lou Meiers is the person behind the Call To Action #83 exhibit at St. Paul’s Centre.
Molly Farquharson, owns Hibernation Art and is a ringleader for many of the events happening in the Arts District.
Mark Fletcher is co-founder of Cloud Gallery and was previously on the board of OMAH, a member of the City’s heritage committee, and organized an annual artist’s retreat.
The Orillia Silver Band has become the premier performing arts group in Orillia.
(Images Supplied)
