25-year-old teacher and 23-year-old musician added to board of directors

In a move to invite the voice of youth into the Prince Albert arts conversation, the P.A. Arts Board elected two new board members age 25 and younger.

Arts Board vice-chair Sheryl Kimbley made the proposal to add a youth presence to the board of directors at the organization’s annual general meeting on March 30 at the E.A. Rawlinson Centre. Kimbley brought with her a group of young artists and musicians to sit in during the meeting and perform at the post-meeting social.

“It’s my desire for the board to have a youth representative sit with us and tell us what it is they need and not for us to be sitting there, telling them forever, ‘This is what you need,’” Kimbley told the board.

“When I think of my age I think of rap music and the heavier metal and these are disciplines I’m not listening to every day, but these are our kids that are screaming out in positive ways and saying, ‘Hear us, hear us,’ and we are not creating those venues to have them heard.”

Following Kimbley’s remarks, the Arts Board voted to increase the maximum number of board members from nine to 11, allowing for two young people in attendance to be nominated and eventually confirmed as board members.

Ward 5 councillor and St. Mary High School teacher Dennis Ogrodnick, who sits on the board as council’s representative, nominated 25-year-old St. Mary art teacher Krysta Hawryluk.

“I think she’s a young, vibrant, enthusiastic artist and that she’ll bring a good perspective to the arts community in Prince Albert. I thought she was a very worthy candidate,” Ogrodnick said.

“I’m really interested in this because I guess I’m a youth here in Prince Albert and I’m a high school teacher and it’s really exciting to get young people involved in the arts, so I thought I’d like to play a more active role in that,” Hawryluk said.

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