Visual artist Andrée Felley-Martinson and builder Sheryl Kimbley will be the newest additions to the Prince Albert Arts Hall of Fame next February.
The Prince Albert Arts Board announced the decision on June 22. Arts Board vice-chair Cara Stelmaschuk said this year’s crop of nominees was a fantastic one, but both nominees stood out for their efforts.
Kimbley, originally from Big River First Nation, is best known as producer of Voices of the North. Stelmaschuk said Kimbley almost counts as a group induction because of her strong connection to Voices of the North.
“It is basically like we are inducting both of them at the same time, both as an event and as a person. On her own, she is just such an impressive human being and we are so excited that she is part of the inductees this year,” Stelmaschuk said.
Kimbley sat on many boards, commissions and committees including the Juno Aboriginal Red Carpet event, Waniska Showcase in Prince Albert, Tourism Board, P.A. Arts Board, SaskCulture and Creative Kids, and the P.A. Indigenous Women’s Advisory Committee.
She has also participated in many panel discussions – most recently with SaskMusic at a women in music industry panel.
Kimbley has previously been recognized for her work by being named the 2016 Prince Albert Citizen of the Year and inducted in the Prince Albert Women’s Hall of Fame.
“She was on the Art Board for many many years and I know she never would have let us nominate and induct her when she was actually serving on the Arts Board so this is kind of our ‘gotcha’,” Stelmaschuk said.
Andrée Felley-Martinson was recommended for incudction by former Mann Art Gallery curator Jesse Campbell. Stelmaschuk said Felley-Martinson had “a good ear to the ground” when it came to creating good art and discovering good artists.
“She was a super talented lady, (with) such vibrant artwork. The people that she has been friends with and worked with, (like) Margreet van Walsem, have already been inducted into the Arts Hall of Fame. For many of the artists it always feels like it is just a matter of time (before they get in). it is just unfortunate that this is a posthumous induction,” Stelmaschuk said.
“But I know that the family will be happy to celebrate,” she added.
Felley-Martinson lived in Prince Albert from 1964 until her passing in 2019. According to an Arts Hall of Fame press release, she did not take up art completely until 1974. Felley Martinson became close friends with artists Margreet van Walsem, George Glenn, and Aganetha Dyck. Together they planted the seeds of a vibrant artistic community and nurtured its ongoing activity.
Because of the cancellation of last year’s induction, the next Hall of Fame gala will also include the Barveenok Ukrainian Dance Group Stelmaschuk said they’ve toured for years, and have long deserved recognition.
“I myself had a niece and a nephew that were part of that group, so that year when we were looking for inductees I sent it to my sister in-law and I said ‘hey talk to the board.’ Sure enough they did. They put together a great application and I learned a lot about the group that I didn’t even know up until their nomination,” Stelmaschuk said.
“The volunteers of that group can pull off some really amazing things all in the name of keeping Ukrainian dance alive and kicking in Prince Albert. It’s also a reflection of the work that parents have done to keep their kids involved,” she added.
The next Hall of Fame induction ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022, instead of the usual September date. Stelmaschuk said they’re hedging their bets by holding the gala in 2022 instead of the traditional September date. Holding it in February would give organizers a better idea of what they could and couldn’t do.
“We had the weekend booked in September for it but then we kind of thought it’s a big event, if something were to happen where we had to go back to wearing masks and couldn’t serve meals and all of that kind of thing,” she said.
“It is a safety thing, but at the same time we are also going to be hosting our Parts for the Arts that same weekend.”
Parts for the Arts is a free, daylong event put on by the Prince Albert Arts Board in an effort to help promote professional development in the city’s arts community.
“We wanted to have everybody feel comfortable coming out, sitting at a table sans mask, enjoying a meal, maybe having a glass of wine and being able to relax in that situation. I am sure we will be there in September, I know we will be there in September but it’s whether or not the general public will come out,” Stelmaschuk said.
Tickets for the Hall of Fame Gala go on sale in the fall.
