If you’ve been thinking of nominating someone in the community for the Quesnel and District Community Arts Council (QDCAC)’s Gallery of Honour, don’t delay.
The deadline for nominations for the ninth Biennial Gallery of Honour is Jan. 12.
The Gallery of Honour is meant “to honour those who have made significant contributions to the community through the arts over the years as visual, performing, support, educational, advocacy, artists, friends and advocates for the arts.”
The are three categories: Youth (up to age 26), Adult, and Posthumous. Any person residing in Quesnel and the district who has been involved in the arts at some time in their life is eligible.
“We really want to recognize and honour people who have made that commitment,” said arts council vice-president Cathy Heinzelman. “It doesn’t matter if they volunteer their time or are paid to do it. For example, an art teacher can still be honoured because they impact so many lives.”
Heinzelman says they are very open to honouring people who are involved in arts and culture in a wide variety of ways.
“It’s not just traditional arts we are looking at — we are looking at culture too,” she said. “You can nominate an Elder. It can be people who teach and respect and keep the culture so they can be a source of information for other people and young people.”
Heinzelman says past honourees have included people who support the arts, such as teachers, people who stored equipment for Quesnel Little Theatre and very supportive businesses. In music, they’ve honoured vocalists and musicians of all ages, and they’ve honoured people who are involved in all kinds of different media for the arts, including pottery, painting and drawing.
“Quesnel has such a wide span of artistic people,” she said. “It can be people who are either studying the arts or giving back to the community. We also look at the Posthumous Award, trying to recognize some of the people who have built that underground base in the community.”
Heinzelman notes there are lots of great photographers in the area, and there are quite a lot of big, beautiful murals in Quesnel whose artists could be recognized. She also thinks there are a lot of possible honourees who might come from areas people don’t necessarily think of at first.
“There are lots of things like the Billy Barker Hotel and Casino trying to look like a steamboat, so there are a lots of things that people don’t actually think about,” she said. “Part of our culture is to be caring, kind people, so culturally, it can be service groups, volunteers. Even various city councils that provide the look of the town.”
Heinzelman says it’s amazing how many people do not wish for public recognition, so they ask for the nominee’s permission for the nomination to go forward as well.
Nomination forms are available at the Arts Council office at the Quesnel Arts and Recreation Centre and at the Quesnel Cariboo Observer office, as well as from the QDCAC’s website by clicking “standing committees” under the “about” menu at quesnelarts.com.
The QDCAC will be celebrating the 2020 Gallery of Honour recipients in partnership with the Quesnel Art Gallery opening of the February show Art From The Heart on Feb. 12. The presentations will begin at 6 p.m., with the opening of the show to follow.
A photograph and short biography of the Gallery of Honour recipient is hung in the Gallery, which is on the ramp leading from the Arts Centre to the front desk foyer at the Quesnel Arts and Recreation Centre.
If you have any questions about nominating someone for the Gallery of Honour, contact Cathy Heinzelman at 250-747-3864 or nstar@goldcity.net.
READ MORE: Gallery of Honour inductees inspire Quesnel residents
editor@quesnelobserver.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter