Cultural Sector Enjoys a Successful 2006 

This past year was significant for the province�s cultural industries on a number of fronts.  The Honourable Tom Hedderson, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, provided highlights today of activity within the cultural sector for 2006. 

�A very important event in 2006 was the release of the province�s first ever cultural plan and corresponding investment framework of $17.6 million,� said Minister Hedderson.  In March 2006, the province released Creative Newfoundland and Labrador: The Blueprint for Development and Investment in Culture, outlining major policies and directions to preserve, support and develop the province�s cultural resources. 

�The launch of our cultural plan was an important step in setting a strategic direction for the sector,� continued Minister Hedderson.  �Combined with the many incredible achievements and accolades within our arts and cultural industries over the past year, 2006 was a year of distinction and success.  Thought it would be impossible to acknowledge every achievement, these highlights reflect the wealth of our cultural resources.� 

Literature

• There were three successful literary festivals: The March Hare, Winterset in the Summer and the Woody Point Literary Festival.

• Several local books published in 2006 received national acclaim, including Wayne Johnston�s Custodian of Paradise, Ken Harvey�s Inside and Russell Wangersky�s Hour of Bad Decisions.

• The Writers� Alliance of Newfoundland and Labrador awarded its Fresh Fish Award for Emerging Writers to Sara Tilley for her manuscript Snowflake � Young.

• Joan Clark�s novel An Audience of Chairs won both the Winterset Award and the Writers� Alliance Fiction Award for 2006.

• Novelist Lisa Moore was named Artist of the Year by the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council.

Media Arts

• Several Newfoundlanders and Labradorians were recipients of Gemini Awards in 2006, including Mary Walsh for Best Writing in a Comedy or Variety Program or Series; Cathy Jones, Mark Critch and Shawn Majumder, along with Gavin Crawford, for Best Ensemble Performance in a Comedy Program or Series; and The Rick Mercer Report was recognized with an award for Best Picture Editing.

• Through the International Marketing Access Program of the Producers Association of Newfoundland and Labrador, local filmmakers brought their products to major festivals in Canada, the United States and Europe, including the Toronto International Film Festival, the Vancouver International Film Festival, the American Film Market, the Cannes Film Festival and the Berlin International Film Festival.

• Two local film festivals, The Nickel Festival and The International Women�s Film Festival, screened such highly acclaimed local films as Young Triffie�s Been Made Away With by Mary Walsh, Pope Productions� Above and Beyond and Keeping Up With Cathy Jones by Barbara Doran.

• Justin Simms�s short film Punch Up At A Wedding was the hit of the Atlantic Film Festival, winning three awards: Best Atlantic Short, the Michael Weir Award for Original Screenplay and Best Director.

• St. John�s based Battery Radio won several awards this year including the top prize for Running the Goat at the prestigious 2006 Prix Marulić International Festival of Radio Plays and Documentary Radio Dramas in Croatia; and for The Wire, the 2006 Peabody Award and the gold World Medal for Best Editing at the International Radio Festival of New York.

• The Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council awarded its 2006 Arts Achievement Award to Paul Pope, who has been a key figure in the film industry in Newfoundland and Labrador for over 20 years.

Music

• In November, Music NL, the province�s music industry association, recognized Emile Benoit with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to the music industry over a period of 50 years.

• Musician Duane Andrews won top honors in the jazz category at the prestigious International Music Awards in the United States for his album Crocus.

Theatre

• In June 2006, Newfoundland and Labrador hosted the Magnetic North Theatre Festival in St. John�s, welcoming theatre audiences from across Canada and beyond. Several productions were showcased including Berni Stapleton�s Mary Magdalene and Adventures in Sobriety, Out of the Bog by Jonny Harris and the latest production by Artistic Fraud entitled Nightingale.

Visual Arts

• Throughout 2006, the Art Gallery of Newfoundland and Labrador at The Rooms featured a number of exhibitions by artists with national and international profiles in a variety of media and genres, including Newfoundland and Labrador�s Christopher Pratt, Mary Pratt and Michael Massie, as well as Canadian artists Janet Cardiff and Douglas Coupland.

• Visual Artists of Newfoundland and Labrador presented awards for excellence in visual arts to Will Gill, Bonnie Leyton and Mary Pratt.

• Michael Massie was a finalist for the Saidye Bronfman Award, which recognizes excellence in fine craft in Canada.

• Will Gill was a finalist for the 2006 Sobey Art Award recognizing achievement by contemporary artists in Canada.

Other Items of Note

• The Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council awarded its Arts in Education Award to Beni Malone, while Michael Coyne and Ken Livingstone were jointly inducted into the Hall of Honour for their vision and role in the development of the acclaimed Fine Arts Program at Sir Wilfred Grenfell College.

• Susan Knight, artistic director of the award winning youth choir, Shallaway, was appointed to the Canada Council for the Arts in September 2006 for a three year term.

• The City of St. John�s was designated as a 2006 Cultural Capital of Canada by the federal Department of Canadian Heritage. This designation was awarded based on the city�s presentation, in partnership with various agencies, of 23 major cultural events throughout the year, including the Benevolent Irish Society�s 200 Anniversary Celebrations and the Native Friendship�s Aboriginal Youth Cultural Gathering.
   

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Media contact:

John Tompkins

Director of Communications

Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation

709-729-0928, 728-7762

johntompkins@gov.nl.ca 

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