Tourism, Culture and Recreation
January 8, 2007
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
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There were three
successful literary festivals: The March Hare, Winterset in the
Summer and the Woody Point Literary Festival.
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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.
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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
2007
01 08 10:00 a.m.
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