Prince Albert Arts Board Announces the 2021 Arts Hall Of Fame Inductees
It is the honour of the Prince Albert Arts Board to announce this year’s inductees into the Prince Albert Arts Hall of Fame.
Sheryl Kimbley: Builder
Sheryl Kimbley is a proud member of the Big River First Nation. As Producer of Voices of the North, music has always been Sheryl’s passion and connects her to Northern Saskatchewan. When her good friend Bernice Sayese became ill, she reminded Sheryl that more work needed to be done to reach our northern youth. As a result of those words Northern Spirits was developed and it will celebrate its 10th year in February. Music and organization of a stage/show has been the model for giving youth confidence and encouragement to move forward with whatever their passions are.
Sheryl has 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.
Sheryl has been awarded the YWCA Women of Distinction Award in the Arts for Prince Albert, CTV hometown hero, 1st annual FSIN Strength of a Woman Awards in Arts and Entertainment, inducted into the Prince Albert Women’s Hall of Fame, and most recently named as the 2016 Prince Albert Citizen of the Year.
Sheryl Kimbley, 2021 Inductee
Andree Felley Martinson, 2021 Inductee (Credit: Tony Burton)
Andrée Felley-Martinson: Visual Arts
Andrée lived in Prince Albert from 1964 until her passing in 2019. She and her husband Herbert, a doctor, moved to Saskatchewan in 1963 when he was recruited to practice under the new Medicare system. They first arrived in Regina, then moved to Kinstino, and one year later settled in Prince Albert. (Details of Andrée’s early life in Europe are described in the exhibition catalogue, Andrée Felley-Martinson: A Retrospective.)
Prior to crossing the Atlantic, Andrée knew little about Canada. She associated it with Quebec, and had heard of Winnipeg, but Saskatchewan was completely unknown to her. On the prairies she was overwhelmed by the enormous space. The culture was profoundly different than what she had known, and along with the mixed reactions to her and Herbert’s reason for being in Prince Albert – many people were suspicious and unsupportive of Medicare at the time - Andrée was so overwhelmed that she did not create any artwork for one decade after arriving in Saskatchewan.
In 1974 Andrée learned to drive, took herself to Saskatoon, and visited the Mendel Art Gallery. This marked her introduction to art in Saskatchewan and the beginning of her practice on the prairies. She 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.
The Prince Albert Arts Hall of Fame Gala will take place on Saturday, February 5th at the EA Rawlinson Centre for the Arts. At the same time, the Prince Albert Arts Board will also be inducting the 2020 Inductee: The Barveenok Dance Group. Tickets will be on sale in the fall. Past inductees can be viewed at www.princealbertartshalloffame.com.