The Winnipeg Arts Council Board of Directors consists of 15 individuals. Six are elected by artists and representatives of arts and cultural organizations, and six are appointed by City Council from a list of nominees from the community at large. One City Councillor serves in a voting capacity and one City staff member serves in a non-voting capacity. The chair is elected from within the Council and is replaced on the Council by another individual from the same category. Once elected or appointed, the members of the Council represent the community and not the constituency that elected or nominated them. Members may serve a maximum of three two-year terms.
Arts Community Director
Dr. Shojania is a Research Fellow at St. Paul's College and teaches in
the Department of English at the University of Manitoba. She has served
on the Boards of Winnipeg's Contemporary Dancers, the Advisory Board of
the Institute of Humanities, the Education and Access Committee of
the Winnipeg Art Gallery, and the Arts Advisory
Committee of the Manitoba Arts Council. She has also served on the MCO Board
for 10 years.
Laird Rankin
Vice-Chair; Council Director show bio
Council Director
A
Winnipeg native, Laird Rankin has had a diversified career in the
non-profit sector and the magazine business, most recently as executive
director of Canada's National History Society and publisher of its
magazine, The Beaver. He has authored two books "The Nonsuch"
and "The Return of the Nonsuch" that tell the story of the ship in The
Manitoba Museum.
Jolyne Jolicoeur
Secretary-Treasurer; Arts Community Director - Project Grant Organizations show bio
Arts Community Director
Jolyne
Jolicoeur is a fluently bilingual advocate of the francophone community
who enjoys the challenges of volunteering on various arts and cultural
boards. She has been the Vice-Chair for the Conseil jeunesse
provinciale, representing francophone youth in Manitoba. She was a
board member for the Centre cultural franco-manitobain, as well as
CKXL, La Radio communautaire du Manitoba, which attained financial
stability during her term. Currently she serves on the Board for
Camerata Nova and is employed as an Office Manager within the
Provincial Department of Family Services and Housing.
Andrew Balfour
Arts Community Director - Individual Artists show bio
Andrew Balfour is the founder, conceptual creator,
arranger and conductor of Camerata Nova. He has a wide variety of
choral experience, including performances with St. Luke's Anglican
Church Choir, Canzona, University of Manitoba Singers, All Saints'
Anglican Church Choir, the CanAm Chorus, the Mennonite Oratorio Choir
and the Brandon Chorale. He has received choral conducting instruction
from Roy Goodman, Henry Engbrecht and the Hilliard Ensemble. Andrew
studied voice under Mel Braun, Doris Mayoh and Donald Hadfield.
Since 1998, Andrew has written more than 16 original compositions,
including a Mass, choral motets, a carol in Cree, a Magnificat for
choir, organ and brass and a work for solo viola. Of these, 9 have been
performed publicly. During the 2003-2004 season, composer Glenn Buhr
has agreed to coach Andrew in the composition of a new work for voices
and strings. The piece will be workshopped in the spring with Camerata
Nova and members of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.
Andrew has been involved extensively in editing and arranging music,
particularly choral and brass, for 17 years. Since Camerata Nova's
inception in 1996, Andrew has specialized in arrangements of medieval,
Renaissance and early Baroque choral music. This involves researching,
transcribing, transposing and editing historical scores and adapting
instrumental parts for voice. Camerata Nova is proud to possess a
unique choral library, of which many pieces are Balfour arrangements.
Rick Chafe
Arts Community Director - Small-sized Organizations show bio
Arts Community Director
Rick Chafe is a Toronto-born, Winnipeg-raised playwright. He has had
sixteen plays produced locally, including the Winnipeg Fringe,
Shakespeare in the Ruins, Adhere and Deny, Theatre Projects Manitoba,
Prairie Theatre Exchange, and Manitoba Theatre Centre. Most recently, The Odyssey has been produced in Nova Scotia, Strike! (co-written with Danny Schur) in Saskatoon and broadcast nationally on CBC Radio, and Shakespeare's Dog
will premiere this season at MTC and the National Arts Centre. He has
also worked 15 years with the Manitoba Arts Council's Artists in the
Schools Program, and freelances as a television writer, story
consultant, and documentary videomaker. He has been a member of the
Winnipeg Film Group, Video Pool, and served on the boards of the
Manitoba Association of Playwrights and the Playwrights Guild of
Canada.
Monica is a principal with Hilderman
Thomas Frank Cram Landscape Architecture and Planning. Her ongoing
investigation of the social, physical and psychological impacts of human
environments on children and youth, immigrants and marginalized groups, aging
and physically impaired, serves as a foundation for her progressive work on
educational grounds, urban spaces, parks, culturally sensitive lands and
healthcare facilities. Monica combines her human centric people-driven approach
to design with a dedication to practical place -specific construction solutions
to enhance Winnipeggers quality of life, sense of place and environmental
stewardship. Some of Monica’s most recent projects in the city include
The Variety Heritage Adventure Park at The Forks National Historic Site, The
Millennium Library Park, and The Winnipeg Humane Society Grounds. As an avid
supporter of art in the public realm Monica regularly travels to research new
developments in other places while working with artists and artisans to enrich
her work at home.
Reid Harrison
Arts Community Director - Project Grant Organizations show bio
Arts Community Director Reid
Harrison has been active in Winnipeg’s arts community for many years as an
instrumentalist, a singer and actor, a theatre director, an educator and as an
arts administrator and board member.He
was recently inducted into Rainbow Stage’s Wall of Fame, testament to his
twenty-seven productions at that theatre, fifteen on stage and twelve in the
pit, as well as to his many other contributions to Winnipeg’s arts life.During thirty-four years as a high school
teacher of English, Music and Drama, he directed twenty-five musical theatre
productions at Grant Park and Kelvin High Schools.He was a founding member of the Gilbert &
Sullivan Society of Winnipeg and has sat on the Society’s board for twenty
years including two terms as President.He performed in principal roles in the early years of the Society’s
productions followed first by seven years as resident conductor and most
recently as the director of the last five productions.He is co-founder and co-artistic director of
Dry Cold Productions, a local professional company specializing in contemporary
musical theatre and now in its ninth season.In addition to acting in two Dry Cold shows, he has conducted three
productions.He is also the business
manager of Dry Cold.As a cellist, in
addition to his work at Rainbow Stage, he has performed with the Winnipeg
Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, the Winnipeg Philharmonic and
the Manitoba Theatre Centre.He has
recently begun his third term as a member of the Manitoba-Nunavut Council
Policy Advisory Group for Canadian Actors’ Equity Association.He is also a member of the Winnipeg Musicians’
Association.
Council Director Yude M. Henteleff, C.M., Q.C., LL.D. (Hon.) is a founding partner and senior counsel of the legal
firm of Pitblado LLP, in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Over the past 40 years he has acted as a human rights advocate in Canada and in many countries
on behalf of vulnerable people including persons with mental and physical disabilities, special
needs children, and women, such as in the areas of sexual harassment and discrimination in
employment. He has been a presenter, adjudicator, writer and workshop facilitator on many
aspects of Human Rights in Canada and in countries such as Bolivia, Colombia, Thailand, South
Africa, Kyrgyzstan and Israel.
Current Human Rights Affiliations include Member of the Campaign Cabinet and Chair of the
Context Advisory Committee of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, and as a Member of
Advisory Council of Canadian Lawyers for International Human Rights.
He has been particularly active in the City of Winnipeg and the Province of Manitoba in theatre and
was one of the founders of the Prairie Theatre Exchange. He was also one of the founders of the
Manitoba Children's Museum. Some of his current community involvements include being a
member of the Advisory Council of Manitoba Theatre Centre; Advisory Council of the Friends of
Assiniboine Park Conservatory; Winnipeg Arts Council, and Chair of the Multiple Appeals
Commission of the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg.
In 1997 Mr. Henteleff was appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada. In 1999 he was
presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Learning Disabilities Association of Canada in
recognition of over 30 years dedication to children, youth and adults with learning disabilities. In
2002 he received the Distinguished Service Award by the Manitoba Bar Association and in that
same year the Commemorative Medal for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee. In
2006 he was awarded Doctor of Laws (Honorary) by the University of Manitoba in recognition of
his human rights achievements.
Randy Joynt is the Executive Director of Artspace Inc. He also co-founded TRIP dance company with partner Karen Kuzak, and enjoyed a twenty-year career as a contemporary dancer; performing around the world while working with dance companies in Winnipeg, Ottawa and Montreal. He has served on the Manitoba Arts Council’s arts advisory panel, taught numerous grant proposal writing workshops, been a contributor to the Toronto publication the Dance Current, and currently serves on the Board of the Canadian Dance Assembly where he chairs the organization’s advocacy committee.
Council Director
Sharon
Lancaster was nominated as a Council Director for a two-year term in
January 2006. Sharon recognizes the importance of arts and creativity
in the building of a sustainable community; and believes that
creativity must manifest itself in all its forms, in the workplace, in
the schools, and in public places. An avid supporter in the development
of creativity, Sharon draws from a myriad of experiences in the areas
of marketing and communication as well as through committee memberships
on a variety of boards and organizations.
As an instructor, marketer and entrepreneur for over 25 years, Sharon
has provided insightful solutions for numerous companies and
organizations including Cargill Grain, Canterra Seeds, Agricore United,
Skills Canada Manitoba, SMD, Red River Exhibition, What; Savour; Manitoba Calling;
and other magazines, all levels of Civic Government and as a special
interest speaker on Celebrity and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.
Sharon's involvement in the community has included board
positions for Junior Achievements - World of Choices Conference, IBM
Women in Technology mentoring program, Red River College Creative
Communications Board, Wired Women Winnipeg, the Manitoba Innovation
Network and many others. Presently she is the owner of Slate
Communications providing strategic and creative communication services
to a diverse clientele.
Councillor Mike Pagtakhan
City Representative Director show bio
Sheila Spence
Arts Community Director - Individual Artists show bio
Sheila
Spence is an artist, activist and arts administrator living and working in
Winnipeg, Manitoba. Spence’s photographs investigate notions of
portraiture, self-portraiture, community and identity. Her portraits have
been exhibited locally, nationally and internationally and are included in
public and corporate collections across Canada.
From 1991 to
1995 Spence worked collaboratively with Noreen Stevens under the name Average
Good Looks creating work about gay and lesbian issues for the public
domain. Over the course of her career, Spence has received numerous
grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Manitoba Arts Council and the
Winnipeg Arts Council. In 2009, Spence was awarded a Manitoba Arts
Council Major Grant. On several occasions Spence has adjudicated on
behalf of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Manitoba Arts Council for
various award programs. A tireless volunteer she has been a governing
member on the Boards of the following non-profit arts organizations: Floating
Gallery, Artspace; CARFAC Manitoba; Mentoring Artists for Women’s Art (MAWA);
Institute of Contemporary Art and Design; <Site>; St. Norbert Arts and
Cultural Centre and Ace Art. She has been a mentor twice for MAWA
(1991-92 and 1995-96). She is currently the Executive Director of
Manitoba Printmaker’s Association (Martha Street Studio).
Marlene Stern
Council Director; Chair of the Public Art Committee show bio
Council Director
Marlene Stern is actively engaged in the arts community as a volunteer,
consumer and supporter. She is currently on the Executive Committee and
Board of Directors of Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art. She has
served on the Boards of Directors of the Alumni Association, University
of Manitoba, and the Manitoba Mental Health Research Foundation. She is
the Regional Director of Occupational Therapy, Winnipeg Regional Health
Authority. Prior to that, she was the Director of Occupational Therapy
at Health Sciences Centre for over 15 years. Within her profession,
Marlene has served on many local and national committees, published,
and presented numerous papers on a variety of topics at national and
international conferences.
Vonnie Von Helmolt
Arts Community Director - Large-sized Organizations show bio
Arts Community Director
vonnie VON HELMOLT film
With an international reputation for producing award-winning dance
films, Vonnie Von Helmolt has produced and co-produced a variety of
features, television movies, series, documentaries and specials in
Winnipeg over the last 20 years.
Awards and nominations include an International Emmy, a US Cable Ace
award, Banff Television Rockies, Canadian Geminis, Manitoba Blizzards,
and other international film festival awards.
The dance feature drama "Dracula - Pages from a Virgin's Diary",
directed by noted auteur Guy Maddin was named one of Canada's Top Ten
Feature Films, and made the Village Voice New York Critics list of
top10 films of 2003, in addition to winning numerous international
festival awards and an Emmy in 2002.
"The Tale of the Magic Flute" a dazzling dance special for
television was nominated for a Rockie award at the Banff Television
Festival in 2006 and won a Gemini. Her co-production, with Merit Motion
Pictures, of the three-hour documentary miniseries "Ballet Girls",
aired on BRAVO! as a 2006 Christmas Special, and is nominated for a
Canadian Gemini award.
Von Helmolt was the founding chair of both Film Training
Manitoba and the Manitoba District Council of the Director's Guild of
Canada. She remains on the executive of Film Training Manitoba and
Chairs the Policy Committee of the Manitoba Motion Picture Industry
Association.
Vonnie Von Helmolt, Producer BIO Vonnie Von Helmolt works in
the Canadian and American film industry, producing features, made-for
television movies, mini-series, documentaries and television specials.
She initiated and produced the filmed version of the Royal Winnipeg
Ballet's "Dracula", hiring award-winning Winnipeg director Guy Maddin
to helm. "DRACULA - Pages from a Virgin's Diary" aired on the CBC
February 2002. The program went on to win the International EMMY for
Performing Arts Programs, 2 Canadian Geminis, Grand Prix Sitges Film
Festival, Grand Prix Golden Prague Television Festival, Monaco IMZ
Festival of Dance on Film, and opened in the US, the UK, France, Asia
and Canada to widespread acclaim.
Distributed as a 35MM feature film, it has garnered rave reviews in New
York, Los Angeles, Toronto and wherever it screens internationally.
"DRACULA - Pages from a Virgin's Diary" was named as one of the Top 5
Films of 2003 by the New York Critics and was also selected to Canada's
Top Ten Films of 2002 by the Toronto International Film Festival. The
film continues to show at festivals and air on television world-wide.
In 1997 Von Helmolt, with choreographer Patti Caplette, produced Journey, a one-hour ballet special which premiered on BRAVO!. Journey
was awarded a Gemini Award and a Blizzard Award - Best Performing Arts
Special. It was a Hors Concours Selection by the Banff Television
Festival.
As Head of Production for GFT/Paquin Von Helmolt co-produced the feature The Clown at Midnight, starring Christopher Plummer and Margo Kidder, and line produced the feature Silver Wolf, with Roy Scheider, both for Blue Rider of Los Angeles.
She was Production Manager on the four-hour miniseries The Arrow (CBC), starring Dan Aykroyd and Michael Ironside, and the 22-part television series My Life as a Dog for Showtime.
In 2000 she supervised production on Robin Cook's Acceptable Risk, for TBS.
She was Line Producer on Winnipeg's first feature film Mob Story which starred John Vernon, Margo Kidder and Al Waxman, and she co-produced the feature True Confections for Astral Releasing following that.
Ms.Von Helmolt also directed and produced a number of award-winning animated shorts, including Carried Away
for the NFB. Additionally, she produced a series of music videos for
Oak Street Music, receiving a Cable Ace nomination, and a Blizzard
Award for Best Music Video.
"The Tale of the Magic Flute" a dazzling dance
special based on the Mark Godden/Royal Winnipeg Ballet's version, was
nominated for a Rockie award at the Banff Television Festival in 2006
and won a Canadian Gemini Award in 2006.
Her co-production, with Merit Motion Pictures, of the three-hour documentary miniseries "Ballet Girls", aired on BRAVO! as a 2006 Christmas Special and was nominated for a Canadian Gemini in 2007.
Von Helmolt is again partnering with Merit Motion Pictures on the television special "Ballet High" for BRAVO!, following the graduating class of the RWB's Professional Division School.
Von Helmolt was the founding chair of both Film Training
Manitoba (FTM) and the Manitoba District Council of the Director's
Guild of Canada. She remains on the executive of Film Training Manitoba
and Chairs the Policy Committee of the Manitoba Motion Picture Industry
Association (MMPIA).
