By Dan White – Special to the Sydenham Current
As I write this, Joni and I are a few hours away from attending the 3rd annual CK Arts and Culture Heroes Wall of Fame Induction Ceremony. This event is a marquee occasion for the board. In a community with so many incredibly gifted people, including several internationally recognized artists, this celebration is long overdue.
Tonight, six cultural icons and five legacy artists will be inducted into the Wall of Fame as the class of 2024. This group includes writers, musicians, visual artists, actors, and dancers with impressive artistic resumes. We are looking forward to their speeches, as they are always inspiring and fascinating. The path to creativity is always divergent and often quite interesting.
The board is grateful for the support of Waste Connections Canada and the Municipalities Together CK Grant program. Both sponsors have invested in this event for all three years, and without their financial support, this would never have gotten off the ground.
This year, the committee has introduced a few new elements to the event. The venue has shifted from The Chatham Armoury to the Chatham Cultural Centre. While Lisa Lester at the Armoury was a gracious host at a spectacular venue, the shift brings everyone to the site where the Wall is housed. We have also added two awards for Emerging Youth Artists this year. Both recipients are now studying the arts in post-secondary school and represent the next generation of artists who may inspire those who follow. Additionally, the committee has displayed the works of 19 local artists before the event, providing a wonderful opportunity to view community artwork and speak with the artists about their craft.
So, why is this event important to the community?
It celebrates artistic excellence and honors those who are exceptional in their field. Just as local sports halls of fame recognize athletic achievements, this event recognizes excellence in the arts. Honoring such achievements inspires the next generation. There is no financial reward or national recognition attached to this award, yet established artists like musician Michelle Wright and photographer Larry Towell have been thrilled to receive it and make the effort to connect with local artists and arts supporters. It’s about being recognized by your hometown, which brings a unique emotional impact.
Unlike sports, where celebrating exceptional athletes is both common and expected, artists are often overlooked. This event is a step toward shifting that perspective.
Fast forward a few hours since I began this column, and we are now home from the event. I spoke with many artists, and each one was thrilled, sometimes surprised, to be recognized for their talents. Musician Tom Lockwood, a well-known and gifted guitarist, expressed real appreciation for the event and the recognition. Former colleague Sharon Jubenville spoke about her late husband Leonard, his career as an artist, his long-time support and involvement in Theatre Kent, and her gratitude for his recognition.
Lawrene Denkers, an accomplished local actor with whom I had the privilege of working on a Theatre Sarnia show several years ago, was genuinely surprised to be honored. Despite her years of dedication to honing her craft and winning several awards, she humbly referred to herself as a “dime a dozen” actor and was honored to be in the class of the 2024 Heroes Wall of Fame.
Perhaps the most poignant moment was when one of our Emerging Youth Artist Scholarship recipients, Thomas Martin, addressed the audience. He acknowledged that the arts are often overlooked by schools, but this award was both a financial aid and a validation of his pursuits.
This event celebrates excellence in arts and culture within CK and beyond. We recognized and honored the arts and artists who have made a significant impact, not only in CK but well beyond this community’s borders. The arts heal, foster understanding, and, most importantly, inspire us to transcend boundaries, ideologies, nationalities, and politics. This is worth celebrating.
To paraphrase playwright George Bernard Shaw, “Many see things and say why? But artists dream things that never were and say, Why not?” Tonight, we had the pleasure of honoring several of those dreamers. Not a bad way to spend an evening.
