December 3, 2019
Appointments Made to Manitoba Arts Council Board
The Manitoba Arts Council welcomes three new board members along with four returning members, Sport, Culture and Heritage Minister Cathy Cox announced today.
“We are always looking for new ideas and new innovators to support our vital and exciting arts sector,” said Cox. “The Manitoba Arts Council is dedicated to working with local artists and organizations, and I am confident these new board members will continue the excellent work of the arts council.”
Appointments to the Manitoba Arts Council board include:
• Trevor Ahluwalia (Winnipeg) is the former president and CEO of the Clay Oven Restaurants. He also serves on the board of directors of the YMCA and Manitoba Centennial Centre Corporation, and is a member of several other community-based committees such as Hoops for the Heart.
• Kenneth Allard (Thompson) is a wildlife painter as well as an employee of Smook Contractors.
• Naomi Forman (Brandon) is a freelance artist and a sessional voice instructor at Brandon University. Forman has a master’s degree in music from Boston University’s School of Fine Arts and completed her bachelor of music at the University of Manitoba. She is president of the Brandon Dance Ensemble and a member of the Brandon Chamber Players Artistic Committee. In 2016 she was recognized as a YMCA Woman of Distinction for her contributions to the arts in Brandon.
Reappointments to the Manitoba Arts Council board include:
• Scott Baldwin (Winnipeg) is reappointed as the vice-chair. He is the corporate director of QSM Consulting, which provides board governance advisory service to directors serving on private company boards, as well as those in health care, arts, culture, professional services and media industries.
• Sharron Curry Wiens (Morden) is a freelance musician who has served as a music and French teacher with various public and independent schools in Manitoba. Curry Wiens has a bachelor of music and a bachelor of education from the University of Manitoba, and completed her post-baccalaureate studies at the Royal College of Music. Previously she has chaired the Manitoba Arts Network board of directors, the Manitoba Choral Association board of directors and the Pembina Hills Art Council board of directors.
• Elizabeth Gornik (Winnipeg) is part-time dance instructor with the Royal Dance Conservatory. She has danced with the Folk Dance Group at Folklorama, performed in the Winnipeg Fringe Festival and managed/co-ordinated the Exul Theatre Company. Gornik also has a master’s degree in education/counselling from the University of Manitoba.
• Josee Theberge (Winnipeg) is the general director at L’Association Culturelle Franco-Manitobaine Inc., where she is responsible for managing partnerships, budget and financial reports, and overseeing the implementation of policies established by the board of directors. Theberge is also an active member of the francophone community, previously serving on the French Canadian Cultural Federation board of directors, the Saint-Boniface Museum board of directors and the Alliance Française board of directors.
The minister thanked outgoing board members for their service.
She also noted these appointments are part of the Manitoba government’s efforts to continue to refresh the agencies, boards and commissions of our province, ensuring that Manitobans continue to be represented in these important positions by highly qualified and enthusiastic individuals.
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