Top honours for art gallery

Being selected as one of six finalists in the province for artistic merit, accomplishments and contributions definitely is a reason to celebrate. And that’s what the folks at Definitely Superior modestly are doing these days, as they make their way to Toronto to find out if they’ve claimed the top prize.

Definitely Superior has been nominated for the 2010 Premier’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts, a prestigious recognition of achievements and contributions to arts and culture in Ontario.

This year about 200 nominees were considered by the Ontario Arts Council; to make it into a sextet of finalists is a definite feather in Definitely Superior’s collective cap.

Growing rep

It also speaks to the gallery’s ever-expanding volunteer base, burgeoning professional membership and growing reputation for creative innovation across this region, the province and the country over its 22-year young life.

From the press release: “We are in extremely good company alongside the Tarragon Theatre and Images Festival (TO), Guelph Jazz Festival, Public Energy (Peterborough) and the Association des professionals de la chanson et de la musique (Ottawa).”

Understandably director David Karasiewicz has been beaming ever since he learned the gallery has landed in this elite Group of Six.

Asked if he’s surprised, Karasiewicz paused and sobered before replying, a nice indication of how satisfying the hard work of many, many artists and artistic-minded individuals and supporters in Thunder Bay becomes when it results in something like this.
‘Pressure’

“At the time we were being nominated we were under a lot of pressure with multiple grants, work around the gallery and exhibitions. It was very stressful; we didn’t even think we had time to respond to the nomination. But we gave the information to the person nominating us, didn’t think anything beyond ‘great, thanks for this,’ a big thing, sure, the Premier’s Award, but that’s all. So when we got the phone call,” he grinned, “it was ‘wow, amazing!’ Seriously, this is the first time any arts organization from Thunder Bay, from Northwestern Ontario, from anywhere west of Toronto in fact, has been in the finalists. The door’s open now, we’re the first. I guess the cherry on the top would be the final award.”

Finalists of the 2010 Premier’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts each receive $2,000.
The top award (being announced right at press time) is $50,000.
Fingers are crossed.