Awards from the Foundation were first made in 2007. Awards have been made in years when funds have been available from the growing endowments, or when funds have been donated for specific annual awards.
These awards are made possible because of the generosity of our endowment donors. Thank you for your vision, commitment and support of Saskatchewan Artists.
We acknowledge the current and past volunteer Board of Trustees for their efforts in supporting the work of the Foundation.
In 2013, awards were made possible through the augmentation of the endowment income by a generous donation. All the awards were made in the spirit of the endowed funds. There were 4 awards of $2500.
The Foundation gratefully acknowledges the expertise of the Saskatchewan Arts Board for the facilitation of the adjudication process.
KELLEY JO BURKE (Regina) – Theatre
Kelley Jo Burke is a playwright, director, actor, editor, a creative nonfiction writer and documentarian, radio producer and broadcaster. My plays include the upcoming musical The Curst (with Library Voices) Us (co-creator Jeff Straker), The Lucky Ones, Somewhere, Sask. (co-creator Carrie Catherine) Ducks on the Moon (Hagios), The Selkie Wife (Scirocco), Jane’s Thumb (Signature), and Charming and Rose: True Love (Blizzard).
I dramaturge, direct and produce for stage and radio, and was for many years the host/producer of CBC radio. My eighth CBC IDEAS creative nonfiction radio documentary, called Bringing Up Fur Baby, was heard across Canada in May 2017. I am a creative writing professor and mentor for the University of Regina, St. Peter’s College, and the University of Saskatchewan, and an active arts advocate, provincially and nationally as well. I was 2009 winner of the Saskatchewan Lieutenant-Governor’s Award for Leadership in the Arts, the 2009 City of Regina Writing Award (my third time receiving that award), and the 2008 Saskatoon and Area Theatre Award for Playwriting.
I work in theatre and creative non-fiction. In my theatre work and documentary work, I have explored issues ranging from body image, the mother /daughter relationship, childbirth, domestic violence and motherhood, generational approaches to feminism, monogamy, LGBTQA+++ inclusion, disability, and a variety of subcultures. I also wrote and performed a one-woman show about parenting and the autism spectrum, which then became a documentary and a book. As you can imagine, with that subject matter – most of my work is comic… That was a joke – I actually call my work “tramedy” since most of what I write teeters on the edge between howling with laughter and just howling.
* Featured Artist
ROSEMARIE FROESE (Saskatoon) – Visual Arts
Romie Froese is an emerging artist, a painter from Saskatchewan. After completing high school in Saskatoon, she studied at NSCAD University in Halifax where she completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts. She won a number of awards during her years as a student. She has participated in group exhibitions and has had solo exhibitions in Halifax and in Saskatoon; her work is available in galleries in both cities.
Her paintings include both studies of patterns on the one hand, and portraits on the other. The work supported by the award will result in a series of portraits of athletes, focused on extreme obsessions and what constitutes success for the athletes represented. The intention is to show the collection in an appropriate venue.
* Archival biography; no update available at this time.
JAY KIMBALL (Mervin) – Ceramics
Jay Kimball is a fine craft artist living on Treaty 4 Territory in Regina, who expands his techniques onto the land and is inspired by its beauty and corruption. He reflects on the roles of land and community in the handmade as he creates work that ranges between pragmatic objects, sculptural earthworks, and social practice.
Kimball was raised on a farm near Rockglen, SK and studied at the University of Regina, eventually replacing the plow with a pencil and sports with art. That being said, he continues the values of labour, teamwork, resourcefulness, and growth through his artistic practice.
In 2013 when Kimball was awarded support from The Saskatchewan Foundation for the Arts, he was struggling to re-establish his art career in a northern Saskatchewan village after relocating from Newfoundland. He proposed to create new work using earth materials from specific locations to form a narrative between the art and the land from which he draws his resources and inspiration. That work eventually was shown in a solo exhibition and continues to inform his art today.
Later, in 2018, Kimball created Silt Studio, a social enterprise in Regina that celebrates ceramic excellence and invests in the creative practice of artists working in a variety of mediums. The global pandemic put a halt to most studio activities and revenue sources while expenses continued to rise. In perseverance, Kimball created The People’s Cup which invites collaboration with artists and creative community members. Through the project, Kimball has created a large series of drinking vessels; collaborators then design and decorate the surface of these vessels at home. Kimball donates a portion of the profits to local initiatives supporting those most heavily impacted by the pandemic. This community-focused work highlights the importance of creative connection and the need for art and culture during the darkest of times.
In 2020, Kimball embarked on a fresh trajectory inspired by his participation in Trespassers Waltz, where he created a large, site-responsive installation using raw ceramic materials. He is currently developing a new body of land-based earthworks.
* Featured Artist
ROWAN PANTEL (Regina) – Visual Arts
Rowan Pantel holds a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Regina, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Saskatchewan. While pursuing her artistic endeavours, she has held positions at various public and private art galleries, has instructed at both universities, was a founding member of the International Puppet Underground Festival, and the Caligari Festival (2016) in Regina. Currently she works in fund development at Remai Modern and continues to pursue her printmaking practice and creating new work.
* Featured Artist