Melvin Gallant, Jenny Munday and Janice Wright-Cheney sit beside one another at the Delta Hotel. The room is bare and bright, but each of them have smiles on their faces. Although these three are very different from each other, they share a few similarities. In their separate styles, they are artists and are this year’s recipients of the Lieutenant-Governor’s award for high achievement in the arts.
The awards program’s purpose is to recognize outstanding contributions to the arts in New Brunswick. Each winner is awarded $20,000 for their impact on literary, performing and visual arts.
Gallant holds the price for French language literary, Munday for performing and Wright-Cheney for visual arts. The gang was presented with their cash award last week. However, the three had known about their winnings for months, but were told to keep the news under wraps.
“I was at work the day I found out and I walked in the door and was hit with all this stuff I had to do and then the phone rang and I was told I had won this and I was like, ‘Whoa,’” said Munday. “It’s a very strange feeling. It’s so cliche, but it’s quite humbling.”
Munday is a playwright, actor, director and mentor. She is the Artistic Director of Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre, has written and co-written a slew of plays and has worked with many theatre companies across Canada.
For Munday, the hardest part of winning was keeping the news a secret.
“Well, we were allowed to tell a few people, but I think it was hardest for my mother. Every time I would talk to her she would be like ‘Can I tell people now? What about now?’”
The performing artist is planning to use her winnings to provide some stability for the future. She admits being an artist isn’t the easiest way to pay the bills. Wright-Cheney is planning to use her award more luxuriously.
“Not to be too frivolous, but I thought it might be nice to just treat myself to a bit of art. We as artists can’t afford art, so it’s nice to be able to get something from an artist you really appreciate,” said Wright-Cheney.
This visual artist is best known for her obscure taxidermy collections. Last year, she had an exhibit at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, with tons of rats which she had fabricated out of old fur coats.
“As an artist, we don’t want attention for us, but we do want attention for our work because an audience is necessary. But when the attention comes to you it’s a little bit overwhelming,” said Wright-Cheney.
“I don’t know if I deserve it, but I’ll accept it,” said Gallant.
The literary award is set up to be awarded to a French author one year and an English author the following year.
“I think it’s an essential switch, but it is very nice to see,” said Gallant.
Gallant started out by writing children’s novels, he soon found his passion for fictional history stories. In the ’80s, he participated in the founding of the Association of Acadian writers which he ran for several years. Over the years he has published over 20 books.
“I realize now that everything I did was linked to Acadia, one way or the other and these history novels are to show how people lived in the 17th and 18th century. So, that’s my inspiration,” said Gallant.
Gallant plans to use his winnings to translate some of his books to English.
“You get nominated for this by your colleagues, and your peers are the jury and they decide that you are worthy. That’s pretty breath taking really, it feels fantastic to have your colleagues think that highly of you. It makes you understand Sally Fields at the academy awards,” said Munday, as Gallant and Wright-Cheney nod their heads in agreement.
