GerryFest brings artist’s hidden work to life

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/08/2020 (1886 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Being the only Black student in your class or only Black family in your neighbourhood — or even the only Black person walking down the street — is a widely shared experience among Black people growing up in Manitoba. It sets the tone for how you navigate your community, and shapes who you are.

For the late Gerry Atwell, growing up Black in rural Manitoba influenced his art. In a January 1999 CBC artist profile interview, Atwell introduced viewers to his work as a writer and offered an intimate glimpse of his personal life.

Atwell’s writing exposed the realities of growing up Black in Manitoba, specifically in St. Norbert, the community his family called home for generations. Atwell was inspired to tell stories influenced by his family’s experiences, reflecting on his grandmother, the only Black girl to attend her French Catholic school in 1905, where Gerry would attend years later. Atwell’s reflections on the hardships his grandmother faced during her upbringing provided the foundation for the hidden works to be performed today at the inaugural GerryFest, celebrating Atwell’s life and work.

An award-winning musician, writer, artist mentor and arts administrator, Atwell’s dedication and passion for his community was noticed across the country. With such an extensive career working in the music, non-profit, film, television and media industries, he created opportunities for artists’ development and growth in Manitoba. Though we said goodbye to him last November, Atwell’s legacy lives on in his work and the festival.

GerryFest takes participants through the interwoven facets of his artistic and community legacy. Not only is it meant to celebrate Atwell’s life and legacy, it takes place on what would have been his 61st birthday. The event is being held at the St. Norbert Arts Centre, where Atwell began working in 1995, filling many roles including program director, board chair, artistic director, curator and artist-in-residence.

Atwell’s family, friends and colleagues were driven to establish an annual festival to honour his memory. His sister, Judy Williams, St. Norbert Arts Centre executive director Louise May and longtime colleagues have been working around the clock to prepare. Former colleagues of Atwell and local talent make up the performers and musicians set on making the festival an energetic celebration for those attending and for viewers watching the livestream on CBC Gem.

While musical performers such as Doug Wilson, World Gospel Choir, Coco Ray Stevens and Super Duty Tough Work (a band led by Brendan Kinley, Atwell’s nephew) will entertain, the festival isn’t just about music — much of Atwell’s work as a playwright and scriptwriter will be performed by Winnipeg actors. Though Atwell was more widely known for his keyboard and piano skills as lead keyboard player in Juno-winning band Eagle and Hawk, a more vulnerable and introspective side shined through in his writing, including plays that depicted the stories and history of being Black in Manitoba and what it means to navigate a space as the only Black person in the room, or community.

These experiences will be performed live today where festival attendees can hear live readings of The GrandMotherland (Atwell, 2004), Denis Anyone (Denis Simpson and Gerry Atwell, 2002) and Life of the Party (Atwell, 2002) — plays that exposed the climate of being Black and living in Manitoba in the early 2000s. Lorraine James and Ray Strachan, two long-standing Winnipeg-based actors, will bring these works to life for the first time.

The effort to keep Atwell’s legacy alive also comes at a time where supporting the work of Black artists is gaining greater public attention. Those who cannot physically or virtually attend GerryFest can also show their support through the Gerry Atwell Memorial Mentorship Fund.

@MC_Woke