We did it!
Together, we created a cultural event to celebrate Gerry’s life that over 200,000 people enjoyed! Thank-you to our artists and performers, over 60 of you, under one roof doing what you do best. And there were many more who wanted to participate – we could have easily filled a whole weekend. Thank-you for your patience as we dealt with pandemic AND weather. But we are Manitobans and that’s what we do. Right!?
Together, we created a model safe event during a global pandemic. Thank-you all so much for agreeing to maintain your distance, for keeping your masks on and hardest of all, thank-you for not hugging and dancing.
Together we dealt with a long and torrential downpour! Thanks especially to all the volunteers who held their posts in the rain, to everyone who arrived wet, to those of you who didn’t get to sit in the gallery. We really pulled up our bootstraps. If you did not get to see the mainstage livestream, please watch it here:
Together we co-created an incredible mural expressing a vision of a world free from racism. We expanded Gerry’s lifelong message of cultural equity with over 80 paintings you produced for others to reflect on through to the fall.
Together, we had an awesome time, remembering our love and good times with Gerry.
Together, we pledged to keep his memory alive every year with GerryFest and with the Gerry Atwell Memorial Mentorship Fund. We will love to see how many young people we can move forward, and how many professional artists we can support. Thank-you all so much, for your donations. Together, so far, we have raised over $10,000 just with this event and the fund will be open in perpetuity. So, if you would like to make a donation in the future or if you know someone who might support this important cause, please share this link, and select Gerry Atwell Mentorship Fund under allocation.
To those of you who donated goods and funds specifically to make this event a reality, thank you so much! We couldn’t have done it without you. SNAC will be sending out the charitable donation receipts directly.
To CBC Manitoba… WE LOVE YOU! Thank-you to all the staff who were involved with this. You took a chance to do this, and we couldn’t have gotten this message out without you. And you all know what a fan Gerry was of CBC Manitoba.
We couldn’t be more thrilled to have made it through all of the hoops to get this event to realization. There were a number of times we thought it might not fly, especially at the onset of Covid. Yes, and when we saw the Friday morning sky… But… WE DID IT. Together.
A celebration in memory of the late Winnipeg musician Gerry Atwell has created a powerful legacy: a gallery of original, personal, and sometimes painful paintings that demand racial justice. https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1799227971767
Gerryfest (the live special production) won a RTNDA (Radio Telecommunications News and Digital Award) for best live special in digital (Prairie region). CBC Manitoba - GerryFest | Facebook
Link to all 2021 RTDNA Canada Awards: 2021: Regional – RTDNA Canada
Our very best wishes,
Judy Williams and Louise May
Co-chairs of GerryFest
