Board of Directors
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Meet 2023 Board of Directors
The Manitoba Arts Network operates under the auspices of a Board of Directors, which consists of a four-member executive and eight regional representatives from different areas of the province.
Nina Crawford
Past Chair
Watson Art Centre (Dauphin)
Nina has sat on the Manitoba Arts Network board for many years starting in the late 1990s. She first sat on the board while she was employed as administrator of the Dauphin and District Allied Arts Center and after a break she returned as a member of their board. She has been involved in the Arts for many years and has proven her worth as a steadfast supporter of arts in rural Manitoba and especially the Manitoba Arts Network.
She is an artist in her own right participating in activities like quilting, other fibre arts, stained glass, and choral singing. She enjoys creating, taking part in and being part of the arts community in Manitoba.
Katharine Kingdon
Chair
Westman Regional Rep,
Minnedosa Performing Arts Committee
Katharine has sat on the MAN board since 2017, working as a rep for the Westman region and now as Board chair. Retiring from a career as a band teacher, she now farms full-time with her husband south of Minnedosa. In her “past” life Katharine sat on the Heritage Coop Board (lead 4-H), and was a founding member of the Minnedosa Performing Arts Committee in 1991 and is still active with this group. Family, quilting, gardening, and supporting live music are her passions.
Yvonne Rempel
Treasurer
Central Regional Rep,
Visual Artist
Having worked in the Winnipeg area as a Designer/Costumer, Yvonne has spent her career being involved in the arts primarily in Theatre and Dance. She has many years of experience in design, sewing, tailoring, pattern making and film work. She has been fortunate to have worked on many projects that allowed her to express her creativity and grow as an artist.
This love of creating continues today as she delves into the world of fibre art. The process of creating is the most exciting, beginning with a drawing and adding layers of paint, fabric and thread. She has recently been painting on silk with dyes, loving the movement of the dyes on the silk. Much of her work is inspired by personal connections and life experiences.
Yvonne is a board member at Manitoba Arts Network (MAN) and is part of the executive team of Textile and Fibre Artists of Manitoba (TFAM).
Judith Dandridge
Secretary
Parkland Regional Rep,
President Wasagaming Community Arts
Growing up in rural Manitoba, Judy’s mother, sisters, and she were involved in the arts that formed the backdrop for community events and social gatherings and built the foundation for future careers. Participating in dance, vocal solo or choir groups, theatre performances, visual arts or fibre arts was the norm in her home community. She has fond memories of those who provided time, knowledge, and support allowing these activities to become tangible.
Influenced by these memories, Judy believes in the importance of actively contributing to one’s community. Wasagaming Community Arts have been an integral part of the many summers spent at RMNP. In support, she became a long-time volunteer with Wasagaming Community Arts and brought her administrative acumen to the role of President from 2018 – 2023. Continuing her WCA membership, she serves as Past President.
Judy enjoys creating and exploring with fibre using colour and texture to produce satisfying results. She regularly meets with a Brandon-based group interested in delving into fibre and new techniques.
Judy serves as Secretary for the Manitoba Arts Network Board of Directors. Closer to home, she is the Chair of Family Visions Inc. which is a non-profit organization that supports adults with intellectual disabilities by providing residential and day services for individuals residing in Brandon, Manitoba.
Donna Besel
Board Member
Eastman Regional Rep,
Visual Artist
Donna Besel loves writing of all kinds and does presentations for schools, libraries, universities, conferences, and retreats. Her work has gained recognition from CBC Literary Awards (three times), won national contests, and appeared in literary journals, magazines, and anthologies. A collection of short stories, “Lessons from a Nude Man,” earned nominations for various awards and a spot-on McNally Robinson Booksellers’ annual bestseller list.
In 2021, Manitoba Arts Council awarded her their Rural Recognition Prize (worth $10,000.00) to acknowledge her writing career. It also recognized her volunteer work to promote the arts in Eastman and develop the Winnipeg River Arts Council. In the same year, the University of Regina Press published “The Unravelling: Incest and the Destruction of a Family.” For seven years, along with author Lauren Carter, she has organized and hosted “Wild Writing in the Boreal,” an annual retreat for women writers, held at Falcon Trails Resort in Whiteshell Provincial Park. The forests of Eastern Manitoba, where she has always lived, provide endless ideas and settings for her “boreal stories.”
Josh Marantz
Board Member
Interlake Rep,
Arts Management
Born and raised in Winnipeg, Josh Marantz has over 40 years of experience in Business and the Arts.
At 13 he had his first paying gig with his band performing at a junior high school dance. It was the beginning of a very diversified career. Highlights include; writing and performing in over 40 CBC radio and television presentations, numerous stage productions, and owning and operating Yuk Yuk’s (Winnipeg) and the Ironwood Stage and Grill (Calgary).
Shortly after arriving in Calgary, Josh spent 6 years as Director of programming and communications at the Calgary Centre for Performing Arts. He was President of the current Calgary International Film Festival, leading the organization from inception through the successful conclusion of its first year. Marantz Productions established in 1997 involved artist management, concert, CD, video, film and event production, graphic arts and performing arts consulting. Josh also owns Tunzen Music, a publishing company with the copyright to over 50 recorded songs. He has served on the boards of numerous festivals and arts service organizations, conducted workshops and strategic planning, was a two-time JUNO judge, taught developmentally challenged adults how to work in the restaurant industry and was twice Executive Director of the Manitoba Arts Network covering Rose-Anne Harder’s maternity leave.
In 2020, Josh revived his acting career appearing as the lead in the stage production of Ron Blicq’s “Closure”.
Andria Stephens
Board Member
NorMan Regional Rep,
Mall of the Arts, Thompson
I was born and raised in Calgary Alberta and a professional singer and performer before I moved to Thompson, MB in 2014. I performed all over Alberta and Saskatchewan, having toured with groups like Toshi Jackson and the Silhouettes, Gary Martin and the Heavenly Blues Brothers and Donald Ray Johnson and the Raylettees. I have many years of experience writing songs and working with Digital Audio Workstations and have recorded music with other producers in different parts of the world since the late 90’s. I graduated from Mount Royal University in 2003 with a diploma in Business Administration and a Computer Science certificate.
I am the Co-Founder of the new Arts Organization in Thompson called Mall of The Arts (MOTA). MOTA exists to “Create a warm space for Northern community members and tourists to enjoy participating in artistic and cultural events together, uplifting social well being through the love and appreciation of the arts”. Having written several business plans in the past, I worked with the Women’s Enterprise Center of Manitoba to pen a business plan for MOTA which has acted as guide as I continue to work on building our board of directors, artist repertoire and acquiring a physical space for the organization. The more I engage in the community the more I see our workshop audience grow, develop new partnerships, and meet more artists in the community. Our recent documentary release “We are the artists of the north” Can be found on YouTube.
Jacqueline Pantel
Member at Large
Executive Director, Tiger Hills Arts Association
Photographer
Born in Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes, raised in the Municipality of Norfolk Treherne and then moved to Winnipeg. Jackie worked at the University of Manitoba for 33+ years. She obtained her Certificate in Photography with Honours at Red River College in 2000. That was in the age of film SLR cameras. Her passion for photography has never waivered, if anything it has expanded with the advent of digital photography. Her interest lays in corporate photography but enjoys capturing the lights and shadows that the outdoors gives you.
After moving back to the country in 2009 Jackie continued to commute to the UofM for several years but ultimately decided time had finally come to resign. She worked for Southern Health Santé Sud before accepting the position of Executive Director at the Tiger Hills Arts Association. Her business acumen, experience with research grant writing and passion for photography were the right ingredients for her career in the Arts.
Jackie joined the Manitoba Arts Network board in 2021.
Rrain Prior
Member at Large
Artist
Bio- Coming Soon