SNAC RIse Up Mentorship and GerryFest Program

The SNAC Rise Up Mentorship Program and GerryFest are paused for 2025. We look forward to providing a mentorship program in the Spring 2026. Please check back in January 2026 for more information on these programs.

Time Capsule

Gerry Fest Mentorship 2023 - Rise Up

On August 12, 2023, SNAC hosted the Annual GerryFest in honour of Gerry Atwell, a musician, writer, community builder, and mentor to many, who was involved at SNAC in various roles for over 25 years. GerryFest 2023 featured the work of the program participants who completed SNAC’s Rise Up Mentorship program. They were invited to exhibit visual art in the Women of Vision Gallery or perform live at the Gerry Atwell Amphitheatre. SNAC partnered with Black History Manitoba for this year's event and received funding support from FACTOR Canada.

Artistic Director: Ashley Bieniarz

Artistic Director: Ashley Bieniarz (Kwiat)

Mentors: Stephen Carroll of Manitoba Film & Music; Cathleen Enns of Manitoba Arts Council; Claire Boning of Misfit Music Management; Chole Chafe of Synonym Arts Consultation; Ami Cheon; JayWood; Begonia; Dan St. Yves; Naomi Gerrard; Lisa Whitehouse & More; Alex Sannie of Manitoba Music

Mentees

Shay Wolf

Singer Songwriter
Xiaojun "Ada" Zhang

Visual Artist using paitning and embroidery
Kozii

Hip-hop/rap artist and song writer
Kwea Kobain

Hip-hop Artist
Tega

R&B and Pop Singer Songwriter
Zen Thompson

Visual Artist and Film Maker
RJ Martinez

Rock Fusion Musician
Emmanual Bonger

Bassist and vocalist of ‘spectrums.’
Allie James

multi-genre singer-songwriter

GerryFest 2022 Mentorship - Love Letters to Community

Gerry Fest Mentorship program is about how each mentee feels life and wants to share it with us. The program provides a secure, intimate place to nourish and inform artistic growth. We'd like to thank you all for attending Gerry Fest and for supporting the Gerry Atwell Endowment fund. We'd like to thank every mentee and mentor as they've placed their trust in the process of creation in the valleys of vulnerability. We'd like to thank the Committee and SNAC for supporting this vision. Gerry believed in the mutli-faceted world of art. It never has one voice or one face. It's to be explored and it's magic honoured. Gerry meant so much to so many people. This mentorship is a way to keep his spirit present and actions within reach to observe & follow.

Artistic Director: Elliott Walsh (Nestor Wynrush)

Mentors: Ogo Okumabua, Sonya Ballantayne, Jen Doerksen, Jaywood, Ashley (Kwiat), Luther Mallory

Mentees:

Cosmic River (Eric Lavoie) He/Him — Musician, Mary Clare "Clary" Ines — Graphic Design/ Visual Artist, Daisy Caneda — Musician, Kara Rose — Musician, Anuna Oman Ojwato — Visual Artist & Fashion, Destiny Wilby She/Her — Musician, Ryan Cameron — Novelist , Isaac Kelly Kirugi — Photography, Jocelyn Chorney She/He — Poet/ Multi discipline

Guest Facilitators: Naomi Gerrard, Louise May, Sharon Mctyre, Judy Williams, Pheobe Man

Community Partners: African Super Creative Arts Centre, Broadway Neighbourhood Centre, Black History Manitoba, CEDA, Manitoba Music, Social Planning Council of Winnipeg - Immigration Partnership Winnipeg, Tech Voc High Schoo, The Holistic Ongoing Opportunities Development-Facilitation and Management Services Inc. or The HOODFAMS Inc., Aurora Farm, Manitoba Art Council, Factor, Government of Canada

GerryFest 2021 & SNAC Mentorship Project – Raising New Voices

On August 13, 14 & 15, 2021 SNAC hosted the second Annual GerryFest in honour of our long time supporter and mentor, Gerry Atwell who passed away suddenly in November, 2019.

This year’s GerryFest featured the works of nine mentees who completed the Raising New Voices mentorship program that SNAC launched in February 2021. The mentorship program was supported with a grant from the Manitoba Government, Ethnocultural Community Support Program. Emerging artists were referred to this project by community organizations with a specific goal to invite artists to this training program from communities underrepresented in arts sectors.

Raising New Voices - Each One, Teach One - Action/Liberation/Healing Through Community/Relationship Building

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR : Brendan Kinley

MENTORS : Ashley Au, Sierra Noble, Franklin Fernando

MENTEE’S : Kelvin Bett – Visual Artist, Jace Bodner – Musician & Songwriter, Emmanuel Bongar – Filmmaking, Jibu Kamabu - Visual Artist, Albert Kandie - Writer, Ethan Lyric – Musician & Songwriter, Pajack Obeing – Visual Artist, Tomiwa Omolayo - Musician & Producer, Allen Odongoh – Visual Artist

GUEST FACILITATORS : Phoebe Man, Louise May, Yisa Akinbolaji, Judy Williams, Naomi Gerrard

COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS : Broadway Neighbourhood Centre, The Holistic Ongoing Opportunities Development Facilitation and Management Services Inc. (HoodFams), Ethnocultural Council of Manitoba – Stronger Together, Kenya Association, Black History Manitoba, The Community Education Development Association (CEDA)