Wpg Free Press: Luncheon celebrates city’s vibrant cultural scene
Michael Nesbitt [BA/57, BComm/56, LLD/15] receives Arts Champion Award
As the Winnipeg Free Press reports on alumnus Michael Nesbitt [BA/57, BComm/56, LLD/15]:
During the recent NHL playoffs, Winnipeg Jets winger Patrik Laine coined a new, unofficial civic slogan: “Winnipeg is good.”
But those familiar with this city’s vibrant arts scene already knew that.
People might not pack out Portage and Main chanting Go, Arts, Go! — though they definitely should — but the 12th annual Mayor’s Luncheon for the Arts and the Winnipeg Arts Council Awards, which took place at the Fort Garry Hotel on Thursday, was an opportunity to highlight and celebrate the accomplishments and contributions of this city’s emerging and established artists, across disciplines…
Michael Nesbitt, chairman and president of Winnipeg’s Montrose Mortgage Corp. and a supporter of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, took home the Arts Champion Award. Nesbitt was instrumental in bringing composer and pianist Philip Glass to Winnipeg in January.
“The bulk of the work done in our city, culturally, is in front of us,” he said. “It’s not me. It’s simple to write a cheque. It doesn’t take much in the way of skill. Those in front of us today represent the heart and soul of the cultural community that we’re a part of. We should be proud of it. I’m proud of it.”