The 2025 Arts hall of Fame Inductees
The Arts Hall of Fame for 2025 is poised to induct a stellar panel of artists and recognize the community agencies that hone individual’s talents and simultaneously engage the masses in the production and enjoyment of popular art. International stars Gilles Godard and Paul Deslauriers are coming home to be fêted. Joining them under the stars are Barbara Hunter, founder, director of Seaway Winds, and Larry Keen, Sr., who founded and led the Keenagers for 20 years and created the persona Coco the Clown.
In addition to these individual greats, four art agencies or community organizations are being recognized as the incubators of individual talent and facilitators of communal efforts that have provided years of high-quality entertainment to locals and tourists alike.
Foremost among them is The Kinsmen Club of Cornwall. There is scarcely an area of community activity that the Kin haven’t supported, from kids’ soccer teams to the first play area in Lamoureux Park but they will be inducted into the Hall of Fame for the 69-year Kinsmen Music Festival.
Countless children of all ages participated as solo artists and in composite groups or whole classrooms. Although the Festival was last held in 2023, the Kin silently continue to support musical initiatives in the schools and in the community.
The Native North American Travelling College Akwesasne is recognized as the matrix of cultural education and revitalization since its founding in 1966. It is the centre for Haudenosauanee cultural knowledge with a focus on Akwesasne Mohawk territory where the capital for the Mohawk nation is maintained. Currently housing a museum and visitors’ centre on Cornwall Island, the Travelling College welcomes visitors to its site but, true to its name, the College travels to other communities too.
Rounding out the agencies’ presence in the Hall are two theatre groups. The first is Vagabond Theatre, which boasts of a 35-year run providing a repertoire of Canadian works, the last one at the future arts centre at 159 Pitt Street on the eve of COVID. Finally, the youngest player in local theatre, Seaway Valley Theatre Company, SVTC, will take its place in the Hall. Established only 20 years ago, SVTC has been steadily providing an annual playlist that includes a musical blockbuster at Aultsville Hall every year and regular performances at their newly acquired space on Sixth Street East.
Gilles Godard merits a dominant position in the Hall of Fame. President of Publishing at Anthem Entertainment Nashville, Gilles has wracked up countless awards: a Felix Award as an RCA French Recording Artist, Record Industry Person-of-the-Year by the Canadian Country Music Association, and member of the Canadian country Music Hall of Fame, to list only a few. Gilles has balanced his creative activities with exceptional business acumen.
Paul Deslauriers is a virtuoso on both electric and acoustic guitars. As a song writer and vocalist he has amassed credits internationally: winner of the Lys Blues Award for Artistic Performance and twice Album of the Year and entertainer of the year at the Maple Blues Awards just to name a few. Along with his band, Paul continues to perform in Blues Festivals in North America and Europe and often comes home to play to a full house at the Port Theatre.
As a youth, Barbara Hunter was musical prodigy who performed as trumpet soloist with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra at 16 years of age. In addition to performance, Barbara excelled in teaching, offering courses in trumpet and Music pedagogy at McGill and Concordia universities. Shortly after moving to the area, she founded Seaway Winds Concert Band in 2001 and she continues to direct them in public performances, enriching the community tremendously.
It is difficult to write of Larry Keen, Sr. without using superlatives. Larry experienced the joy of entertainment in performing for troops in WWII and he never stopped. In the 1950s in Cornwall, he developed the character Coco the Clown. Coco animated parades and civic events for the next 40 years, as late as 1999, delighting Children of all ages. In 1977, Larry turned his attention to seniors and established Larry Keen and the Keenagers, a choral group that brought merriment and song to public events and seniors’ residences for 25 years. Larry’s day jobs were equally prestigious: he was Chairman of the Larry Keen Group, a city alderman for 14 years and Cornwall’s Citizen of the Year in 1980.
These wonderful stars of the arts will be inducted into the Cornwall and area Arts Hall of Fame at a Gala on November 1, 2025 at the Best Western Hotel. For more information email [email protected]
