MANITOULIN—4elements Living Arts is pleased to announce two new staffing appointments. Sophie Anne Edwards, the founder of 4elements, has been formally hired as the executive director through generous Ontario Trillium Foundation funding, and Kendra Edwards (no relation to Sophie Edwards) has been hired as our community arts program assistant intern through funding by the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation.
Gary Fuhrman, the board secretary and hiring chair, stated: “We interviewed some candidates with exceptional abilities, including a candidate from Toronto, but none as strong as Sophie. The board of directors is really looking forward to working with her to carry out her creative vision, and we think many communities on Manitoulin and elsewhere in Northern Ontario will benefit from it.” Congratulations have been pouring in from 4e’s partners such as NORDIK in Sault Ste. Marie stating their support for the hire, noting that they are looking forward to building the relationships with Sophie Edwards and 4e and moving forward on shared projects.
The 4e board of directors received five applications for the ED position, two of which were from Manitoulin.
The excitement builds as this week 4e hired its community arts program assistant intern through its Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation funding.
“We have found a fantastic intern who has already started training with Sophie (who will formally start as ED in mid-February),” a press rlease from 4e states. Kendra Edwards recently graduated from the University of Ottawa with a specialization in communication. Her course work covered a wide range of training such as organizational communication methods, negotiation and mediation techniques, advertising and social media projects, media ethics, group dynamics, and cultural studies. Locally, she has been involved in Billings Township through a CAP-youth internship at the local library and by volunteering for various other community events.
“This position with 4elements will allow me to work with the executive director on community events and programs that combine the arts, land, and local communities,” Kendra Edwards states. “In addition this position will make use of my experience with documentary filmmaking of the arts and gathering quantitative research results for a local Ottawa business (SPSS training). I look forward to my time with 4elements as a rewarding opportunity for applying my skills and gaining practical experience.” And she’s no newcomer to the arts scene, being the daughter of local artists Barb and Richard Edwards of Kagawong.
4e’s next step will be to set up an office space in an Island community. 4elements is currently accepting proposals from townships and local organization. If you are interested in bringing 4e’s presence into your community, please submit information about the rental parameters, potential partner relationship and expectations to Sophie Edwards: sophie@4elementslivingarts.org
