She was well-known for her signature beehive hairdo. But it was her passion for the arts that keeps the legacy of Bernice Adams alive.
On May 23, the 41st Bernice Adams Awards ceremony will see awards, bursaries and scholarships presented to support youth and adults in Cambridge who work toward achieving their goals in the arts.
After the untimely death of the former city councillor in 1980, the Bernice Adams Legacy was initiated in 1982 by the City of Cambridge in recognition of her many contributions.
Adams was known to be heavily involved in her community as a politician, radio host, weekly columnist novelist, and actor, often taking to the Galt Little Theatre stage.
Shannon MacKinnon, a working actress from Cambridge has been a member of the Bernice Adams Awards committee for the last two years.
“I moved from Hamilton to Cambridge and then joined the committee. It’s almost like you get to meet Bernice Adams by being on the committee and to see the work from other members including Kelly, her daughter, and her granddaughter Paige. So you kind of get a sense of who Bernice was,” MacKinnon said. “And wow! What a neat lady she was."
The purpose of the awards night is to recognize individuals and groups in the community for their outstanding contributions to the artistic and cultural life of Cambridge in communications, literary arts, music, performing arts and visual arts, as well as those under the age of 18 in the youth category.
MacKinnon said the Heart of the Arts Award is a special honour that recognizes a particularly outstanding achievement.
“The Heart of Arts Award is the biggest. It’s kind of like a lifetime achievement award. This year, that's going to Kyle Priestly,” MacKinnon said.
Since 2017, Priestly is the creative director and owner of Gaslight Events Company Inc. and has collaborated with the City of Cambridge and HIP developments in creating the city’s Gaslight Square.
“Kyle knows of the award. But everyone else nominated, will find out on the night. They have no idea, which is the fun part,” MacKinnon said.
Since its inception, 202 awards have been presented and 203 student scholarships given out, as well as $36,000 in bursaries.
“My role in the committee is to be in communication with all of the nominees, telling them that they’ve been nominated, coordinating for photos and with media. For me, I’m lucky because I got to meet a lot of the nominees. It was so great to put a face to a name,” MacKinnon said.
“You read about them and all of the great things they are doing, and you think, who is this mysterious person in Cambridge doing such wonderful things?”
Working as an actress and through her role with the Bernice Adams Awards, MacKinnon hopes she can inspire youth on their path in the arts.
“From a youth perspective, I understand the fear of maybe choosing a career in the arts, especially when you’re in Grade 12 and trying to figure out what you your want to do with your life. For me, I could have very much gone on a more stable path, such as becoming a nurse, just like my mother,” MacKinnon said.
MacKinnon first found out about the committee from her acting coach.
“He mentioned it to me. He won the award in the past and said if you want to get to know the Cambridge arts community, this is definitely a way to help inspire youth, and really get to know the city through the arts,” MacKinnon said.
“It’s really come full circle for me.”
Hosted by comedian Tige Wright, the awards ceremony will take place at Four Fathers Brewery on May 23 at 7 p.m.
For more information, visit here.
Nominations for the annual event are were open until February.
“Some of our past winners are actually on the committee right now. There have been writers and artists. Sometimes people who win the award want to give back to the community and join the committee. They want to keep the legacy going,” MacKinnon said.
MacKinnon said it's been a wonderful experience to be able to connect with local artists and to celebrate all of the arts and culture that the city has to offer.
"It’s been really inspiring for me to be on this committee. I didn’t really know much before. Through this, I am blown away to see this massive pool of creative people in this city," she said.
"My hope is to bring awareness, spread the message, and let people know more about the committee and Bernice Adams. There’s so many amazing artists that people may never have had the opportunity to come across."
The list of finalists for this year's awards ceremony can be found here.
To her friends and family, Adams was 'a good friend, a caring individual, and a woman of courage and conviction.'
"It's amazing to see her legacy carry on," MacKinnon said.
"I wish she was still around. I would have so many questions for her.”
