Snyder is off to start a new business venture

Here and Now column by Dan Hilborn
Published April 24, 2004


One of the most active players in the Burnaby arts community for the past eight years is heading out of town to set up his own fine arts firm this month.

Gord Snyder, publicist for the City of Burnaby arts and cultural division, will be leaving the beautiful surroundings of the Shadbolt Arts Centre this weekend to become a principal partner in Snyder Hedlin Fine Arts, which will operate in Edmonton, Calgary and the Lower Mainland.

"I love Deer Lake Park and I'm really going to miss it, but this was a terrific opportunity," said the always upbeat arts aficionado. "I'll be taking on projects for artists and non-profits and other galleries.

"Basically, it's exactly what I've been doing here, but now I'll be doing it as a consultant."

Snyder will be taking the many skills he used in Burnaby to help promote and build the arts across Western Canada, and one of his first contracts will be with the Works International Visual Arts Society, producers of one of the biggest outdoor festivals in Edmonton.

"They've hired me to take their 20 years of history, archive it and produce a documentary film, exhibition and publication," Snyder said. "That's just one of the projects I'll be working on."

While his firm already has an office open in Calgary, Snyder will help set up offices in Edmonton while maintaining his base in Burnaby. For the next two years, he expects to spend much time flying between the three cities.

Once things settle down, he also hopes to get started on a personal project that has intrigued him for the past decade - a history of the art gallery in Burnaby. While Snyder is coy about exactly what will be in his upcoming book, he is already looking into rumours that the ghost of the Ceperley mansion has a penchant for chasing curators.

"I'll be busy, but I think it'll also be fun," Snyder said.

Good luck out there, Gord. And we hope to still see you around, occasionally.

SINGING FOR A CAUSE

Burnaby's own Carmelina Cupo will perform songs from her newly released second album at a fundraising dinner to benefit research into childhood cancers next month.

The 99 Red Balloons casino, dinner and dance, sponsored by the Giovanni Bastone Foundation, will see all proceeds go to the Michael Cuccione Foundation, a charitable organization set up to honour the memory of a talented young Burnaby man who died of Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2001.

"We are honoured that the Giovanni Bastone Foundation has selected us as the recipients of the proceeds from their inaugural casino night," said Domenic Cuccione, Michael's father and a director of the foundation.

"As Michael said, 'One person can only do so much, but together we can make a difference,'" said his father.

Michael Cuccione was born in Burnaby in 1985 and was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma at the age of nine. In 1996, the Children's Make a Wish Foundation granted Michael's dream of playing a supporting role on the popular television series Baywatch, and after that he landed a role in an MTV movie and series called 2gether, which aired for two seasons before Michael's medical condition caught up to him.

Cupo will perform Nena's 99 Red Balloons plus songs from the CD I- 5 Dreams which was released earlier this month.

99 Red Balloons will be held at the Italian Cultural Centre on May 22, and tickets to the event are $60. For information, tickets or to make a donation, contact the Giovanni Bastone Foundation at 604-612-4797 or the Michael Cuccione Foundation at 604-841-5593.

COMMENDATION

Gary Pawson of Burnaby was among 14 British Columbians to receive a commendation from the Minister of Veterans Affairs John McCallum at a ceremony in Vancouver last month.

Pawson is a longtime volunteer with local veterans and is credited with helping to convince local government to rename landmarks after B.C.'s Victoria Cross recipients and nominated VC- recipient Ernest A. (Smokey ) Smith for the Order of British Columbia.

Pawson also helps maintain the graves of veterans in the local cemeteries, and teaches classes to new Canadians on our country's military history and achievements. He has also donated many books and publications on Canada's armed forces and its veterans to local elementary and secondary schools.

Do you know someone who deserves a mention in the Here and Now column? Send it to dhilborn@burnabynow.

"Mr. Pawson has made a real impact on the lives of veterans and he is recognized by his peers for his extraordinary dedication and commitment to honouring their lives and their contributions to Canada," said a press release issued by National Defence, Maritime Forces Pacific Headquarters in Esquimalt.

VETERANS REMEMBERED

Calling all families of deceased Canadian veterans.

The federal Ministry of Veterans Affairs is preparing to publish its Seventh Book of Remembrance to commemorate the men and women of this country who have died as a result of their military service since 1947.

The ministry is currently working with the National Archives of Canada to identify the names of those who will be mentioned in the book, but they are also seeking the public's help.

"To ensure the integrity of this book, we are asking Canadians to come forward with any information they may have on members of the Canadian Forces who have died as a result of their service since 1947," said a press release issued earlier this month.

Previous Books of Remembrance have named the Canadians who died in the First and Second World Wars, the Korean War, the 1885 Nile Expedition and South African War as well as the Merchant Navy and Newfoundland and Labrador Forces. (Person named in the earlier books, will not be included in the Seventh Book of Remembrance.)

The project needs to know the rank, name, post nominals, service number, branch, unit, higher headquarters and date of death for all persons nominated for inclusion in the book.

Information can be sent to Veterans Affairs Canada, Canada Remembers, Seventh Book of Remembrance project, 66 Slater - 12th Floor, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0P4 or send an e-mail to commemoration@vac-acc.gc.ca.