Honour in Culture Award

This award recognizes an individual, group or corporation who demonstrates outstanding support, advocacy, promotion or interpretation of Nanaimo’s arts culture and history.

2025 Recipient: Doug Roszmann

Doug Roszmann
Photo Credit: Sean Fenzl | @fenzlstudio

Doug Roszmann’s many years of service to the arts and culture choral and theatre community have inspired countless voices both young and old. As an educator, mentor, singer and passionate advocate for the arts, Doug has been instrumental in the promotion and preservation of musical theatre and music education in Nanaimo. For over 17 years, Doug worked for Nanaimo's school district as a music teacher, positively impacting an extraordinary amount of young students and performers. In retirement, through countless hours of volunteer work, Doug continues to encourage participation in music and theatre, including serving as a volunteer singer, administrator and conductor for numerous groups. With an understanding that music can be a medium for sharing the joy of the performing arts and for personal development and growth, Doug has inspired untold numbers of people to discover their own love and passion for this art form.

2025 Recipient: Tsatassaya Tracey White

Tsatassaya Tracey White
Photo Credit: Sean Fenzl | @fenzlstudio

Tsatassaya Tracey White is a curator, producer, event planner, and community mobilizer from the Snuneymuxw and Hupacasath Nations. A passionate advocate for Indigenous arts and culture, Tsatassaya has directed, produced, and acted in plays performed in both English and her Indigenous language, hul’q’umi’num’. As the founder and co-producer of the annual Sumshathut Festival, which celebrates the Winter Solstice, and qwuy’ulush ‘utl Swy-a-lana, an Indigenous dance festival, she has played a pivotal role in enriching Nanaimo’s cultural landscape and uplifting Indigenous voices through vibrant and inclusive community events. Tsatassaya's commitment to relationship-building and community connection is evident, uniting communities across the Island, and creating space for meaningful conversations around decolonization and reconciliation through the arts. By weaving together traditional cultural knowledge with contemporary artistic expression, Tsatassaya has made a lasting impact on the cultural community. Her work continues to foster connection and dialogue around reconciliation, language revitalization, advocacy, and cultural sharing.

Past Recipients

• Joyce Horner (1998)
• Gordon Kirby (1999)
• Alastair and Isabel Highet (2000)
• Roger Desprez (2001)
• Thora Howell (2002)
• Nanaimo Theatre Group (2003)
• Upper Island Music Festival (2004)
• Coastal Community Credit Union (2005)
• Bea McLeod (2007)
• Arts Alive Summer School of the Fine Arts (2008)
• Camela Tang (2009)
• Holly Bright (2010)
• Sandra Thomson (2011)
• Marian Smith (2012)
• Eveline O'Rourke (2013)
• Ian Niamath (2014)
• Arlene Blundell (2015)
• Debbie Trueman (2016)
• Gerda Hofman (2017)
• William Good (2018)
• Dean Chadwick (2019)
• Trish & Geoff Horrocks (2020)
• Marianne Turley (2021)
• Christine Whitelaw (2021)
• Bruce Halliday (2022)
• Margot Holmes (2023)
• Sukhi Sangha (2024)

Questions?

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