Thank You!

I would like to thank our financial supporters for the Rockwell Kent Centennial Celebration:
Winona National Bank, Elizabeth Callender King Foundation, The Winona Foundation, Winona Fine Arts Commission, Frozen River Film Festival, Coca-Cola of Winona, Boats and Bluegrass, The Laurie Lucas Family, Slaggie Family Foundation, and Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council.

I would like to thank the Minnesota Marine Arts Museum, Winona State University, Saint Mary's University of Minnesota, Winona Public Library, Theatre du Mississippi, City of Winona, Great River Shakespeare Festival, Winona county Historical Society, and Visit Winona for being partners in this Centennial Celebration.

I would like to thank the Rockwell Kent Centennial Committee-all twenty six of them-for all the work that they have done in the last two years. I would like to thank the many volunteers who helped out during this very successful festival, thank you very much! A very special thanks to Henry Adams, Richard West, Beth Christensen, and Emilio DeGrazia, Kent Gernander for their excellent presentations. The presentations are available on the "Symposium" page of this website.

A very special thanks to Lynn Nankivil and her director Judy Myers and all the fine actors, staff, and musicians on their masterpiece “Angels in the Trees”.

Special thanks to Frederick Lewis for coming here to show his documentary on Rockwell Kent, Greg Neidhart, Andrew Higl and the team of technicians. Ralf Nemec for bringing some of his private collection of Kent prints for the shows at WSU & SMU, Don Roberts of the “Kent Review” and staff. Ceil Espositio, Marguerite Einsman from Plattsburgh State University of New York, Heidi Bryant our amazing web master! Harry Kline from HBC for filming the video on Briarcombe and Peter Walsh for directing and editing the movie. Margaret Shaw Johnson for all her good help and advice during this long journey. Fran Edstrom the publisher of the Winona Post (Catfish Mary)! and Sarah Squires for believing in this from the start. Monica and Emilio DeGrazia, Jim McGuire, Walt Bennick, Blandine Berthelot, Tom Fassbender, Crystal Hegge, Bernadette Mahfood.

Mary Alice Anderson our volunteer coordinator. Eric Bunge, Irene Erkenbrack and the whole staff of GRSF. Preston Lawing, Lion Smith and students who helped install the shows at the WSU and SMU.
John Heid from Tucson who helped me come up with the idea of the centennial celebration.

John Njoes the ice sculptor, Blue Heron Coffee House, Plaza Hotel & Suites. Ellis Inman and his assistant Stephanie for volunteering to be the photographers for the whole event. Rob Thomas from GRSF for being the bus tour guide and Rockwell Kent historian. Thank you to all of you who attended the five day event from Winona, and all around the midwest and the nation. A big thank you also goes to Mrs Brown who came here from Newfoundland for the event!

Lastly I would like to thank my wife Anne for also believing in me all the way from that first meeting at Hardies Restaurant twenty years ago.

Forgive me for you that I have forgotten to thank.

Thank you all for your amazing support towards this centennial celebration that was very successful. Many people came here from afar and were dazzled by the cultural richness of Winona.

During his time here a hundred years ago Rockwell Kent mentioned that Winona was “a cultural no mans land“! Rockwell Kent thank your for visiting our little town a hundred years ago and helping us all get together to make it a rich cultural destination!

- Taff Roberts