Curve Lake member appointed to Ontario Arts Council

By Sam Laskaris

CURVE LAKE FIRST NATION – Missy Knott already had a rather busy life, but when an offer came her way earlier this year, it was too good to pass up.

As a result, the 34-year-old singer/songwriter from Curve Lake First Nation is now a member of the 12-person Ontario Arts Council (OAC).

Dave Smith, the MPP for Peterborough-Kawartha, a riding that includes Curve Lake First Nation, is the one who suggested Knott be added to the council.

“He had called me at the beginning of the year, asked me what I was doing and if I had time for more,” Knott said.

Knott was already rather familiar with the OAC, the province’s main funding body for art organizations and professional artists, as she had received an OAC grant about a decade earlier.

The OAC provides services and grants to artists and organizations that support arts education, Indigenous arts, community arts, crafts, dance, Francophone arts, literature, media arts, multidisciplinary arts, music, theatre, touring, and visual arts.

“There was no hesitation at all,” Knott said of Smith’s offer to join the council.

Smith said he first worked with Knott in 2017 during a hockey tournament in Peterborough.

“I have witnessed the impact that Missy has had not only to those in Curve Lake, but the greater Peterborough area,” he said.

Smith is also the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport.

“I know Missy will bring a unique and important voice to the OAC and ensure arts and culture will continue to flourish throughout the province,” he said.

The OAC was launched in 1963, and Knott is the first Curve Lake member to serve on the council.

Her appointment was officially announced in mid-October.

She attended her first board meeting remotely, a couple of days after her announcement was made public.

Knott plans to attend future board meetings in-person. Meetings are scheduled every three months in Toronto.

“It’s an incredible learning opportunity for me,” she said. “I feel this is the perfect opportunity to see how different projects and events are navigated.”

Knott has been appointed to a three-year term on the board. All members of the board have been appointed by provincial representatives.

Council members are community leaders with various areas of expertise in the arts, and Knott has been releasing country music since 2009. Her connections to Curve Lake and growing up in nearby Peterborough are infused into her music.

Knott also launched her own record label, Wild Rice Records, in 2018.

“That was just before the pandemic,” Knott said. “It wasn’t the best time to do it but I’ve learned a lot.”

Knott’s record label was not created to simply release her own music. Instead, it is a company that assists with youth outreach, mentorship, recording, and community connections.

Knott is especially keen to work with Indigenous artists.

Her involvement with the OAC will also assist with this goal.

“Success is not an individual achievement, but the result of learning, engaging, collaborating, and hard work,” Knott added. “The same is true of communities, and I am so happy to be a part of this one. When we support, guide, nurture, inspire, and raise each other up, we succeed both individually and as a community.”