Winnipeg sound and media artist Ken Gregory wins $30K distinction award

CBC

08-05-2025

Ken Gregory, known for his kindness and generosity as much as his creativity in transforming discarded and abandoned material into inspired artworks, has been awarded the 2025 Manitoba Arts Award of Distinction.
The $30,000 prize is given annually to a professional artist or arts/cultural professional in recognition of the highest level of artistic excellence and contribution to the development of the arts in Manitoba, said a news release from the Manitoba Arts Council.
"For over 30 years, Ken has been a trailblazer in the arts sector, building an impressive body of performance and installation work in sound, video, computer programming, hardware hacking, interactive electronics and robotics," the news release says about the award.
"Truly an artist ahead of his time," he was integral to the success of countless organizations, such as Video Pool Media Arts Centre and send + receive: A Festival of Sound.
Ken Gregory's electro-mechanical sound installation wind coil sound flow transforms wind-generated vibrations on a kite's towline into harmonic frequencies. (Submitted by the Manitoba Arts Council)
Gregory's practice has taken him across the world, participating in prestigious residencies and exhibitions from Finland to Australia and Berlin.
His work has been exhibited across Canada and internationally, including his audio installation 12 Motor Bells, which was acquired by the National Gallery of Ottawa.
That installation features 12 fire alarm bells hanging next to 12 wheels of brushes.
Movement in the room, or temperature changes, are detected by sensors and communicated to the motorized brush wheels, which then graze the bells and create a vibrating shimmer at a low volume, an artist statement says.
Gregory maintains a YouTube page called Cheap Meat Dreams and Acorns, where he shares video documentation of many of his media artworks.
Motorized brushes graze fire alarm bells and create a vibrating shimmer in Ken Gregory's installation 12 motor bells. (Cheap Meat Dreams and Acorns/YouTube)
Fellow artists Daniel Barrow and Clint Enns, who nominated Gregory for the award, describe him as an artist's artist who is held in the highest esteem by his peers, says the news release.
"He is always quick to share his techniques and offer creative solutions to other artists. This openness and willingness to experiment is fundamental to his practice and is combined with a rigorous analysis and critique — a rare combination that has infiltrated the Canadian art scene in incalculable ways due to Gregory's kindness and determined protocol for generosity," the nomination says.
All nominations for the award were reviewed by a multidisciplinary panel of peers who made their decision based on the artistic excellence of the candidate's work and their contribution to the development of the arts in Manitoba, the news release says.
Past award of distinction recipients include Jennine Krauchi (2024), Di Brandt (2023), Daina Warren (2022) and Alan Greyeyes (2020).