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Local receives prestigious national award
A Cranbrook resident has been bestowed with a prestigious national award.
Sae Hoon (Stan) Chung was recently presented the 2026 Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Voluntarism in the Performing Arts during the annual Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards.
The honour recognizes outstanding voluntary service to the performing arts by an individual or group. Nominations for this category are open to the public.
The annual Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards celebration is the result of a dynamic creative partnership between the Awards Foundation, Canada Council for the Arts, Canada’s National Arts Centre and the National Film Board of Canada, which produces short films of the recipients that premiere at the GGPAA show.
Sae Hoon (Stan) Chung is a writer, educator, and consultant whose career is deeply intertwined with service to arts organizations, public institutions, and Indigenous communities, noted a Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards website biography.
“He has played a crucial role in enhancing accessibility and relevance in arts programs in his home province of British Columbia, notably during his tenure as chair of the BC Arts Council, and his dedication to promoting diversity, inclusivity, equity, and community-centred stewardship, particularly in non-urban and Indigenous communities, has had a tremendous influence on organizations nationwide.
“Recognized as a champion for change in Canada’s arts community, he continues to contribute his time and expertise to advancing cultural and educational equity,” the website outlined.
Dr. Chung was born in Seoul, Korea, and raised in Canada. He holds a BA and a PhD from the University of British Columbia (where he wrote his dissertation on improvisation and quantum listening in the work of experimental music composer Pauline Oliveros) and an MA from the University of Toronto.
As three-time-appointed chair of the BC Arts Council, he strengthened the council’s commitment to expanding its outreach and communication efforts, recognizing regionally distinct arts practices, challenging outdated funding models, integrating Indigenous perspectives, and improving program accessibility.
He serves as chair of the board of the Royal BC Museum and on the EDIA Council (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility) at Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning Canada (CEWIL Canada).
Chung is a board member of the Ka·kin Group (the economic arm of Yaq̓it ʔa·knuqⱡi’it First Nation) and a former board member of the Cranbrook History Centre and ʔaq̓am Community Enterprises.
He has served as a volunteer advisor to several First Nation communities and agencies, sharing his expertise in governance, strategic change, and reconciliation-focused education, with an emphasis on listening, trust-building, and systems change.
Chung is the former Vice President Academic and Applied Research at the College of the Rockies in Cranbrook, as well as former Vice President Academic and Research at Red River College (Winnipeg, MB), and Dean of Arts and Science at Camosun College (Victoria).
He has written and spoken widely, and is the author of two books, Global Citizen: River of Love and Other Essays (2011) and I Held My Breath for a Year (2016)
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