Marie Sharpe is Costume Designer and Wardrobe Mistress, Arts and Culture Centres, Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation. She demonstrates exceptional performance as it relates to leadership, valuing people, innovation and service delivery.

During her years in this position Marie has grown the costume bank into a province-wide cultural resource. Today, it is the envy of many similar public and private endeavors in Canada. The costume bank started as a modest sewing and wardrobe room in the mid 1970s and under Marie’s leadership and vision, it now holds over 20,000 costumes, accessories and irreplaceable vintage items.

Marie’s approach to her work is innovative and creative. Many cultural works that have brought us national attention have been clothed in garments created by Marie. She goes beyond the call in her interactions with the performing arts community, assisting them in their struggles and doing her utmost to make them feel comfortable.

Marie is regarded as a mentor, inspiring role model and friend. She is described by her co-workers as a woman with extraordinary patience, kindness, and understanding.

During her work with the Arts and Culture Centres and within the broader cultural community, Marie never loses sight of who we are as a people and has continued to seek new ways of supporting the arts community and arts programming in our schools. Clients by the thousands attest to her unfailing support.

Marie never relaxes her keen respect for budgets, whether within her own division, or that of the hundreds of clients who produce at the centre or elsewhere in the province. Keeping her costume designs and creations under a strict financial eye allows her clients to have more flexibility in other areas of production.

She offers her care, concern and consideration to one and all and does so with dignity and grace. For more than 30 years of exceptional service to clients Marie Sharpe truly deserves the Public Service Award of Excellence.

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