Puppets Up! is thrilled to share some magical community news. On Friday, June 26, representatives from the festival attended the Almonte District High School graduation to present the second annual Noreen Young Award for the Arts to an incredibly talented local youth: Casey Gayton.
Many in Mississippi Mills already know Casey from his outstanding, high-energy volunteerism. Whether he’s helping bring the magic to life at Puppets Up!, hanging out at the Mississippi Mills Youth Centre, helping out at the Almonte Fair and Car Toot Bingo, or greeting neighbours at his job at Jonsson’s YIG, Casey embodies the community spirit Noreen loved so much. This September, Casey will be taking his talents to St. Lawrence College to study Animation and Game Design.
Stephen Brathwaite (Noreen’s brother) and Jane Torrance (Chair of Puppets Up!) were proud to present the $1,000 award to Casey. Established in 2025 following Noreen’s passing—with the inaugural award going to Mycah Olson—the prize supports a Mississippi Mills student pursuing post-secondary education in the arts. The selection committee noted that Casey not only fits the artistic criteria perfectly, but his dedication as a volunteer truly set him apart.
Managed in partnership with the Ottawa Community Foundation, this award will be made annually in perpetuity through the Mississippi Mills Community Fund.
A Special Exhibition at Sivarulrasa Gallery
The exciting news doesn’t stop there! Puppets Up! is delighted to recognize a wonderful new partnership with Sivarulrasa Gallery to help grow this award for future generations.
From August 1 to September 4, 2026, Sivarulrasa Gallery and Puppets Up! will jointly present Noreen Young: Drawings & Illustrations. This special exhibition features a curated selection of early works on paper created during Noreen’s formative art years (when she was known as Noreen Brathwaite), including pieces from 1959-60 while she attended the Ontario College of Art.
The exhibition provides a beautiful, rare window into the early imagination of a creative force who would go on to shape Canadian childhoods through Under the Umbrella Tree and Hi Diddle Day, and bring international acclaim to her hometown by founding Puppets Up!. The show perfectly complements this year’s Puppets Up! festival, taking place August 8-9 in historic downtown Almonte.
How You Can Support Future Artists
In an incredibly generous gesture, the estate of Noreen Young has donated these early works for sale, and Sivarulrasa Gallery is donating its time and services. This means 100% of the proceeds (less sales tax) will go directly into the Noreen Young Award for the Arts fund. The gallery will also issue a Certificate of Authenticity with each purchase.
Want to help keep Noreen’s creative legacy alive? You can take home a vibrant piece of history by purchasing an early Noren Young artwork at Sivarulrasa Gallery this August, or you can make a direct, tax-deductible financial donation to the fund online to the Noreen Young Award for the Arts by Puppets Up!.
Either way, you are helping the next generation of local artists pull their own creative strings!
