Lee Kanten, Ortonville film and music artist, named 2023 SMAC Prairie Disciple

Oct. 11—ORTONVILLE

— The thought that he would deserve, let alone win an award for his decade of arts volunteering and advocacy has never even crossed Lee Kanten's mind. So when his wife brought him up to the

Big Stone County Historical Museum

in May, saying his sister wanted to show him something, and to just ignore all the cars and people at the museum, Kanten didn't question it.

When he started recognizing people in the crowd and saw

Southwest Minnesota Arts Council

Executive Director Nicole DeBoer holding a big check, with Kanten's name on it no less, it still hadn't quite sunk in.

"I was so slow on the pick up," Kanten said, even thinking perhaps he was there to honor someone else. "When the dawn arrived, I just started crying, just wept."

Kanten was named the

2023 SMAC Prairie Disciple

, an award given annually to an individual in the 18-county region SMAC serves. It recognizes the person's involvement, activities, volunteerism and advocacy in the arts in their community and the SMAC region.

Kanten has used his skills in film production and music to help various organizations and individuals over the years. He created films for the

Big Stone Health Care Foundation

, held jam sessions and open mic events for the public and performs regularly at nursing homes and for residents of the Divine House.

"All I did was what is fun for me to do," Kanten said, adding he got as much out of it as the people he was playing for and helping. "If anything, what the award convinced me of is I have a lot of work to do."

Kanten grew up in

Ortonville

, and graduated from

Southwest Minnesota State University

with a bachelor's degree in television and theater.

For many years, as Lee Pictures, he created films for various Fortune 100 companies and nonprofits such as DuPont, Hazelden, Johnson Institute, SoleCare for Souls, Habitat for Humanity and Compassion International. His films covered topics such as sexual violence, addiction, education and more.

"That became very powerful work," Kanten said.

Music has also played a big role in Kanten's life. He started playing on stage at the young age of 10 with his uncles who were members of a well-known band around

Milan

. As Kanten grew he continued to play, including with a rock and roll band in Ortonville and a 1950s group that even traveled the country for a few years. Eventually he and his brother started playing shows at area nursing homes.

"It was the sweetest gig ever," Kanten said, because there the audience really listens and reacts to the music. "We started to realize the power of music."

Ten years ago, Kanten and his wife, Jeanie, decided it was time to retire and wanted to move somewhere exotically different from their lives in Minneapolis. That locale ended up being Ortonville.

"It has just been a great retirement for us. Both of us have felt such an explosion of creativity," Kanten said.

Part of that increase in artistic output probably comes from the gift of time in retirement, Kanten said, but there is also the accessibility of art and artisans one finds in small towns.

"There is just this wonderful, creative community in these small towns," Kanten said.

Back in his hometown, Kanten has been able to find artistic ways to volunteer and found new communities and relationships to be part of. He discovered he enjoys working with the disabled community as well as continuing his performances at nursing homes and volunteering with the

Big Stone Arts Council

.

"We all like to be needed and in small communities you are needed," Kanten said. "Your impact is pretty measurable and pretty observable."

And while Kanten was doing all of this, people were definitely taking notice. It was Jeanie who nominated Kanten for the Prairie Disciple award, filling out the application and gathering letters of support from many people Kanten has worked with and assisted through the last decade.

"I won this because of the strength of her nomination," Kanten said.

Kanten said he wouldn't have been able to do any of the work he is being recognized for, or the work he did during his film production career without Jeanie. She has been working tirelessly in the background for most of their married life, even quitting her own career to help Kanten establish and run Lee Pictures.

"Quite honestly, so much that I have done in this community, Jeanie has done so much of the background work," Kanten said.

There have been many others who have been instrumental in helping Kanten over the years and quite a few of them were on hand to congratulate Kanten. He actually felt a bit embarrassed being given the award when so many in that room deserved the same.

Those people inspired, led and dragged Kanten into things, he said, and deserve just as much credit.

"I was and remain just floored by that," Kanten said. "Not a thing they wrote I did was accomplished alone."

Kanten will be honored as this year's Prairie Disciple at the SMAC Annual Celebration at 4 p.m. Oct. 14 at the

Danebod Folk School in Tyler

. For the last few weeks, Kanten has been trying to write up his acceptance speech.

Kanten believes he now has to earn the award he has been given and live up to the many meanings of the word "disciple."

"'Disciple' is this very interesting word. The implications of it, that you are a follower, that you are a leader, that you are a teacher, that you are a student," Kanten said, who plans to embrace all of that. "I need to live up to that name, lead others down this rewarding path."

Already Kanten will be following in the footsteps of many disciples before, by taking what he has learned and accomplished and sharing it in a whole new community. The couple have decided the time has come to move on from Ortonville and are in the process of moving to Jeanie's hometown of Fairmont.

"It is really hard saying goodbye," Kanten said.

The move allows the couple to be closer to their son in Iowa, spend the golden years of their lives with close friends and gives them a new start. For the last few years, Kanten has been working through the effects of childhood trauma and sexual abuse which occurred when he was growing up in Ortonville. At first, he didn't want it to look like he was running away, but after working with a therapist, he now feels ready for a change.

"I am running toward something," Kanten said, who is hoping to find a way to help other sexual abuse survivors while still working with the disabled community in Fairmont.

While he is not sure what shape his volunteerism and art will take in Fairmont, what Kanten is sure of is the importance of the arts in a community. He believes everyone is an artist in some way, because it is all about using one's imagination and creativity. Even an electrician can be considered an artist by finding creative ways to make sure the lights come on. That type of thinking and creation is needed now more than ever.

"With the problems we face as a world? We are going to need some really good imaginations at work to figure out what we are going to do," Kanten said. "Art inspires that."