Some awards recognize a single achievement. The Valley Arts Award recognizes years spent building the conditions in which art, artists, music and community can thrive. That makes Don and Anna Marie Osburn especially fitting recipients of the 2026 Valley Arts Award.

For more than four decades, the Osburns have been champions of the Annapolis Valley’s artistic and cultural life. They have performed, produced, organized, documented, mentored and advocated. Again and again, they have opened doors for other artists—and helped make sure those doors remained open.

Their story reaches back to the early 1980s, when they began working together on arts projects and musical fundraisers. In 1986, they organized regular variety shows to help rebuild the Burlington Community Hall. They saw what the community needed, brought people together, and made beautiful music.

In 1989, Don created a repertoire of Nova Scotian music—including material from the Helen Creighton Collection—for the launch of Upper Clements Park, where he served as bandleader during its opening season. The following year, the Osburns helped establish the Fundy Folk Society and served on its board.

Don, who began performing publicly at the age of 12, joined with Brian Adams and the late Allan Wilkie to form The Lustre Brothers. In 1995, the Osburns helped bring the Kipawo Theatre back to life, with support from the first Valley Arts Award recipient, the late Jack Sheriff.

Then came The Waltzin’ Fools, whose acoustic, original music reflected the conviction that the Valley had a musical voice all its own. Don expressed that conviction: “The city isn’t the only place, Cape Breton isn’t the only place. The Valley is too. We have talent here.” He and Anna Marie did far more than say it. They spent decades proving it.

Through Waltzin’ Fools Productions, they worked with George Woolaver and Kate Adams to create opportunities for local musicians and songwriters. In 1998, they produced a local version of The Great Canadian Sing-Along. In 1999, with funding from the Nova Scotia Arts Council, they launched the Fundy Folk Songwriters Project, commissioning eleven Valley songwriters.

That same year, the Osburns served as co-chairs of programming for the Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival. Don’s own recording career also reached a milestone that year with the release of Small Fine Pleasures, a collection of 14 original songs recorded primarily in Toronto with veteran musician and producer Ken Whiteley. Its release concert at Festival Theatre sold all 500 seats and others were turned away at the door.

With Canada Council funding, Don and Anna produced Our Ancestry in Song, bringing artists from across Nova Scotia’s founding cultures together to explore and reinterpret material from the Helen Creighton Collection. The project’s success planted the seed for what would become their most enduring contribution to the Valley’s cultural landscape: the Deep Roots Music Festival.

In 2003, the Osburns helped form the cooperative with a vision of celebrating the musical and cultural heritage of the Annapolis Valley. Working in partnership with the Town of Wolfville and Acadia University, they brought that vision to life in 2004 with the first Deep Roots Music Festival, including the presentation of the first Valley Arts Award.

In the early years of Deep Roots, Anna Marie coordinated songwriting projects with Mi’kmaq kids – a project dear to her heart. In 2000, Anna, her sister Kate and daughters Jenny and Meagan opened the Union Street Café in Berwick, which quickly became a beloved music venue. Don served as sound technician and host of the Friday Open Mic.

Anna Marie has also been a chronicler of Valley life. First there was her role in compiling a history of the Burlington area in 2012. Later, she documented the recent history of Grandview Manor in Berwick. Don, meanwhile, has continued to perform, bringing his distinctive guitar playing and vocals to projects including Cuckoo Moon and The Dearlies, as well as performances with family and friends. As residents of Burlington on the North Mountain, the Osburns have also been visible environmental advocates, standing up to protect this land.