I first met Sherry Wagner at University Theatre at the U of MN. After a career as a K-12 arts educator, I was ready to get my master’s degree & felt arts administration was the path. I found the program- Master of Liberal Studies- and now I just needed an accompanying teaching assistantship. Found it at University Theatre, and had arranged a meeting with Sherry. So I dressed up in my business best and showed up at her doorstep. She was busy, so it took about 2 hrs to get some time with her. I became aware that I needed to get approvals from the university, acceptance from the MLS program, and still compete with other candidates to be considered. Competition? Bring it on. So I spent about three weeks checking in with Sherry- emailing her, showing up at her doorstep, and filling her in as I checked all the boxes I needed to become her teaching assistant (TA). She was positive the whole time while making it very clear what needed to be done. In the end, I became her TA, without understanding how this would become one of the best friendships in my life.

In our friendship, we discovered a connection in the shared values, interests, sense of humor, honesty, and admiration for each other. Sameness and difference that blended together with trust, love, acceptance and forgiveness. She brought so much joy and understanding to my life. In our more recent years, she was always wise, generous and intuitive. These three values were the rocks I leaned on for support. I tried my darndest to reciprocate, attempting to give back to a woman so self-sufficient and independent, who always saw her role as the one to help me out and make my life better. 

Courage has always been hard to find, and once that space is found, difficult to occupy. Sherry always helped me find a way to that space. So now, I step in and stay. There is still work to be done for the dreamers and doers, friends to love, support to be given, truths to be told, forgiveness to bestow. Our teamwork with continue. Sherry and I will always be there for each other, just in a different way.

Oh my girl, my beautiful friend who is gone too soon from this earth. There are many dreams left to transform into realities, trips to take, visits to make, patios to takeover, laughs to share, silliness to create and smiles to light up our days together. I promise to keep sharing these moments with your girls, with the women leaders you nurtured and invested in, with the man of your dreams, with your beloved son, and with the friends and colleagues your life touched. Your legacy will carry forward in our work and our lives. Oh my friend, how I love and miss you so.

Sherry, my friend, I was so shocked to hear that you had left us, especially at a time when we need a spirit like yours so desperately.  When I met you shortly after you joined the Bolz Center, we realized we also had many connections in MN.  Francois connected us because he knew we shared a passion for the arts and a desire to help arts organizations and artists become more successful and sustainable through effective business training and practices.  We tried to meet over lunch or dinner whenever I came to Madison and had long chats about helping arts organization boards be more effective and helping artists become better business managers.  And then you took those ideas and ran with them, creating and selling amazing programs.  Thank you for the huge impact you have had and the legacy you have left.  You are and will continue to be missed.

No one could make me more excited about arts administration or higher education than Sherry Wagner. We met on a Minnesota State Arts Board panel over 20 years ago, and our lives were connected every since. She regularly asked me to talk to her classes about fundraising. At one time we pitched the board of one arts organization that they should hire both of us to run their organization. We thought we would be an amazing team. They did not go for the idea. Their loss. About 18 months ago we accidentally ran into each other at the San Francisco airport. We spent an hour talking about the Guthrie, our universities, and changes we were seeing in higher education. We had drinks last summer in downtown Minneapolis and talked about the arts leaders we respected. Our last conversation was in early March. We talked over the phone enthusiastically about our love for the Minneapolis cultural scene and the role the arts can play. Sherry passed away yesterday after battling cancer. She was only 53 years old. I will miss our conversations greatly, but her family and the world will miss her even more. If we are to have a better world, we need more people like Sherry. RIP my friend.