The McKnight Foundation has named Minnesota playwright, director, producer, theater artist,
and musician Rick Shiomi as the 2015 McKnight Distinguished Artist, in recognition of artistic excellence spanning four decades.
Shiomi graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in history in 1970,
received a teaching diploma from Simon Fraser University, and went on to travel the world, teaching in Japan and Hong Kong before returning to Canada, this time settling in Vancouver, British Columbia.