Originally spoken at the memorial service at the Knowles Memorial Chapel at Rollins College on May 16, 2025.
Patrick Cyril Kahn
July 15, 1956 – April 10, 2025
First of all, I’m honored to be in this position.
The Kahn family is so beautiful, and I’m grateful to share a bit of life with them.
Holly, Juliette, Luke…
Patrick celebrated each of you during every single one of my interactions with him.
To know Patrick, is to love the three of you, because he loved you all so greatly.
When I first met Patrick, he was sitting Snap! Space in the Cameo Theater building—
At that long wooden table, him smack dab in the middle, sitting behind his MacBook, probably in a black T-shirt and some cool glasses, with some coffee
Some friends from work took me to Snap! for the first time during the early days.
Everything about the space, the art, the people – the atmosphere overall created this deep sense of intrigue and honestly - a little poshness - within me.
I spent an internship in Brooklyn the Summer before, and that Cameo space was the first time I felt like “big city art by a local gallery” vibes in Orlando. Those walls were so great, and I miss them dearly.
After browsing the gallery for some time, I finally found a chance to start up a conversation with Patrick for a bit.
Now I don’t know about all of you, but for me - every time I was able to speak with Patrick, I always a had good time :)
Even later on, as we discussed difficult things - with the business or with life - he always just had this sense of positivity and adventure within him.
Naturally, this pushed me to want to get to know him more.
And like so many of us in this room, as I got to know him more, I naturally wanted to help him in whatever way that I could.
Fortunately, I was given the opportunity to help Patrick early on — but only after proving that I could actually be helpful.
My test was a simple act - for me at least:
Clearing his MacBook of the literal hundreds of folders and file icons he had in layers all over his desktop.
After successfully getting everything into a single folder which could then be sorted in various ways - alphabetically, created date, etc. - well, Patrick seemed quite interested in speaking to me a bit further :)
What I didn’t know, was that moment was the start of more than a decade of moments, events, connections, meetings, and experiences that I will cherish forever.
Snap! is one of the reasons I fell in love with Orlando – so in turn it is Patrick that is one of the reasons why I love my home.
I learned 2 really valuable things while working and spending time with Patrick:
First - To make the community – my home – what I want it to be.
Through his relentless work with Snap!, Patrick brought a side of the arts that he wanted to see in Orlando - and what he brought was extraordinary.
Not only did he expand my perspectives by featuring artists from around the world, but he did so while simultaneously putting a spotlight on the incredibly talented local artists right here at home.
And every event at Snap! had such a cool that truly only Patrick and Holly could create.
Second - To cherish the past while exploring the future.
It’s worth noting that Snap! was built upon the mantra: Celebrate The Photograph – which is the Past.
While photography was at the core of the organization, he also pushed towards the future by featuring emerging media such as AR and VR installations throughout the city through the program, CITYUNSEEN.
He used to tell me, “Snap! is bigger than a gallery, it’s beyond walls.”
Inspiration was always felt when working with Patrick, and that I certainly miss so much.
Patrick’s impact is immeasurable. Not just in the arts, but in this beautiful community we call Orlando.
And while he is no longer with us in this form, I still feel his presence each day in some way.
His light will never dim because we will all keep his spirit alive as we all move forward.
I’m so grateful to have built a relationship of support, mentorship, and friendship.
We miss you, we love you, and thank you so much, Patrick.
From Ben Gill, Oxenfree Film & Motion.