About The KAC
You may be thinking: What is the Kamloops Arts Council?
Also known as the KAC, we are a registered, charitable/nonprofit organization devoted to tending to the flame of our artistic community within Kamloops and the surrounding Thompson Nicola area!
We see our role as a bridge between creativity and community; providing artists of all mediums – visual artists, musicians, dancers, writers, and actors alike – with a platform through which they can network, explore, and nurture their creative spirit. We also provide opportunities to the community to stretch their creative muscles, and appreciate what art can do for them.
Founded in 1968, as the Community Arts Council of Kamloops, we are one of the oldest arts and cultural organizations in the area! With over 50 years of experience, we have run so many events, festivals, workshops, and exhibitions for the community and for the region. Our oldest event is still running and that is Art in Park with more than 53 years!
While we still run some of our best loved events like Children’s Arts Festival and Art Exposed, we also used to run events like the Writer’s Festival, Lumiere’s Festival, and Rivertown Players. While it is sad to see some of these events go, we are constantly evaluating what is feasible, who we are, and who we want to be.
We gained charitable status in the early 21st century and we changed our name to the Kamloops Arts Council in 2009. This organization has been the home for thousands of volunteers and dozens of leaders who have moved on to do great things. We honour everything that has come before us as we look to what the future holds!
– Kamloops Arts Council’S mission –
Our mandate rests on one foundational idea:
Art Changes Lives!
Because of this, we at the KAC are dedicated year-round to producing low-to-no-cost arts programs, performances, exhibitions, workshops, and events. We believe the arts exist to be enjoyed by all individuals regardless of age, circumstance, identity, experience, or ability-level. From finger painters to the masters of mediums, you belong here.
With such a large and vivid arts community, there is no shortage of ways to support and uplift our community members. In the interest of defining our scope of practice, the KAC defines its role within the artistic community as follows:
Mission Statement: The Kamloops Arts Council is devoted to the development and enhancement of arts and culture in the Thompson Nicola Region, and Tk’emlups te Secwepemc within the ne Secwepemculew, through events, public awareness, advocacy, support for artists, and community connections.
Objectives: The objectives of the Society are
a) To encourage and support the presentation and development of arts and cultural activities, and
b) To provide affordable opportunities to the regional community to engage, participate in, and learn about arts and culture
c) To support artists within the community with opportunities to develop through learning, engagement, advocacy, and exhibition
Purpose:The Kamloops Arts Council takes the arts to the community, providing affordable programs, performances, workshops and events for all. We believe the arts are for everyone, and that they have the power to heal, transform, connect, and develop skills in children, youth, adults and seniors, including those in crisis. Art changes lives.
Coming soon!
So, who makes all of this happen? Our team of passionate Staff and Board of Directors work tirelessly to ensure the artistic ecosystem of Tk’emlups te Secwépemc is able to flourish! Even more so, the KAC relies on its members and people of the community, just like you! We have over 550 active members, ranging from polished professionals to avid art enjoyers. Our grass-roots operation is grateful to the many volunteers who keep our operations running smoothly; we could not do all of this without you!
The KAC Board
Welcome to our Board of Directors! We are so thankful for the volunteers who dedicate their time, efforts, and occasionally their loved ones, to our endeavours… no people more so than our board members. Our board boasts a wide array of artistic and specialized talents, and above all else; a shared passion for keeping the artistic pulse alive and well within Kamloops and Thompson-Nicola districts. They work on everything that goes on behind the scenes in order for the Kamloops Arts Council to keep running. This work includes updating policies and best practices within the organization, crafting our values, commitments, and communications, and tracking our finances and fundraising efforts. They look at what we have done and determine where we want to take the Kamloops Arts Council.
For more information, please contact board@kamloopsarts.com.
Our Board of Directors:
President
Clement Yeh
Clement is passionate about supporting the role that art plays in personal growth, confronting social issues, and uplifting the quality of life in society. He currently teaches in the Communication and Visual Arts dept at TRU, on traditional and unceded Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Territory.
Director
Stefania Strantza
Stefania joined the board because she believes that its role is very important for the cultural vitality of our community. By joining, she wants to support local talents, help make arts accessible to a wider audience, including kids, and preserve arts culture. Stefania Strantza is an Economics Professor at Thompson Rivers University. She moved to Kamloops in 2022, after living in Montreal for nine years.
Vice-President
Karen Will
Karen Will moved to Kamloops from Calgary in 2019 and held Human Resources managerial roles in large, complex organizations where she specialized in employee and leadership development. A long-time supporter of the arts, Karen fed her own creative interests through sketching and watercolour painting on a part-time basis.
Treasurer
Kim Jensen
Kim Jensen is a long-time resident and active community member of Kamloops. She is involved in a variety of organizations that support good quality, holistic health and wellness locally in Kamloops, provincially in BC, and internationally.
Kim believes that the arts provide a necessary element to overall wellness, and she supports the arts in whatever way she can; she has done so for many years.
Director
Jenn Mei
Jenn Mei is a Registered Social Worker, artist, writer, and founder of 4th House Consulting Ltd, a company that provides accessibility consulting, training and strategic planning services. She recently published an art therapy Mood Tracking Journal for ADHD Minds and has spent most of her career as a workplace accessibility specialist and mental health clinician.
Director
Lindsay Rempel
Lindsay Rempel is a Kamloops-based contemporary artist with two decades of experience in visual arts, exhibition development, and creative entrepreneurship. Lindsay brings a broad range of artistic experience and a deep appreciation for community-driven creativity to the Kamloops Arts Council Board of Directors. She is committed to supporting a vibrant arts ecosystem where diverse voices, emerging ideas, and meaningful collaborations can thrive.
Director
Christa O’Neill
Graduating with a BFA from NSCAD in 2012 with a Major in Printmaking and Minor in Art History, Christa hopes to share her passion for art, education and the importance of healing the mind and soul. As a former employee to the KAC as Gallery Coordinator, Christa believes in the importance of making art inclusive and available for everyone!
Treasurer
Solange Belleforte
She creates works that are imaginative and fantastical, and encourages others to step out of their comfort zone and reprogram their belief from “I can’t do that” to “Look what I made!”. To that end, Solange occasionally offers small classes in collage, bookbinding, acrylic pouring, and altered objects. She feels that the opportunities offered to artists by the Kamloops Art Council have been significant in growing her confidence and skills in her artistic endeavours.
KAC Staff
If you find yourself around the Old Courthouse – or any of our public events – you’re likely to see some friendly faces! Our staff make up the core of the KAC with a diverse set of skills, talents, and passions! We work together behind the scenes to ensure all events run smoothly, and that your work has the opportunity to wow the crowds. We consist of employees, contractors, and freelancers who come and go. While some of us are short-term hires, we have a tendency to come back in some form of support, and we always love to cheer our people on. We look forward to seeing you soon!
Our Team
Executive Director
Tanya Nielsen
Tanya Nielsen has spent most of her life and work practicing different forms of creativity. She is a painter, photographer, baker, researcher, and curator. She loves creativity so much that she wrote a Master’s thesis on the role failure plays in the creative process (it’s a vital one). Tanya received her BFA in Gallery Studies from TRU and worked for 5 years in conference and event management, based in Newfoundland, with events around the world. “During my time at school and work, I learned that it takes great people, a lot of work and time, and art that speaks to a community, to make a great arts organization.”
Gallery Coordinator
Paula Ducharme
Paula (She/They) is a queer Indigenous artist and a recent TRU graduate, where she earned a degree in Fine Arts. Her work greatly revolves around her Indigenous background, exploring concepts from Lakota theology through mixed media abstraction. She also enjoys creating beaded jewelry and art in her free time.
Paula has also assisted with several large scale works as an artist assistant, and has had her own works in the Kamloops Art Gallery and the Manitoba Museum. When she isn’t working, she’s probably enjoying a sweet treat and a movie.
Admin & Program Coordinator
Insun Kang
Insun has been with Kamloops Arts Council for 5 years as an administrator and is passionate about promoting local artists and bringing arts to the community. She is also an oil & acrylic artist who loves to express everyday scenes with the light and colours.
Originally born in South Korea, she settled in Kamloops and fell in love with the beauty of the mountains and skies of Thompson Okanagan Region. She is passionate to discover beauty in everyday scenes and bring them on to canvases with simple brush strokes.
Marketing Manager
Sofia Sirianni
Sofia has always been passionate about art & creating, exploring various disciplines across visual art mediums. Sofia studied in BCIT’s D3 program, building a foundation in digital design, development and marketing, which she later upgraded into a degree in Creative Arts at Yorkville University in Toronto. Sofia considers herself a “jack-of-all trades”, able to take up almost anything that involves any kind of tool to create what an idea calls for. Sofia believes creativity is a skill for everyone, applicable to all areas of life, not just for art, and a skill of problem solving, coming up with new approaches and solutions.
Event Coordinator
Richa Nair
Richa is a walking spark plug of creativity, curiosity, and caffeine. With a background in Economics and Sociology and a post-grad diploma in Events and Festival Management from TRU, she’s the kind of event planner who thrives in organized chaos and believes spreadsheets and glitter can (and should) coexist. Over the years, Richa has orchestrated everything from music festivals and community fairs to serious-looking conferences. Richa brings a quirky mix of passion, playfulness, and purpose, plus just the right dose of cosmic mischief to every creative adventure.
Our Instructors & Contractors
Intern
Diego Cruz
With nine years of experience in digital & traditional illustration and painting under the artist name “Dieddo”. They have created a variety of works in illustration for independent film, publications, and other commercial projects. Their work combines the emotional intimate with the fantastical & bizarre, developing work focused on visual narrative, with influences from magical realism, contemporary art, and melancholy. Dieddo graduated from TRU (2025) and was awarded the Ted Smith Painting Award. Their time at the KAC involved research, curation, planning events and workshops for the artistic community. For Dieddo, art is a way to connect, reflect, and heal. Always through tenderness and absurdity.
Instructor
Zeinab Jalali
My name is Zeinab Jalali, and I have been painting for about 25 years and teaching for nearly 15 years. I am a self-taught artist who has also trained under various masters. Over the years, I have explored different styles, including realism, impressionism, modern art, colored pencil, charcoal, and even calligraphy.
Painting has always been the most vibrant part of my life, especially when it comes to teaching. That’s why I have dedicated myself to sharing my knowledge through professional classes, one-day workshops, and interactive events like Paint Night. I believe that art is an endless journey, and there is always something new to learn and explore.
Instructor
Nathan O’Connor
Nate was born and raised in Kamloops and has spent nearly a decade building a name as a street artist with a strong commitment to community connection. His background is rooted in the visual arts, and he has collaborated with schools and organizations to help design and facilitate murals that bring creativity into shared public spaces. With the KAC, Nate leads outreach programs and hands-on workshops across the city, creating welcoming spaces where people of all ages can explore their own artistic voice. In his personal practice, Nate works focuses on abstract painting on canvas. Nate is passionate about strengthening the arts community in Kamloops and is dedicated to supporting others as they discover the joy of making art.