Annual Report 2023

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT

Dear Friends of the Vernon Public Art Gallery,

I am thrilled to present the Vernon Public Art Gallery’s (VPAG) Annual Report for 2023. This past year has been one of focused improvement in the systems and technology that support the continued growth, innovation, and even deeper engagement with our community. I encourage you to explore this report to learn about some of the highlights from this past year, which anchor back to our Strategic Plan which was completed in 2019.

I’d like to thank our Board of Directors for their commitment to the VPAG and the time they invest in supporting the overall governance of the organization. We strive to have a diversified mix of professionals, ensuring the VPAG has a mix of perspectives and abilities in leading the organization.

Lubos Culen and his Curatorial team continue to provide unique opportunities for the public to engage with a varied program of exhibitions. During 2023, they presented a diverse and stimulating exhibition program, showcasing established and emerging artists from across Canada. Notably exhibited was ILLUMINATING LANGUAGE: Dick Averns, a thirty-year survey exhibition touching on topics that included social justice, conflict, natural resources and mental wellness.

We expanded our educational offerings, reaching a wider audience with innovative programs for all ages. This included the introduction of the Crit Club, an evening program for high school aged artists who come together with VPAG staff to learn about the process of critically reviewing each other’s work, along with the occasional visiting professional artist. The VPAG also continued to be a vibrant hub for the community. We hosted successful events such as Art After Dark and many opening receptions, fostering dialogue and connection through art.

Thanks to the generous support of our members, donors, and sponsors, the VPAG remains on solid financial ground. 2023’s Midsummer’s Eve of the Arts was a record-breaking year for our annual fundraiser and we are grateful for your continued commitment and investment in our mission.

We are excited about the future of the VPAG and the role we play in enriching the lives of our community members. This year’s achievements would not have been possible without the dedication of our talented staff, the unwavering support of our Board of Directors, and the generosity of our patrons. Together we can create meaningful and challenging experiences for our community through the language of art.

Sincerely,

Dauna Kennedy Executive Director

MISSION & VISION

The Vernon Public Art Gallery exists to connect our community to the creative presence and possibilities within the visual arts through its exhibitions and activities.

The Vernon Public Art Gallery will broaden its connections within the community and become a critically acclaimed regional art gallery.

FIVE-FOLD MANDATE

1. To exhibit, collect, and preserve local, regional, national and international art of the highest possible standards

2. To promote visual arts in the broader community

3. To provide information, education, challenge and inspiration in the visual arts

4. To encourage appreciation of and participation in the visual arts

5. To provide a meeting place, facility, and institution for the benefit of the citizens of Greater Vernon

2023 HIGHLIGHTS

In 2023, the Vernon Public Art Gallery received grant money from the Province of BC to build a new website.

The new website for the VPAG serves as a dynamic platform poised to revolutionize engagement with our programming. Through intuitive navigation, users gain unparalleled access to our permanent collection, publications, artist talks, and events calendar. This digital hub not only enhances accessibility but also fosters deeper connections between the community and our artistic offerings.

By providing a comprehensive archive of previous exhibitions, the website becomes a resource of inspiration and historical context. The user-friendly interface ensures seamless exploration, with a clear and concise monthly programming schedule readily available. Ultimately, this innovative digital infrastructure will not only amplify the reach of our programming but also democratize access to the rich tapestry of artistic experiences VPAG has to offer.

The VPAG also recieved grant money from the Community Services Recovery Fund to rebuild our database system, switching from E-Tapestry to Keela. Keela provides the capability to manage contacts and memberships, track donations, create unique campaigns and communications, and more. This system will make interaction with members of the VPAG and the public a more streamlined process.

This year the VPAG hosted 8 different exhibitions, with one of the highlights being Dick Averns’ Illuminating Language. Averns is an internationally exhibited and award-winning artist. His art has been acquired for multiple collections, including by the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery, Department of National Defence, Province of Alberta, City of Calgary, and multiple private collections. The critical value of his work was recognized in 2020 when Dick received the City of Calgary Mayor’s Cultural Leaders Legacy Award for Healing Through the Arts, following a multi-year project addressing community mental wellness.

Midsummer’s Eve of the Arts also had a record-breaking year in terms of the total revenue raised for the gallery! The total funds raised were $76,579. We thank all who were a part of this instrumental fundraiser event. The VPAG is looking forward to the 2024 Midsummer’s Eve of the Arts - stay tuned for tickets being released soon!

2023 PROGRAMS & VISITATION

Regional Reach:

People who used the Regional Reach kit in 2023: 148

The Regional Reach program includes three travelling art kits available from the VPAG. The kits are designed for outlying schools in the North Okanagan region to utilize. Regional Reach provides access to the VPAG’s art education programs for those schools who are not able to visit the VPAG in person.

The third kit has just been completed with assistance from our UBC-O BEd practicum student with a land-based learning focus.

School tour program:

There were a total of 42 school tours with 1120 attendees.

Crit Club:

Family Saturday and Mini Artists:

There were a total of 8 Family Saturday sessions with 164 attendees, and 9 Mini Artists sessions with 99 attendees.

Public Programming

These programs include Art After Dark, Voices of Vernon, and Vino with VPAG. There were a total of 397 attendees.

Vernon Critique Club is an after high school program committed to creating a safe and caring environment for students to share their artwork with their peers.

Created in 2022 by our Learning and Community Engagement Curator, Sierra Bronkhorst, Crit Club is now a thriving program with a group of young artists who will gain invaluable insights and discerning critiques, enriching the young artists’ perspectives and empowering them to refine their craft.

In 2023 we had 11 sessions which had a total of 55 attendees.

Visitation:

2023 saw a total of 6,136 visitors, a 16.6% decrease in overall visitation from 2022.

Visitation

Visitor Demographics

Primary Reason for Visiting

FINANCIAL REPORTS

2023 CURATORIAL

Exhibitions in 2023

Kelsie Grazier: Unstoried Self

Delta BC based artist created exhibition featuring photographs and video documenting her experiences of a person living with hearing loss.

Angela Hansen: Consume

Okanagan based artist exhibited sculptural installation addressing issues of world preservation of seeds and safeguarding collections of unique and valuable crop diversity in gene banks around the world and specifically the Svalbard Seed Vault located in Norway.

Interface: Reimagined Connections

A group exhibition of four students enrolled in the UBCO’s Bachelor of Fine Arts program featuring drawings, screen prints, and paintings.

Sage Sidley: Step, Slither, and Scroll

Halifax-based artist created a site-specific installation focused on the critique of the ubiquitous presence of digital media and the Artificial Intelligence-created digital images.

Emergence

Annual exhibition of a select group of emerging artists who completed the BFA studies program at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan campus.

Lisa Matthias: Field Marks

Edmonton based print artist exhibited a body of woodcut prints focused on microscopic plant matter along with images of nests of song birds. The images brought into focus the changing environment in the wake of global climate warming.

Bernadette Gregoire: Emerging from the Ashes of Okanagan Cultural Genocide

In her artwork, Syilx First Nation artist revisited her first-hand experiences of residential school and their impact on daily life and intergenerational trauma.

Dick Averns: Illuminating Language

This exhibition was a survey of three decades of artmaking and consisted of five distinctive bodies of works which addressed issues of global conflict, as well as a wide range of topics relating to politicized public spaces in the context of social justice, conflict, community wellness, and natural resources.

Images: ASL-1 and ASL-6, Kelsie Grazier

2023 CURATORIAL

Community Based Exhibitions

In addition to exhibiting examples of current means of artistic production in Canada and globally, the VPAG invites local art groups and individuals to feature their creations annually. In 2023, the VPAG hosted an exhibition titled Unsettling the Settler: Timix T Naqs – We are All One, produced by members of local Indigenous artists who are the members of the Lama? Creative Aboriginal Collective.

The VPAG further hosted annual exhibitions of SD#22 elementary and secondary school students, Art from the Heart and Art and Soul Through Our Eyes is an additional annual exhibition created by youth participating in the Teen Junction program for youth at risk.

The VPAG partnered up with the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association and organized an exhibition of works created by the hard of hearing artists of all ages titled What does Hearing Loss Looks Like to You.

The VPAG invites its members to exhibit their creations in the annual members’ exhibition titled Exposed!

In partnership with the Mackie Lake House Association, the VPAG creates annually an exhibition opportunities for artists selected for residency at the Mackie Lake House.

Permanent Collection

We received a generous donation to the permanent collection this year from Jim Kalnin. Jim donated his work Interesting Times . Prior to his donation, the value of the Permanent Collection was $669,304. After this donation, the value is now at $673,304. Thank you for your support!

Jim Kalnin

Interesting Times 2023 Oil on canvas

PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

Cultural Centre

The Greater Vernon Cultural Centre will be the future home of the Vernon Public Art Gallery and the Museum of Greater Vernon. The VPAG is the only dedicated public art gallery in the North Okanagan with a focus on contemporary art. Our current facility was only meant to be a temporary 5-year location, which we outgrew many years ago. The VPAG is very excited about this project and the potential it will provide our gallery to offer better programming and access to travelling exhibitions, which are currently beyond our reach.

World-renowned and award-winning architecture firm, Revery Architecture Inc. is designing the Greater Vernon Cultural Centre. Revery specializes in the design of cultural buildings. The firm will be tasked with completing design development and related work, including preconstruction costing, geotechnical and environmental assessments.

Though the project has encountered delays, it should be noted that the cultural referendum only sought to cover 2/3 of the projected costs, in comparison to other projects that were funded 100% through referendums. In spite of that, a new facility design was unveiled on December 1, 2023 and detailed designs are now underway.

In February 2024, local politicians gave the green light to move forward with the next phase of developing the Greater Vernon Cultural Centre. Once final designs are approved, the construction phase is scheduled to begin Fall 2025.

Currently, the Cultural Centre has a total project cost of $41.9 million and will be an estimated 31,000 square feet. The Centre will be built on the site of the downtown Vernon parking lot on 31st Avenue, next to the Elks Lodge.

The Regional District of the North Okanagan has $28 million secured through borrowing, and another $13.9 million is being sought through a fundraising campaign including senior level government grants, foundation contributions, and community fundraising. Organizations that will have an eventual home in the Centre are also creating additional fundraising campaigns.

Stay tuned for more information on the public capital campaign, being launched soon!

SPONSORS, DONORS & VOLUNTEERS

Sponsors

A&W

Bannister Honda

Beach Radio

Centre Dry Cleaning

Clark Robinson Accounting

Cypress Funeral & Cremation Services

Davidson Lawyers LLP

Gumtree Catering

Kal Tire

Lianne Viau Photography

Nixon Wenger LLP

Nor-Val Rentals

Okanagan Springs

Roko Services

The Morning Star

Tolko Industries

Vernon Dodge

Vernon Roofing

Wayside Co.

Woolley & Co

Donors

Bruce and Jill Acton

Helen Mary Jean Bennett

Kyle Britton

Shell Christensen

Tom Christensen

William Clark

Carin Covin

Dianne Farnsworth

Sarah Kennedy Real Estate

Elizabeth Buffie Moir

Amy Modahl

Marion Morrison

Andrew Powell

Karen Raven

Kylie Tucker

Grants

BC Arts Council

Regional District of North

Okanagan

Canadian Heritage Community Services Recovery Fund

Provincial Community Gaming Rotary Project Grant

MEA Donors & Supporters

Arte Doug Alcock

Kara Barkved

Peter Bittroff

Rick Bond

Maria Carolina Sanchez de Bustamante

Ms. Megan Byers

Ria Carpay

Briar Craig

Nathalie Coulombe

Carin Covin

Rob Culos

Jill Devinish

Denise Dobie

Heather Drake

Betty Van Driel

Vikki Drummond

Kira Friesen

Annie Frind

Sandy Gallant

Bev Gordon

Diana Gritten

Judy Hamilton

Charley Hampton

Danielle Harshenin

Matthew Hildebrandt

Teresa Hwang

Angelika Jager

Maryanne Jespersen

Sherry Kalloch

Ingrid Kelly

Debbie Kinnear

Helen Kovacs

Susan Kun

Patricia Neil Lawton

Ricardo Alberto Leiva

Wanda Lock

Jordan MacDonald

Jolene Mackie

Kerry MacLeod

Nayaab Master

Sheri Minard

Elizabeth Buffie Moir

Dave Morrison

Hanny Muggeridge

Destanne Norris

Julie Oakes

Gallery Odin – Kal and Maria

Bernhard Ortner

Jay Page

Colin Pakenham

Liz Pihulak

James Postill

Amber Powell

David Powter

Rachel Prins

Susan Prins

Stephanie Puddister

Patrick Reid

Olha Retunska

Barbara Rety

Marg Robertson

Joan Rowan

Eileen Sawracki

Todd Schulz

Lana Schuster

Kaitlin Serafin

Shawn Serfas

Gail Short

Marilyn Smith

Gabrielle Strong

Heidi Thompson

Andrea Thorburn

Nancy Vince

Leila Ward

Ann Willsie

Deborah Wilson

Shannon Wilson

Volunteers

Tom Knight

Gerry Humphrey

Kelly Rogers

Irene Lauden

Todd Scholz

Alison White

Anne Puddister

Shawna Patenaude

Shell Duggan

Julie Oakes

Caroline Radics

Kerry McLeod

Jay & Kelly Rogers

Levi Ralston

Rob Culos

D’Anne Osborne

Rachel Prins

Jane Story

Cathie Stewart

Lorraine & Art

Susan Novecoski

Dylan Baiko

Kyle Versteeg

Chandra S. Dallabandi

Melody & Chase

Johanna

Brennan

Bethany

Janet Welsh

Sandi Darryl

Jennifer Cramer Lewis

Frances Evans

Kelly Rogers

Joyce Rosenberger

Susan Wald

Irene Laudan

Destanne Norris

Levi Ralston

Olga Retunska

Don Raffen

Permanent Collection Donors

Jim Kalnin

THANK YOU!!

Donate:

Donor involvement is key for the Vernon Public Art Gallery to meet its annual fundraising target of $90,000. Make a general donation or a donation towards a cause of your choice by giving monthly, annually or at a frequency of your choosing.

Sponsor:

Sponsorship is a great way to support the VPAG. We have a variety of exhibitions, educational programs and events to sponsor, we are certain that one will be a match with your organization’s values.

Philanthropy:

At the VPAG, we have 3 philanthropy memberships that cater to those who would like to add to their membership both financially and through increased benefits of being an active member of the philanthropy community.

Volunteer:

Volunteering with the VPAG can be flexible and fun! We are always looking for someone who is able to donate some of their time and expertise to the gallery. Your involvement means alot to us! By volunteering with the Gallery you become part of an engaged and creative community.

Vernon Public Art Gallery | www.vernonpublicartgallery.com |info@vernonpublicartgallery.com 250.545.3173 | 3228 31st Avenue, Vernon, BC