Community art projects
Community Art Program
The Community Art Program supports projects that engage practicing artists with residents in a collaborative, collective, creative process which results in a temporary work of art. It is as much about process as it is about the artistic product or outcome. It is a way for the community to engage in with arts in a meaningful and interactive way.
Three projects of up to $5,000 will be considered each year based on the applications received and reviewed. The program welcomes artists from any discipline and encourages unique and creative ideas.
The objectives of the Community Art Program are:
- Animate publicly accessible community spaces where arts are not traditionally offered;
- Encourage the creation of publicly accessible, temporary artworks that have artistic merit and community benefit;
- It addresses community concerns and/or reflects community identity;
- Incorporate the community in some aspect of the program. Simply creating a piece to be viewed by the public or allowing the public to view the creation of the piece is not sufficient community engagement for this program.
It’s advised that applicants should connect with Cultural Services Staff at culture@kelowna.ca prior to completing an application to determine eligibility of the project.
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Our current community art grant recipients
In - tension - Jackie McLaughlin
Jackie's project is a week-long interactive installation, featuring a large container - an abstracted metal cornucopia - that will hold a floral sculpture that spills out of the container and onto the ground. The piece calls for community participation by indicating to those passing by the sculpture, that they may take a flower. Each flower has a ribbon that is tied to the stem that provides a message of sustainability.
The purpose of this action, is to show that every person has a part to play in the consumption of our natural resources. While we may all appreciate nature and wish to enjoy it, by taking from the sculpture you are mirroring the many habits with which we are all participants of, in some way or another: overconsumption of resources, destruction of habitat, lack of environmental awareness and so on.
This piece pushes us to analyze the deep-rooted and impermeable cause and effect lifestyle that we so faithfully live out. The take with very little give, manifested in this piece through passive interaction that mirrors our passive approach to sustainable life.
Weaving the Wool Future - Larissa Beringer
With an emphasis on the interwoven narrative between textiles, place and community, this project will explore what it means to create a local, handwoven, biodynamic textile. The geographic, environmental and cultural implications of using raw unspun wool sourced from the central Okanagan will guide the direction of this community art project.
While focusing on the value of sourcing locally, the traceability of materials, and paying attention to the organic and sensorial qualities of sheep's wool, this project values direct material experiences and local artisanal skills.
Weaving the Wool Future will culminate in a large rya tapestry using raw wool sourced from small grazing orchards that actively implement regenerative farming practices. The weaving will be collectively woven in public space on a custom built, upright, warp-weighted loom constructed from wood sourced from a local mill.
Our Okanagan - Sarah Rambold
Project Description coming soon!
Sarah is passionate about creating positive change locally and globally through her work and volunteerism, and has been recognized with multiple awards for her leadership and contributions. In 2023, Sarah self-published Kelowna Art Book featuring more than 30 artists from Kelowna. In 2024, she concluded her second term serving on the Board of Directors at the Kelowna Art Gallery.
A self-taught artist, Rambold’s practice features what she describes are commentaries from life with references to pop culture, landscapes, memories, influences, poetics, music, and day-to-day moments in the Okanagan. Her work reflects varied mediums including acrylic paints, gouache, photography, charcoal, digital collage, watercolor and oil pastel.
Books of Hope - Sarah Gagnon 
Through a series of workshops, Sara Gagnon engaged with a group of women who received services from Karis Support Society for addiction and mental health challenges. Through public engagement and outreach the artist invoked words of hope, inspiration and wisdom to share with the community. These inspirational phrases and words were accompanied by custom illustrations created by the artist to produce Books of Hope. These Books of Hope will then be distributed to the group along with other community members who will benefit from it.
TRAILART - Inner fish and The Bike Ride Collective
Inner fish and the Bike Ride Collective presented TRAILART a one-of-a-kind experience connecting art to this place and this land. TRAILART was a public, outdoor, site- responsive performance along Kelowna's Rail Trail. It featured local artists performing various forms of creative and artistic theatre. Audience members navigated between performances on foot, bicycle, skateboard…or any human-powered vehicle suitable for the Rail Trail where audiences discovered interpretive dance, visual images, representative and metaphorical performances, live music, and more! There were 3 modules, providing a unique experience for a mobile audience.
Hanna Karin – Art For Change
Art For Change is an inclusive, community-based exhibition featuring the creativity and innovation of local and international artisans finding earth-friendly solutions to postconsumer waste.
Art For Change features art, inventions, films, music, fashion and design. It includes three exhibits (Jenga Jenga, Beauty In The Beast, Think Big), one film fest and one fashion and design competition.
Ana Luyben Eries – Empowered Women of the Okanagan
In late 2019, local artist Ana Luyben Eries received a Community Art grant for her project, Empowered Women of the Okanagan. The project was designed to highlight the attributes of real women who built up this community and to explore the concept of self-empowerment with the community. Portraits were painted of local women in the Okanagan and their stories were collected and posted alongside the portrait. Community members were invited to participate in the project by contributing their thoughts on empowerment for the artist to compile.
Uptown Rutland Business Association – Rutland Mural Fest
In 2019, the Uptown Rutland Business Association (URBA) received a Community Art grant for its inaugural Rutland Mural Festival. In collaboration with local businesses in the Rutland area, seven murals were painted over the Summer to enhance the vibrancy and sense of ownership for residents in the Rutland area. Students from Rutland Senior Secondary were invited to participate in the project, learn about painting murals and try their hand at mural painting in the Rutland Lions Park. The murals were completed in August of 2019 and URBA is hoping to host this festival as an annual event.
Okanagan Chinese Canadian Association – Chinatown Heritage Mural
In 2018, the OCCA received a community art grant to create a mural on the building of the Kelowna Gospel Mission in memory of the historic Chinatown in Kelowna. Multiple sessions were held to intake ideas, designs and quotes from the community at large. Mr. Charles Chau, a Kelowna resident and renowned artist from Hong Kong, led the project with his idea Seeds of Hope. Local residents and the Kelowna Gospel Mission were invited to participate in the preparation and painting of the mural. The mural was completed in June of 2019.
