Major Events Artist Grant
Thank you for celebrating Memorial Cup week in Kelowna.
From May 21–31, Memorial Cup–inspired artwork was on display across the city, inviting residents and visitors alike to experience Canadian hockey culture through a creative lens. Commissioned by the Memorial Cup Host Committee in partnership with the City of Kelowna, these temporary installations added moments of reflection, discovery, and community connection throughout the tournament.
Read about the art and learn more about the artists.
About the Project
The Staycationers was on display in the 300 block of Bernard Avenue and incorporated into Kelowna's signature summer zone 'Meet me on Bernard'. This nostalgic piece is all about celebrating characteristics familiar to both hockey fans and Kelowna locals alike, featuring "The Cherry Picker", "The Water Skier" (somebody call a hooking penalty!), the "Top Shelf" (where the good wine is kept, no doubt), and the biggest little fan (with a subtle nod to our home team).
About the artist
Hi, I’m Sara— Founder and Creator at ruthie. The eponymous name is a representation of who I am and where I came from. My Oma, affectionately referred to as “Ruthie” by my Opa, has always provided a gathering space for people. I was named after her (Ruth is my middle name), and my dad has always called me “Little Ruthie”.
Today, ruthie is a creative production house focused on crafting experiences. Whether it is for your brand, your business, or your event—my work is an invitation into a world I've created. Always done as sustainably as possible, my creative decisions are strategic and intentional, keeping the earth and its people at the forefront.
Connect with Sara:
[email protected] | @_ruthie_was_here_ on Instagram
About the project
"Hockey Pucks" is a representation of Canadian hockey history and the dream for countless children of scoring the big one.
About this work, the artist shares: OMG. A hockey puck is one of my all-time favourite smells. It's X-mas, Canadian Tire and the arena dressing room all rolled into one. It also smells like my dream of one day scoring the Stanley Cup-winning goal, a dream I shared with most of my friends and countless other children growing up all over Canada, skating in backyard rinks and playing in minor hockey organizations.
When I see the scars on these pucks, I see every kid who skated with it and try to imagine who scored the goal that ricocheted off the post to end the game in overtime and send the crowd into hysteria... even if the crowd was twenty freezing parents desperate to go home and eat.
Twelve photos of the artist's personal collection of wonderfully weathered and beaten hockey pucks were displayed along the waterfront walkway from the boat launch to the boardwalk.
About the artist
Grant Robinson is an emerging artist and commercial photographer.
Primarily known for his action sports images, his photography career began in London, England, shooting fashion and cosmetics before turning his camera to action and industrial photography.
More recently his work has grown to encompass painting and sculpture. These works are a colourful, humorous and playful take on the often times, dark palette of human experience.
"Hockey Pucks" is an excerpt from the larger body of work "Collections", highly detailed photographs of personal gatherings of inconspicuous and otherwise mundane items that have been modified for purpose or aesthetic value and well-used by one or more owners.
Connect with Grant:
[email protected] | gforcephoto on Instagram
About the project
The artists described this playful piece as simply a disco ball in the shape of an outlandishly big hockey helmet. The shape carried the theme (it's hockey season in Kelowna, and everyone is invited), and the material carried the message (this is gonna be a good time!).
Suspended overhead from the Art Walk frame, the piece is pictured (here) with the RCA and public art ‘Concept to Creation’ in the background.
About the artists
Tyson Neufeld and Chantel Thederahn are a matched set of multimedia artists based right here in Kelowna. Working in whatever medium they're currently obsessed with, their work is scrappy but sweet.
Connect with us:
Tyson: [email protected] | @tyson.neufeld on Instagram
Chanel: [email protected] | chantelteeds on Instagram
About the project
We hope you stopped at Rhapsody Plaza for a photo moment keepsake of an unforgettable 2026 week at Memorial Cup in Kelowna!
Look closely and you’ll find the game-day details that bring it to life: pucks and whistles, refs and their stripes, helmets, skates, sticks, waving flags, and a larger-than-life jersey-wearing hockey player. It’s local scenery, Canadian iconography, and hockey energy!
About the artist
Artist and sign painter Nancy Wilde brings a craft-based, hands-on approach to contemporary public art. Over the past decade, she has expanded her studio practice from traditional sign painting into dimensional signage—working with carved styrofoam and high-density urethane (HDU)—and is now exploring dimensional concrete.
Rooted in a love of learning and experimentation, Wilde’s work keeps the heritage of sign painting alive while reimagining it through new materials, scale, and site-specific storytelling.
Connect with Nancy
[email protected] | @nancywildesigns.ca on Instagram
About the project
This installation was exhibited in Orchard Park Shopping Centre. Behind My Mask is a series of sculpted ceramic hockey goalie masks rooted in the artist's lived relationship to the sport—as a lifelong fan and, later, an adult goalie. The project brings together sporting experience and studio practice to examine how identity is performed, protected, and revealed through the language of equipment and ritual.
Presented in galleries, the masks enter art discourse as objects of sculpture and portraiture; presented in public or sport-facing contexts, they return to the arena as familiar forms made strange. Moving between these settings is central to the work: by placing an emblem of hockey culture in new spaces, the project invites viewers to consider what separates (and connects) art and sport communities and how crossing those boundaries can reopen attention to nuance, empathy, and shared value.
About the artist
Rylan Broadbent is a multidisciplinary artist, holding an MFA from the University of British Columbia. His practice is materially diverse, often bouncing between technology and tradition, but always looking for ways to create cultural collisions with image, object, or idea.
Connect with Rylan
[email protected] | rylanbroadbent.com | @wry_lan_d on Instagram
Celebrating Major Events in Kelowna with the Arts
The Major Event Artist Grant offers local artists exciting opportunities to showcase their artistic work and activate Kelowna through creative projects that celebrate and raise awareness of major events. By transforming public spaces into interactive, welcoming environments, the program highlights the unique identity of each event and builds community spirit—locally and through social media on a potential global stage.
“This grant made a big difference. It gave me the push and confidence to slow down, try things, and actually create something larger than I usually would. It also helped me feel more connected and seen as an artist in Kelowna. It wasn’t just funding; it really helped me grow as a visual artist.”
Raj Jain, a prior recipient of the Major Events Artist Grant.
You can find out about this grant and other artist opportunities by subscribing to the monthly Arts and Culture e-newsletter.
CCMA Artwork
We invited visitors to step into a world where music and art collided during Country Music Week. The art installations were crafted and created by five local artists bringing the heart of country music to life in vivid colour and creativity.
View the art installations below.
Birch Cassidy
Artists: Tyson Neufeld & Chantel Thederahn
About the project
Birch Cassidy leans into the country theme—literally. It’s a cheeky nod to classic western tropes we all know (and secretly love) and the slightly over-the-top décor that makes country culture so loveable. By using a familiar silhouette of a cowboy, but filling the inside with a cast mosaic in the City's official colors, the piece blends old-school country charm with a celebration of local flavor, and creates a dazzling display with the play of natural light filtering through.
As a life-size standee, Birch Cassidy naturally invites a playful interaction among visitors to lean beside it, peek through the mosaic, or frame themselves between the standee and the stained-glass pattern it throws onto its surroundings.
About the artists
Chantel Thederahn and Tyson Neufeld are a creative duo based in the Okanagan, bringing together bold energy and thoughtful precision. Chantel is a multimedia artist with a background in print and a love for playful, client-focused design, while Tyson is a graphic designer and woodworker, known for his clean, organized approach and eye for detail. Together, they balance creative exploration with practical execution.
View Chantel's work at www.chantelteeds.ca or @madebymood.ca on Instagram.
From Sunrise to Stage
Artist: Raj Jain
About the project
From Sunrise to Stage is a big, life-sized sketchbook that shows a day in the life of a country music artist visiting Kelowna. The pages are filled with sketches and stories that capture their journey; from waking up, exploring the city, to performing on stage. It’s a fun and visually rich way to celebrate country music and Kelowna’s beautiful culture. The sketchbook is made to connect people with music and art, and to share the experience of being part of this special event. I hope visitors will feel inspired and take photos to share the story with others!
About the artist
Raj Jain (He/Him) is a multidisciplinary artist, filmmaker, and content creator based in Kelowna, BC. He explores movement, memory, and identity through watercolor sketches, films, and digital media. His urban-sketch-style paintings capture fleeting moments—landscapes, roads, markets, and people in motion—inviting viewers to reflect on their own journeys.
Raj has lived in two countries and traveled to 22, and his work often explores what it means to be between places and cultures. His films include 14.02, The Musk Deer, Ammi, and the feature documentary Beyond the Grand White Walls, which have screened at festivals across North America and South Asia.
Raj uses both traditional and digital tools to tell stories, often focusing on voices and experiences that are overlooked. Themes of identity, resilience, and self-discovery are at the heart of his work. He loves working with communities through exhibitions, commissions, and workshops.
View his work at www.rajjain.ca or @unboundink on Instagram.
HORSEPOWER
Artist: Adam Kereliuk
About the project
With crowds already dressed in country attire, HORSEPOWER brings the vibe to the streets by letting people take it one step further — and “commute” by horse using Lime Scooters. The activation adds energy and spectacle to downtown Kelowna by affixing an assortment of horse heads to the Lime Scooters.
We’ll have multiple mobile pieces galloping through the city — spreading the word about CCMA while putting big smiles on the faces of both riders and spectators.
About the artist
Adam Kereliuk is a designer and strategist working at the intersection of branding, behaviour, and experience. With a background in visual identity, storytelling, product and digital design, his work blends research-driven insight with conceptual clarity.
Through his practice TMPO STUDIO, Adam builds brands and experiences that move people. Whether reimagining a tech company’s market position, building entire winery identities, or shaping the tone and story of a real estate development, his approach is rooted in the belief that good design is an experience: one that shifts perception, builds trust, and drives action.
Balancing cultural context, spatial awareness, and emotional connection, Adam strives to create work that is felt as much as it is seen.
Learn more about TMPO.Studio on the website, or visit tmpo.studio on Instagram.
Campfire Stories
Artist: Arianne Tubman
About the project
Campfire Stories are two large scale paper mâché lanterns. These hand-painted lanterns combine iconic Okanagan flora and fauna and classic Country imagery to celebrate the CCMA’s coming to Kelowna! Gather around the soft glowing lights with your friends and family to share stories, sing songs, and create lasting memories.
About the artist
Arianne Tubman is an emerging multidisciplinary artist based in Kelowna, British Columbia. Originally from Calgary, Alberta, she holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a Major in Visual Arts from the University of British Columbia Okanagan (2021).
Tubman’s artistic practice spans a diverse range of mediums and subjects, yet consistently centers around one core theme: human connection. Her work thoughtfully examines the ways we connect to our bodies, our memories, and one another. Through deliberate material choices and conceptual explorations, Tubman hopes viewers will pause, reflect, and engage with the stories told through her work.
View more of Arianne's work @ari_tubbs on Instagram.
Wilde Fun at the CCMA
Artist: Nancy Wilde
About the project
Wild Times at the CCMA is a colourful multi-layer hand painted 3D mural that celebrates all things Kelowna including wineries, mountains, orchards, sunshine and lakes plus a generous mix of boots, cowboy hat and a guitar to add that country flavour. This sign is a guaranteed fun time when you put these images ALL together. It's a party.... or even better It's the CCMAs. Complete with a signature champion CCMA belt buckle... it's all there! Just try and walk by!
About the artist
Based in Vernon, BC, Nancy Wilde brings over 45 years of experience and craftsmanship to the world of commercial sign making. A respected figure in the industry, Nancy began her career in the late 1970s, mastering the art of hand lettering on everything from logging trucks to billboards. Her early work also included silk screening, spray painting sign faces, and even assisting with installations from a boom truck — all hands-on, all foundational.
Over the past decade, Nancy has expanded her practice to include dimensional signage, working with carved styrofoam and high-density urethane (HDU), and is now exploring the use of dimensional concrete. Her work is driven by a deep appreciation for learning, experimenting, and keeping the heritage of sign painting alive through every new project.
Contact Nancy by email at [email protected] or @nancywildesigns on Instagram
