CCMA Art Grant
Announcing the four CCMA Immersive Activation Artist Finalists!
The Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) is thrilled to bring Canada’s biggest week in country music to Kelowna, this September 10-13!
As part of this exciting celebration, the CCMA—alongside the City of Kelowna—invited local artists to pitch immersive art installations to be featured during Country Music Week. The response was nothing short of incredible, and with so much creativity and talent on display, narrowing down the finalists was no easy task.
(Drumroll please)
In the true spirit of country music and in celebration of Kelowna’s vibrant arts scene, we’re proud to announce our finalists:
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— most recently collaborating together on the City of Kelowna's 2025 Cultural District Booklet, where they blended Chantel’s vibrant, expressive style with Tyson’s clarity and structure to create an engaging, community-focused resource.
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.
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.
About the project
Twang Beam is an 8-foot-long, motion-controlled, stringless pedal steel guitar that reimagines one of country music’s most iconic instruments through a contemporary lens. Using a distance sensor to track hand movement, it triggers a virtual instrument that bends and slides notes based on proximity — inviting visitors to shape the sound with gesture alone. The result is a tactile, expressive, and slightly surreal take on the pedal steel’s haunting glides and signature twang.
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, 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.
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
I'm Nancy Wilde, a commercial sign maker for the last 45 years in Vernon. I have worked with and been inspired by some of the best sign painters and makers. The first 10+ years included hand lettering everything from logging trucks to billboards, silk screening, spraying sign faces and swamping on the boom truck doing sign installations. The early 90's was the introduction of computerized sign makers and the sign making transition began. I evolved with the industry but always look forward to projects that use some of the sign painting skills from my past. The last 10 years I have been including dimensional sign work using carved styrofoam and HDU and hope to include dimensional concrete soon. Always like to learn and try new sign making methods and excited when I can incorporate "old school" applications.
Other ways to get involved
Attend the Mixer
City of Kelowna Cultural Services and the CCMA host committee invite you to The Round Up: Arts and Culture Mixer!
Date: Monday, June 16, 2025
Time: 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Location: Rotary Centre for the Arts, Atrium
• Mix and mingle while enjoying complimentary refreshments and bites
• Short presentation on what Country Music Week is all about
- Discover ways to get involved and drive traffic to your business, events, performances
- Learn how to leverage this marquee event to create buzz and boost engagement
Cost: Free! But space is limited
RSVP for the Mixer!
Special Edition CCMA flyer
Here's what we'll be doing:
We’ll be puttin' together a special lil' CCMA flyer insert for the Cultural District brochure to showcase local, country-western themed events or other arts and culture happenings September 5-16th. Brochures will be distributed throughout the Cultural District for CCMA event attendees.
What will you be doing?
If you will be kickin' up the Cultural District with toe-tappin’ events or country-western themed exhibits to welcome visitors, we'd love to include you in the special edition CCMA flyer!
Submit your event information!
• If your event details are set, submit early so we can share at The Round Up event!
• Space is limited, and all submissions will be reviewed for fit.
• Deadline to submit: August 4th
⇒There are opportunities to contribute to delegate packages or volunteer for the CCMA’s if you are still interested in getting involved. Reach out to the Host Committee: Jennifer Dalen, [email protected]
