BOARD OF DIRECTORS (2011-2012)
(Elected at Annual General Meeting, March 16, 2011)
John McLachlan, Hornby Island, President
Ken Eng, Smithers, Secretary-Treasurer
Lisa Bush, Fort Saint John
Lynn Henry Curtis, Duncan
Crystal Lorette, Prince Rupert
Connie More, Victoria
Michele Nylander, Campbell River
David K. Stewart, Argenta
(Please see below for current board members’ bios.)
FOUNDING DIRECTORS (2009-2010)
Lynn Henry Curtis, RSW, Community Development Consultant, Duncan
Ken Eng, President, Bulkley Valley Concert Association, Smithers
Martin Horswill, Amy Ferguson Institute, Nelson Community Opera, Nelson
Murry Krause, Prince George City Council, Prince George
Caroline Miller, General Manager, Okanagan Symphony Orchestra, Kelowna
FOUNDING AFFILIATES
ArtStarts in Schools
Canadian Music Centre
Brief Biographies of Current Board Members
Lisa Bush
I have been an art lover since I was about 12 years old, but I have been working on arts councils since 1997, and so, by necessity I have been an arts advocate. I am currently the chair of the Fort St. John Community Arts Council as well as the Peace Liard Regional Arts Council. Also, I have been on the board of our community’s Cultural Centre for just over a year.
Up until recently, I served as the regional representative on the Assembly of BC Arts Councils, where I distinguished myself by raising enough money to start a legacy fund of almost $150,000. I am interested in fundraising, but I think I’ve mostly just “lucked out” in that department – I don’t think I possess any special skills.
I get inordinately excited about policy development, and am the happiest when I have worked with others to create those words that keep organizations out of hot water – “We shoulda had a policy about that” is the answer to almost any ill, I believe.
I currently work as a payables accountant for a large oil & gas company and have lived in Fort St. John since I was a child, so I think I bring a unique perspective. I rather think that the term “advocacy” has a slightly different connotation here than to someone from the lower mainland, for instance.
Lynn Curtis
Lynn Curtis is a retired social worker with a lifetime of experience in imagining, founding, managing and supporting the growth of new community organizations. He has made contributions to the fields of youth empowerment, education, filmmaking, forestry, small business development, aboriginal relations and ethical governance. He currently lives in Duncan, B.C. and volunteers at the Shawnigan Lake Ecovillage, an educational centre for environmentally sustainable architecture and community development.
Crystal Lorette
Living all her life on the vastly rich and diverse cultural North Coast of BC has given Crystal her deep love and appreciation for the arts. Reaching out and embracing her community in all aspects of arts is her passion. Over the past 20 years she has sat on many boards, Jazz Productions of BC, Harbour Theatre Society, Prince Rupert Arts Council and the Performing Arts Centre Society to name a few. She has had the pleasure of working for the Lester Centre of the Arts in Prince Rupert for 10 years, and currently holds the position of General Manager. She thoroughly enjoys the challenges and rewards of presenting and producing performing arts for a community with vision, imagination and pride.
Ken Eng
Ken is a Certified General Accountant, receiving his designation in 1993. He had lived in Victoria until 1997 when he moved to Smithers for work. As an accountant, he has worked in municipal government, healthcare, mining and is currently the Corporate Manager for the United Church Health Services Society which manages healthcare services in Hazelton, Bella Coola and Bella Bella. Ken has always had a keen interest in the arts as a consumer and volunteer. He is the President of the Bulkley Valley Concert Association which presents artists in Smithers, a director of the Bulkley Valley Community Arts Council and the chair of the Northwest/Bulkley chapter of the Certified General Accountants Association of B.C.
John McLachlan
Born and raised in Vancouver, John McLachlan was a touring singer/songwriter for 15 years, followed by time spent as an Executive Director of the BC Touring Council and the Creative City Network of Canada. He began studying graphic design, and in 2003 started his own business specializing in print and web design for the arts. John is now Creative Director of Full Bleed Arts Marketing Society and lives on Hornby Island.
He has sat on the boards as Chair of the Greater Vancouver Alliance for Arts and Culture and Vancouver East Cultural Centre. He is currently the Chair of the Digital Graphic Design program at Vancouver Community College.
Connie More
Connie Foss More (BMus, MMus, Cert. Budapest Liszt Academy, Hungary) lived in the eastern US, Hungary and Nanaimo BC before becoming Founding Artistic Director of Victoria’s celebrated Viva Choirs: singers aged 6-18 who love worldwide folk and art repertoire. Her choirs have received many regional, national & international honours, and she was CFAX radio in Victoria’s “Arts Leader of the Year” in 2008, in recognition of her contribution to the quality of the area arts community. She was also honoured by the BC Choral Federation with the “Amy Ferguson” award.
Connie was a music teacher inspired by the ideas of Zoltan Kodaly from 1969 until her 2009 retirement, with students of all ages in childcare centres, public schools, universities and at the Victoria Conservatory of Music. She was listed in the International Who’s Who of Business & Professional Women and was also one of five members on the Early Childhood Commission of the International Society for Music Education. She is a founding member of the International Kodaly Society and the current President of the Kodaly Society of Canada.
Connie wishes to bring the power of meaningful music and artistic experience into everyone’s lives.
Michele Nylander
Michele Louise Nylander, born in Campbell River 1967, moved to Vancouver in 1982 and lived there for 25 years before moving back in 2007.
Trained as Professional Make-Up Artist at John Cassablanca’s 1987.
Co-owned several salons, manager of Trade Secret Salon for several years, and worked in the higher end ones such as Tony and Guy on Robson street.
Freelance artist for print, film and various music productions such as album artwork and video production.
Have designed costumes for dancers, and traveled with with a group to Tokyo, California, and a Hawaiian Tahiitian dance group to Mauii.
Have taken up Photography, and began making organic (paper mache’) masks in 2003.
Attended the Alliance for Arts and Culture, Search group 116.
Exhibited at Granville Island Arts club Theater, appeared in Province newspaper, and was member of the Vancouver Public Art Market on Richards street while in Vancouver.
Since returning to the beautiful island i have done 3 productions with the River City Players theater group, one of which award winning at last years festival competition.
Was the photographer for the Shoreline Arts 2010 carving contest.
Recently part of several new live productions such as an outdoor dinner theatre at Hudson Farm, and was comissioned to make 3 new masks for a new piece performed at the Tidemark theatre as part of the first ”Rain and Fire featival of Story”.
Several showings of my masks at various studios, and at the Tidemark Gallery, two are there right now, in my third “Celebrating Women” show, to support the C.R womens center.
Am also a member of the Campbell River Arts Council.
David Stewart
Throughout his professional career David Stewart has freelanced as an actor/singer, oratorio soloist, recitalist, professional chorister, and violinist. He made his professional solo debut in 1964 with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra under Dr. Charles Munch in a performance of Berlioz’ Damnation of Faust. He has been soloist in may CBC radio premieres of Canadian compositions and recorded Martin y Soler’s Una Cosa Rara for CBC SM5000 with the CBC Vancouver Chamber Orchestra under Harry Newstone. In 1970, with Jon Washburn, David Stewart was co-founder of the Vancouver Chamber Choir.
David Stewart maintains a studio in Kaslo BC where he teaches violin, voice, classical guitar, and cello. He is president of the North Kootenay Lake Arts & Heritage Council, the Kaslo Concert Society, and the Community Fund of North Kootenay Lake, and Vice-president of the B.C. Choral Federation. In 2001 he received the “Willan Award” for outstanding long-term service to the B.C. Choral Federation.
David Stewart lives in Argenta with his wife Stephanie Judy. In his time away from music David Stewart is the proprietor of Argenta Wood Turning a one-man operation specializing in wood turning and cabinet making,