The City of Kelowna - Kelowna Community Theatre is currently accepting programming submissions for the Art@KCT exhibition program for the 2024 exhibition calendar.

Art@KCT is a professional exhibition program within the Lobby of the Kelowna Community Theatre presenting the work of visual artists from the Central Okanagan through a schedule of year-round professional exhibitions featuring accessible, thought-provoking public art. 

The program presents the work of a variety of local artists to showcase Kelowna’s expansive creative community, and provides professional development and progression opportunities for local artists. It consists of two professional exhibition spaces:

Rise@KCT is a 42 linear-foot exhibition wall in the southeast quadrant of the Lobby. It features encased plywood walls, gallery lighting and is well suited for exhibiting large and small-scale 2D artworks.

Cube@KCT is a 11 linear foot exhibition space in the northwest quadrant of the Lobby. It features encased plywood walls, gallery lighting and is well suited for exhibiting medium and small-scale 2D artworks. There is also limited capacity to exhibit 3D or digital works in this area.

Art@KCT is rooted in the following values:

Professional

Art@KCT exhibits the work of established and emerging artists in the Central Okanagan who have completed their training period. The program helps artists to live and work as artists in our region by paying appropriate CAR/FAC fees, and by employing a professional curatorial process to aid in professional development. Artworks exhibited as part of Art@KCT must adhere to professional exhibition standards. 

Accessible

For exhibiting artists, this means offering a clear, transparent submission and selection process focused on continuous improvement.

For the viewing public, this means presenting exhibitions that are connected to / relevant to our community, appropriate for the audiences who visit the Theatre, and supplementing these exhibitions with didactic panels using clear and concise language. 

Diverse

Artwork exhibited through the Art@KCT program should be diverse in medium and theme, as permitted by the physical limitations of the exhibition space available. 

Art@KCT is intended to complement existing exhibition opportunities in Kelowna, and support emerging local artists who may not be served by other programs or organizations. 

Art@KCT welcomes submissions from under-represented artists of all backgrounds including, but not limited to, Indigenous, Black, and racialized persons; refugee, newcomer and immigrant persons; two-spirit, LGBTQ+ and gender non-binary persons, persons with diverse abilities, and those on low-incomes or living in poverty. Art@KCT is committed to ensuring equitable access to our submissions process. Submitting artists are invited to contact the Program Consultant if they require any accommodations to participate.

Works will be selected by our Selection Committee based on the following criteria:

• Adherence to program values and eligibility.

• Quality of the artwork. 

• Clarity of the written proposal.

Further, the committee will balance a variety of perspectives, mediums and themes when establishing the annual exhibition calendar.

We are committed to fostering artists' professional development and are proud to pay successful applicants CAR/FAC fees. 

The Art@KCT exhibition program is well suited to early-career artists seeking professional exhibition opportunities, or more established artists seeking new opportunities to exhibit in their home community.

HOW TO SUBMIT

Submissions will only be accepted through the online submission portal. Visit the submissions portal here. 
Below is an overview of the submission requirements.

• Name, Address, Email, Website, Phone Number.

• Declaration of residence (tick box).

• Exhibition space (Rise@KCT or Cube@KCT) you are proposing work for (tick box).

• Declaration that proposed project is completed (tick box).

AND, in a single PDF document, the following information:

1. Overview of your artistic practice. Include information about your artistic vision, concepts and ideas that motivate your artistic practice (maximum 250 words).

2. Overview of the project you are proposing to exhibit. Include information about the context for your project, how it supports your broader creative practice, and your vision for the space once the work is installed (maximum 250 words). 

3. (Optional) Overview of proposed public outreach activities to support your exhibition (for example, workshops, artists talks etc). Please note, acceptance of your exhibition proposal does not guarantee acceptance of your outreach proposal. If your project requires both components to be accepted, please indicate this clearly in your submission. 

4. CV summarizing your professional history and achievements. If more than one artist is included in your proposal, include CVs of all involved artists. Maximum two pages per artist (ie: two artists = four pages).

5. Maximum 10 high-quality portfolio images in support of your application.

• Images must include documentation of the proposed project.

• Images should correspond with those listed on the image list. 

• One image per page. Images may be oriented vertically or horizontally.  

• If your work is focused on video, sound or other media, please utilize a sharing platform to store your work and provide links and passwords to appropriate files in your image list.

6. Image list for your portfolio. Include: artist name, title of work, medium, date of creation and dimensions. Links and passwords to video support material should also be included in this section, as required.

7. Presentation Details. Include information on how works are framed or finished for public presentation, preferred hanging / installation method or special installation considerations (maximum 100 words).

Note: Please title your submission PDF as follows:
Rise Gallery Submissions: KCT_RISE_[LAST NAME]_[FIRST NAME].pdf
Cube Gallery Submissions: KCT_CUBE_[LAST NAME]_[FIRST NAME].pdf

Submissions for the 2023 Art@KCT exhibition schedule should be received by October 25 2023 (midnight). 
Applicants included in this intake can expect to hear final results of their submission by January 5 2024.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM US

Artists selected for exhibition will be supported in the following ways:

• Exhibition royalties in accordance with the current CAR/FAC Fee Schedule (A.1.6 Exhibitions in Other Public Places).

• Staff assistance with exhibition installation.

• Community outreach opportunities (subject to approval), with additional CAR/FAC fees as appropriate.

Please contact us if you have any questions.

Wait a minute, is that art in that vending machine?

Correct.

So, can I purchase the pieces?

Absolutely.

And these items are all created by local artists?

Roger that.

This time around there are 2 vending machines with 10 artists each. ArtMart lands at the Kelowna Art Gallery and BNA Brewing Co. Tasting Room for a limited time. For this sixth edition of the project, the vending machines will showcase selected original works by Kelowna Art Gallery and Alternator member artists.

So, whether you choose to rock some temporary tattoos, take home a one-of-a-kind original mini painting, or fall in love with quirky felted mushrooms, visitors will enjoy simply browsing through all of the imaginative creations.

The unique works range from $5.00 – $50.00.

Artists included in the Kelowna Art Gallery edition include: Ken Ackerman, Cool Arts, Aubrey Creasor, Paulette Deyholos, Pip Dryden, Isabella Ford, Clea Haugo, Victoria Russell, Gabrielle Strong, and Jessica Wisniewski.

At BNA, you’ll find works by: Amy Bradshaw, Amy Van Dongen, Melissa Menzies, Marc LaTulippe, Taylor Sandell, Darian Goldin Stahl, Shauna Kay, Christina Knittel, Ashleigh Green, and Lisa Redfern.

Your purchase is a great way to support both local artists and the work done by both Galleries.

ArtMart is presented at BNA Brewing Co. and the Kelowna Art Gallery in partnership with the Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art, and with support from the Central Okanagan Foundation.

AR Bernard is back! Seven teams of local artists including illustrators, animators, and musicians collaborated to create a collection of augmented reality artworks that were on display as part of the City of Kelowna’s ‘Meet Me on Bernard’ events in the summer of 2022. 

Funded by the City of Kelowna Temporary Art in Public Spaces program, and facilitated by the Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art, Kelowna Art Gallery, and Maud Collective, the works presented as part of AR Bernard explore topics ranging from the natural environment and whimsical beasts to hypnotizing figurative work. 

Augmented Reality technology allows the viewer to add an enhanced layer of images, movement, and sound to their immediate surroundings by looking through their smartphone.

The seven artworks were created by artists Jesse Roode, Zohreh Rastkerdar, Bo Higgs, Moozhan Ahmadzadegan, Reuben Scott, Will Hoffman, Ashleigh Green, Jamal Pollack, Ken Ackerman, Kristi Clarke, Emily Stubbs, Michael Averill, Emmah Farrell, Jacen Dennis, Branchroot Ensemble, Shauna Oddleifson, Joanne Gervais, Alison Beaumont, Liz Ranney, Jacen Dennis, and Shera Kelly. They are displayed between the 300-500 blocks on Bernard Avenue from July 1 – September 6, 2022. After downloading the AUGLE app, viewers could point their smartphone at the artworks to see the illustrations come to life!

Wait a minute, is that art in that vending machine?

Correct.

So, can I purchase the pieces?

Absolutely.

And these items were all created by local artists?

Roger that.

ArtMart lands at the Kelowna Art Gallery for a limited time. For this fifth edition of the project created by our friends at the Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art, the vending machine will showcase selected original works by Kelowna Art Gallery member artists.

So, whether you choose to rock a one-of-a-kind hand-made pin, take home a tiny eye-catching felted pillow, or fall in love with a quirky lino-cut print, visitors will enjoy simply browsing through all of the imaginative creations.

The unique works range from $5.00 – $50.00.

Artists include: BOXCARSIX Artist Collective, Brooklyn Bellmond, Amy Bradshaw, Kim Cooper, Paulette Deyholos, Emily Enoch, Victoria Russell, Shelby Smith, Amy Van Dongen, Faith Wandler, and Heather Yip.

Your purchase is a great way to support both local artists and the work done by the Gallery.

ArtMart is presented at the Kelowna Art Gallery in partnership with the Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art, and with support from the Central Okanagan Foundation.

Seven teams of local artists including illustrators, animators, and musicians collaborated to create a collection of augmented reality artworks that were on display as part of the City of Kelowna’s ‘Meet Me on Bernard’ events in the summer of 2021. 

Funded by the City of Kelowna Temporary Art in Public Spaces program, and facilitated by the Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art and Kelowna Art Gallery,  the works presented as part of AR Bernard explore themes ranging from the natural environment and Kelowna city life to whimsical stories of fictional characters. 

Augmented Reality technology allows the viewer to add an enhanced layer of images, movement, and sound to their immediate surroundings by looking through their smartphone. For many participating artists, it was the first time creating work to be presented in this medium. Andrew Stauffer, a participating artist, describes his experience: “As a musician, this project has provided me with a new way to collaborate with artists across disciplines, and see my work presented to new audiences through technology I haven’t used before.”

The seven artworks were displayed between the 300-500 blocks on Bernard Avenue from July 1 – September 7, 2021. After downloading the AUGLE app, viewers could point their smartphone at the artworks to see the illustrations come to life.