Founded in 1989, the Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art is an artist-run centre operated by the Okanagan Artists Alternative Association.  We are a registered charity and non-profit organization.  

The Alternator currently programs three exhibition spaces - our Main Gallery and Project Gallery are primarily professional exhibition spaces programmed through an annual call for submissions, while our Members’ Gallery is unjuried and features a variety of work by our member artists.

In addition to these exhibition programs, the Alternator also runs a rotating roster of community outreach programs (including the ArtMart art vending machine) and partnership activities. To stay up to date with our current exhibitions and events, subscribe to our newsletter.

To improve the well-being of artists, and our community, by creating a just and equitable world where artists are supported to contribute to society through their art.

Our Mission

To increase public engagement and appreciation of contemporary art through exhibitions, discussions and community-building events.

To encourage connection, inclusion, innovation and creative growth by providing professional, community and outreach opportunities that foster lifelong learning.

To increase empathy and understanding in our community by sharing diverse stories, experiences and perspectives through art. 

To improve the sustainability of the creative sector by providing meaningful work and development opportunities for Canadian artists.

Our Values

Experimentation

To support risk-taking, innovation and the advancement of creative practice.

Collaboration

Between artists, organizations and our community to create new ideas, methods and ways of understanding.

Context

Through engagement with our community, culture and place. We value our role in driving the creative sector in our regional community, and within the cultural milieu of Canada and beyond.  

Sustainability

In our processes, policies and governance, to ensure our community, our organization and the artists we work with are nurtured and enriched for future generations. 

Accessibility

For artists and our community to engage with our activities, regardless of race, gender, age, income, education, or ability.

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Access

At the Okanagan Artists Alternative Association, a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace is one where everyone feels valued and respected. 

The success of the Okanagan Artists Alternative Association, and our operations as the Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art, relies on our ability to create an equitable and accessible arts organization for all of our stakeholders; staff, volunteers, exhibiting artists, members and visitors, whatever their gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, age, sexual orientation or identity, education, diverse-ability or economic status.

Fulfilling our mandate as a welcoming site for art-making and community building is inextricably linked to the equity, respect and accessibility we foster in all of our relationships, and in the behaviour we exemplify to our regional, provincial and national community. We approach Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Access (IDEA) as we do all aspects of our organization - with a growth mindset and frequent critical self-reflection. 

 Our Commitment:

• Through the lens of our mandate, we commit to ensuring an equitable environment with accessible and transparent hiring, volunteering and programming processes. We will refine our outreach strategies to help reduce barriers and broaden engagement.

• We will act with transparency, authenticity and be accountable to our stakeholders. 

• We will foster honest and open dialogue to refine our operations, policies and procedures to ensure equity. 

• We will encourage and welcome stakeholder feedback to help identify ways we can be better. 

• We are committed to the work that is required to become a more equitable and inclusive organization and allocate resources (human and financial) to help further this objective. 

Our IDEA Policy is supported by an internal action plan outlining improvements that to move us closer to our goals. If you’d like to learn more about our work to improve Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Access within our organization, please reach out to us here.

We acknowledge that Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Access is a journey that will require continued investment. Our IDEA Policy is a living document to be adapted as we discover new areas for improvement to ensure equity within our organization. 

The Alternator is an artist-run organization with a history going back over 35 years. Since 2002, we have called the Rotary Centre for the Arts home, however, we are different organizations with distinct visions, programming and governance.  

The Alternator is actively working towards making the archives of our professional programming available to the public. If you would like to learn more about the archives or are interested in doing research with the archives, please contact the gallery at: info@alternatorcentre.com.

The Alternator is supported by funding from the federal, provincial and municipal levels of government, private foundations, community organizations, sponsorships, donations, and earned revenues that include membership fees, voluntary admissions, and revenues from fundraising events.

Operational Support

• The Canada Council for the Arts

• The Province of BC through the BC Arts Council

• The Province of BC through the BC Gaming Commission

• The City of Kelowna

Project Support

• The City of Kelowna

• Human Resources and Skills Development Canada

• The Central Okanagan Foundation

• The Audain Foundation

Victoria Moore

Victoria Moore is an artist, curator and project manager who has recently returned to the Okanagan. Her art practice explores the concept of “Place” through the intersecting lenses of community, history, and identity. In her current career, Victoria works with international clients as a Management Consultant specializing in business transformation. Prior to 2020, Victoria was deeply involved in the Okanagan Arts community, holding positions with the Kelowna Art Gallery, ARTSCO, and as an employee of the Alternator. For the past three years, she has lived and collaborated with artists & curators in Vancouver & Victoria, BC in concert with her consulting career. She received her BFA from UBC Okanagan in 2018.

Connor Charlesworth

Connor Charlesworth is an artist and educator born and currently based in Kelowna on unceeded sylix territory. He received his MFA from The University of Victoria in 2018. Since then, he has taught studio courses at UVic (Victoria), TRU (Kamloops), and UBCO (Kelowna). Recent solo exhibitions include The Kelowna Community Theatre, The Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art, and The Audain Gallery at The University of Victoria. Charlesworth recently partook in a mentorship with artist Enrique Martinez Celaya out of his Los Angeles studio. He maintains an active studio and is passionate about contemporary approaches to painting, art education, and contributing to Kelowna’s vibrant developing cultural scene.

Jacen Dennis

Jacen Dennis is a transgender (transmasculine) new media artist, currently working as a sessional instructor. He finished his Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan in 2021 and BFA in 2015. He was the project coordinator and lead animator for both the live performance project Music of the Heavens and the forthcoming animated short film series and exhibition Celestial Bodies. Jacen’s current personal practice primarily involves compositing filmed and photographic media with digital animation, creating immersive multi-projector installations.

Nathan Zeitner

Nathan Zeitner grew up in Kelowna and recently relocated back to the city with his husband, after nearly 20 years living and working in Vancouver, BC. He has spent the past decade working in the arts and higher education, and serving on the boards of non-profit arts organizations. He studied acting and theatre arts at Studio 58, Langara College's prestigious theatre training program, and earned his Bachelor of Media Arts from Emily Carr University of Art + Design. His art making has focused on film and video production, and he is an avid home cook and baker. With gratitude, he acknowledges that he lives and works on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the syilx Okanagan peoples.

Patrick Lundeen

Patrick Lundeen is an artist, teacher and musician born in Lethbridge Alberta, currently based in Kelowna he teaches visual art at The UBC (Okanagan Campus). Past exhibitions include the Odd Gallery (Dawson City), the Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art (Kelowna), L’Ecart (Rouyn-Noranda), Mike Weiss Gallery (NYC), ThreeWalls (Chicago), Confederation Centre (Charlottetown), Wetterling Gallery (Stockholm), Katherine Mulherin (Toronto), L’Oeil de Poisson, (Quebec) AKA Gallery (Saskatoon) and the Kelowna Art Gallery (Kelowna). Lundeen has received research and creation grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, the BC Arts Council and The Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec. Lundeen was chosen as the Kelowna Artist in Residence for 2022, showcasing his “HAPPY DAY FREE GIFT TRUCK” as a way to bring together the community.

Bailey Ennig

Bailey Ennig creates art as a means of sharing his stories with the intention to help others see similar characteristics in themselves. His digital media practice is driven by subtle narratives that run through the viewing of the art. Bailey’s digital media practice specifically focuses on photography and animation. Using stories as a foundation for his work, Bailey explores ideas of childhood and memory. Consistently present in all his productions is the theme of vulnerability present through the personal narratives that are being shared. 

Judith Schwarz

Judith Schwarz is a practicing artist and art educator, nationally recognized for her sculpture, public works, and drawing. She has successfully completed large-scale public commissions in Toronto and Vancouver.

Schwarz is noted for her sculptural wall-works that have been exhibited across Canada and Internationally She has also contributed to the art community as a board member to various public art institutions such at Mercer Union Gallery, C Magazine, the AGO, Open Studio and the Koffler Center for the Arts.

As an Associate Professor at York University, Schwarz developed undergraduate curriculum and facilitated learning in a digital environment. Her roles included MFA Graduate Program Director, Chair of the Department of Visual Art and Art History and Associate Dean Academic for the School of Arts, Media, Performance and Design.

Lorna McParland Artistic & Administrative Director

Lorna McParland is a Canadian born photographic artist with a passion for community engaged arts projects. After spending her youth in Kelowna, Lorna relocated to Glasgow UK where she completed an Honours Degree in Visual Communication. While working full time at Glasgow School of Art, Lorna continued her studies and was awarded a Master’s Degree in Media Arts and Imaging from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design where her thesis focused on the possibilities for community based arts projects to fuel personal creative practice. In her ten years abroad, Lorna has facilitated creative projects with diverse audiences in both the UK and Canada, and has extensive experience in exhibitions, arts administration, education and workshop facilitation.

Arianne Tubman Assistant Director

Arianne Tubman is an emerging artist, originally from Calgary, A.B. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a Major in Visual Arts from the University of British Columbia Okanagan in 2021. While an avid illustrator and printmaker, Arianne’s artistic practice focuses mainly on photography. She has been part of the Alternator team since 2021, and is interested in building community connections.