Photo: Miles Overn
From left to right, includes Kris Hargrave, Craig Siemens, Karma Lacoff Nieoczym, and Nicole Cantley at the launch of the Central Okanagan Music Strategy.
A Kelowna non-profit organization is celebrating its recent Lieutenant Governor?s Arts and Music Award.
Creative Okanagan received the Lieutenant Governor?s Arts and Music Award for their demonstrated exceptional leadership, creativity, community engagement, passion and commitment to fostering and mentoring others in the music sector in the Central Okanagan.
“This is significant for our community. We engaged over 1200 people in our work on the development of the Central Okanagan Music Strategy in 2020 and 2021. The project and our work so far to implement it is due to community involvement. Our organization is humbled and grateful to be a recipient of this award. We look forward to continuing to support a diverse, collaborative, accessible and inclusive music scene for our community,” says Craig Siemens, Board of Directors of Creative Okanagan.
Christine McWillis, cultural services manager with the City of Kelowna the number of people who had to come together to make this project a reality is impressive. “A diversity of artists, community audience members, businesses, organizations, funders and local governments supported this project and continue to support the activities of Creative Okanagan,“ says McWillis.
Our community is so fortunate to benefit from Creative Okanagan’s dedication and commitment
Creative Okanagan is run by a strong Board of Directors led by one of Creative Okanagan’s founding members, Sonya Barker, who currently acts as the society’s president. The creative group indicates this is just the beginning. “Creative Okanagan is set-up for big things in the future. With an eye to enhance and build on the music and performing arts scene across the region,” Siemens says.
