Art-ful Engagement in Small Cities: Beyond the Project

PANELISTS

Will Garrett-Petts, Associate Vice-President of Research and Graduate Studies at Thompson Rivers University

Will Garrett-Petts is Professor of English, Rhetoric, & Canadian Studies and Associate Vice-President of Research and Graduate Studies at Thompson Rivers University. His recent books and catalogues include Cultural Mapping as Cultural Inquiry (2015; paperback edition, 2020); Whose Culture is it, Anyway? Community Engagement in Small Cities (2014); Writing about Literature (2nd ed. 2013); Imaging Place (2009); Artists’ Statements and the Nature of Artistic Inquiry (2007); The Small Cities Book: On the Cultural Future of Small Cities (2005); and PhotoGraphic Encounters: The Edges and Edginess of Reading Prose Pictures and Visual Fictions (2000). He is Series Editor (with Nancy Duxbury Carreiro) for Small Cities: Sustainability in Community and Cultural Engagement (University of Calgary Press); and, supported by Social Sciences and Humanities in Canada (SSHRC Insight program) funding and Vancouver Foundation (Participatory Action Research) funding, he is engaged in exploring questions of visual and verbal culture, cultural and vernacular mapping, and the artistic animation of small cities. He also has a special interest in the theory and practice of including students in undergraduate research. Garrett-Petts co-edited a newly released book, Artistic Approaches to Cultural Mapping (Routledge, 2019; paperback edition, 2020).

Tracey Kutschker, Director/Curator at the Salmon Arm Arts Centre

As Director/Curator at Salmon Arm Arts Centre and Art Gallery, Tracey Kutschker has nearly 20 years of experience in a management role in the arts and culture sector. She has developed and executed many inter-disciplinary arts programs, including large-scale community art projects, family and youth programming, and public art projects, all while managing the regional Arts Council. A graduate of the University of Lethbridge, Tracey’s liberal arts education gave her an excellent foundation in which to advance the cultural agenda in her small city through engagement, curatorial practice, advocacy and liaising with non-arts sectors.

Danalee Baker, Economic Development Project Manager for Tk'emlups te Secwepemc

Born and raised in Kamloops, Danalee chose to settle there again after travelling, studying and working across the globe for close to 20 years. She is married, has two children and three SPCA-rescued cats. Her experiences range from leadership in education, client services in the tech sector,  and working and leading in the non-profit sector for nearly twelve years. She is a TRU Alumni, receiving her Bachelor's degree in Human Geography and completed graduate work in International Leadership at Capilano University. Currently Danalee is an Economic Development Project Manager for Tk'emlups te Secwepemc in Kamloops.  She recognizes she works, lives, and plays in the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc territory within the unceded and occupied traditional lands of the Secwepemc Nation. As such, Danalee gives thanks and acknowledges the privilege she has to be an uninvited guest there

Tammy Robertson, City of Kamloops, External Relations Manager

Tammy Robertson, External Relations Manager with the City of Kamloops, has 30 years of experience in the private and public sector. In recent years, she was responsible for the City’s marketing and public relations and the Kamloops Airport. Tammy has moved into a dedicated external relations role to enhance Indigenous relations, stakeholder and community engagement. A key focus for Tammy is building on the City's relationships with Indigenous communities, business organizations, industry and all levels of government. Current projects include establishing partnerships on the development of community facilities, facilitating collaborative marketing efforts, and creating meaningful engagement processes with Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc.

Cheryl Gladu, Researcher in Residence, Thompson Rivers University

Cheryl Gladu, Ph.D., MBA, is the Researcher-in-Residence Postdoctoral fellow at Thompson Rivers University. Cheryl has an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Design and Management from Concordia University. In addition to being curious about nearly everything, she studies how people co-create systems and structures for simpler yet richer lives and, to that end, has investigated collaborative housing communities. Before this work, she co-created and managed a small upstart green real estate development company that developed Canada’s first net-zero multi-unit residential building using a unique integrated design process. In addition to her research, Cheryl has over a decade of experience teaching, with a primary focus on creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship.