Black background with white text that reads "Okanagan Arts Awards."

2011 Okanagan Arts Award Winners

  • A painting of a dense forest with green foliage, tall trees in the background, and leafy plants on the forest floor.

    Frances Harris

    VISUAL ARTS

    The Vancouver School of Art and several well-known British Columbia artists have all contributed to Frances Harris’s art education, but Robert Genn and the late Alex Sutherland have had the greatest influence on her work. Frances’s preferred medium is oil, which she uses to paint the vast British Columbian landscape.

    Image Source: The Lloyd Gallery

    Frances Harris - Alpine Woods (1988) Oil on Canvas 11 x 14

  • Group of performers dancing on stage against a black background, wearing colorful costumes and expressive facial expressions.

    Ballet Kelowna

    DANCE

    Since 2002, Ballet Kelowna has brought powerful and memorable dance to British Columbia and beyond. Under the leadership of Artistic Director and CEO Simone Orlando, Ballet Kelowna presents various styles of dance from Canada’s finest emerging and established choreographers.

  • An older man with white hair, glasses, and a beard, sitting in a room with a violin and a piano, looking thoughtfully at the camera.

    Imant Raminsh

    MUSIC

    Imant Raminsh is the founding conductor of the Prince George Symphony, the Youth Symphony of the Okanagan, NOVA Children’s Choir, and AURA Chamber Choir. His compositions have been performed on six continents by such ensembles as the Vancouver, Edmonton, Hamilton, Toronto, Okanagan, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick Symphonies. Recent major commissions have included a violin concerto for the Vancouver Symphony, a bassoon concerto for George Zukerman, and a choral-symphonic setting for baritone solo, large choir, and orchestra of Rilke’s Sonnets to the Orpheus Choir of Toronto.

  • Silhouette of a man in a suit seen from behind with the text 'No Photos Found' at the bottom.

    Donald Gillard

    DESIGN

    A graduate of the Industrial Design program at Emily Carr College of Art & Design, Donald Gillard puts his talents to use for businesses, offering brand-creation and brand-management services and Web design.

  • Silhouette of a man in a suit facing away, with the text 'No Photos Found' at the bottom.

    Jeff Samin

    THEATRE

  • Black and white drawing of Sarah Lige and Dawn Emerson. Sarah Lige's portrait is on top, shown smiling with short hair, and her name printed in the bottom right corner. Below, Dawn Emerson is depicted holding up a piece of paper or artwork and smiling, with her name in the bottom left corner.

    Sarah Lige and Dawn Emerson

    ARTS EDUCATOR

    Dawn Emerson is an emerging artist residing in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. After raising four children, Dawn went back to university to pursue her dream to be an artist and she completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Education. Dawn now works full time as an artist; creating artwork for galleries and pursuing art exhibitions. She also loves to teach art and facilitates large school art projects, the perfect balance.

  • Black and white sketch of a woman sitting on a chair, with the association logo 'LIVESSENCE' and the tagline 'society for figurative artists and models' above her.

    Live Essence

    COF COMMUNITY ARTS ASSOCIATION AWARD

    Livessence Society of Figurative Artists and Models is the Okanagan’s only non profit life drawing society that promotes life drawing and figurative art in all its forms.

  • Black and white illustration of a film reel with a short strip of film curling out from it.

    Ascent Films: Jiri Bakala, Myles McGovern, Steve Antturi

    MEDIA ARTS

    Ascent Films is an award-winning Canadian film and TV production company and a post-production boutique located in Kelowna, British Columbia. A former CBC director, Jiri founded his production company Ascent Films over a decade ago with the aim to focus on TV and commercial production.

  • Silhouette of a person with the words 'No Photos Found' at the bottom.

    Liz Burnett

    SUPPORTER OF THE ARTS

  • Black and white close-up photo of a smiling woman with light-colored hair and a scarf.

    Roslyn Frantz

    LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT

    Roslyn Frantz is well known and loved in Kelowna and the Okanagan Valley as a distinguished pianist, who has participated in the ‘musical’ fabric in the valley for over 20 years. In 1979 she earned the recognition of world renowned interpreter of German Lieder by winning the coveted prize for distinguished achievement as an accompanist from the Franz Schubert Institut, Baden near Vienna in Austria. Applying her talent as an accompanist, Roslyn has accompanied many artists. During this time she has gained admiration and love from many of the performers with whom she has performed, including her students, for her special gift of empathy with each and every one.