Staff
In an effort to reduce spam, only the first part of staff emails have been listed, which can be followed by @kelownaartgallery.com
For general email, you can contact the Gallery at info@kelownaartgallery.com
Debbie Batycki, Head of Financial Administration
ext 307, e: debbie@
Debbie Batycki has been a part-time member of the Kelowna Art Gallery team since April 1997. She is the Head of Financial Administration and is responsible for the financial operations of the Gallery as well as overseeing and co-ordinating grant submissions. Outside her role at the Gallery, Debbie holds an ARCT from the Royal Conservatory of Music and is a private instructor of piano and theory.
Renée Burgess, Head of Public Programming
ext 310, e: renee@
Renée Burgess has held the position of Head of Public Programming at the Kelowna Art Gallery since 2001. She is responsible for a team of staff and volunteers who work together to create and implement the educational and tour programs for children and adults and community outreach projects.
Burgess received her Fine Arts diploma from Vancouver Community College in 1995 and a BFA from the University of British Columbia Okanagan (previously Okanagan University College) in 1998. Burgess was on the Board of Directors of CAGE (Canadian Art Gallery Educators) from 2003 – 2006. Through her work on programming related to the Kelowna Art Gallery’s Break Away exhibition in 2004, and the In the Spirit of N’ha-a-itk artist educational bundles created in 2007, the Gallery received the BCMA Museums in Motion Award in 2007 and the BCMA Museums Award of Merit in 2008. Burgess has also received formal acknowledgement from Kelowna’s local School District No. 23 for outstanding art programs.
Burgess is a practicing artist with an interest in interactive sculpture and installation art that explores the senses. She has exhibited her work throughout the Okanagan and across Canada. In 1995 she received the Vancouver Community College Mel Fearman Scholarship, and in 1998 she was the recipient of the Helen Pitt Award.
Jennifer Hasenberg, Education Coordinator
ext 312, e: jennifer@
Jennifer Hasenberg began her career at the Kelowna Art Gallery by volunteering as a docent for elementary school tours, and then joined the team as the Education Coordinator in June of 2011. This role involves working closely with the Head of Public Programming to develop and implement programs that get the community involved at the gallery. Though she is interested in all areas of public programming, her focus will be on adult programming. Hasenberg completed her B.A. from UBCO in 2011, with a double major in Art History and Psychology. She is passionate about life-long learning and is excited to be a new member of the art community in the Okanagan.
Penny Hechter, Administrative Assistant
ext 306, e: penny@
Penny joined the Kelowna Art Gallery as Administrative Assistant in August of 2007. She is responsible for providing office support to gallery staff, managing the gallery membership, and coordinating the Board of Director meetings, along with many other tasks.
Penny was born and raised near Rotorua, New Zealand. A curiosity to see the world took her abroad to travel throughout Europe and the United Kingdom in the mid to late nineties, before embarking on further travels in the cruise line industry. Originally spending her working days as a hairstylist to the well-heeled clientele, Penny then changed career paths to work in the retail stores on the cruise ships, eventually becoming part of the management team. It was during this time that she met her Canadian husband to be, which is how she came to settle in Kelowna.
Christina Hedlund, Registrar
ext 302, e: christina@
Christina Hedlund is Registrar at the Kelowna Art Gallery, where she oversees the care of the permanent collection, loans from other galleries and private collectors, and assists the Curator with aspects of exhibition organization.
Christina holds an MA in Preventive Conservation from the University of Northumbria, Newcastle, England; she has an Honors Diploma in Applied Museum Studies from Algonquin College, Ottawa, ON and a BFA from Emily Carr Institute of Art in Design, Vancouver, BC.
Christina has worked in a private conservation studio as Conservation Assistant/Studio Supervisor, at the Ottawa Art Gallery as Collections/Curatorial Assistant and in various capacities in both the Conservation/Collections and Exhibition Services departments at the Art Gallery of Ontario. Other work experiences have been as a Conservation Consultant, Scale Model Maker and Archival Assistant.
Kris Johnson, Marketing and Events Coordinator
ext 305, e:kris@
Kris Johnson joined the Kelowna Art Gallery in October 2010 as Marketing and Events Coordinator. Kris brings to the Gallery over 18 years of experience in a variety of fields, including broadcast media, marketing and public relations, event planning, fundraising, and non-profit/professional association work.
Nataley Nagy, Executive Director
ext 304, e: nataley@
Nataley Nagy has over 23 years experience in the visual arts sector. She is an alumnus of the Getty Leadership Institute (2007) and the Banff Arts Administration Training Program (1984). Before moving to Kelowna to take on the position of Executive Director of the Kelowna Art Gallery, Nagy was the Executive Director of the Textile Museum of Canada (2002-2009) where she oversaw the digitization of the Museum’s Permanent Collection of over 12,000 artifacts. She managed a wide variety of complex art projects in her roles as Director of Gallery SAW Gallery/SAW Video (1984-1988), Arts Officer at the Ontario Arts Council (1988-93), and as Executive Director of the Art Gallery of Windsor (1993-2001). During her tenure at the Art Gallery of Windsor, Nataley oversaw the capital campaign and building project that relocated the AGW first into a six-year interim location in a regional shopping centre and then, into a new purpose-built $27million facility. She received an Honorary Doctorate for her contributions to arts and culture from the University of Windsor. In addition to her Board duties at the Canadian Museums Association, Nataley is a member of the Board of the Ontario Association of Art Galleries and a member of Canadian Art Museum Directors’ Association (CAMDO).
Mike O’Doherty, Preparator
ext 311, e: mike@
Kyle L. Poirier, Graphic Designer
ext 308, e: kyle@
Kyle L. Poirier is the graphic designer at the Kelowna Art Gallery, in Kelowna, B.C. He is responsible for handling the image needs of the Gallery. Kyle completed a BFA and diploma in visual communications at UBC Okanagan, and has been with the KAG for 12 years. He has designed numerous exhibition catalogues as well as newsletters, advertisements and related material. Kyle also designed and maintains the gallery’s website. In his spare time, Kyle enjoys films, traveling and time with his wife and two children. He is also an aspiring painter with a soft spot for acrylics.
Liz Wylie, Curator
ext 303, e: liz@
Liz Wylie has been curator of the Kelowna Art Gallery since 2007. Previously she held the position of University of Toronto Art Curator for eleven years. As well as her work as a curator, she has been writing reviews and articles on contemporary and historical Canadian art since 1977. At the Kelowna Art Gallery she has recently launched a series of solo temporary commissions entitled Dysfunctional Chairs. In addition to the gallery’s exhibitions and collection, she is also responsible for the programming of the newly created satellite gallery space at the Kelowna Airport. Wylie holds an MFA in art history from Concordia University in Montreal. She is a past president of the Ontario Association of Art Galleries. Some of her major publications include Richard Gorman: Pure Painting (Ottawa Art Gallery, 1996); In the Wilds: Canoeing and Canadian Art (McMichael, 1998); Geoffrey James: Past, Present, Future ( University of Toronto Art Centre, 2003); and Nexus: Histories and Communities (catalogue for an exhibition marking the 30th anniversary of the Kelowna Art Gallery, 2007).
Gallery Assistants
Susan Cosmann
Patricia Fazackerley
Emily Geen
Heather Leier
Lindsey Pearce
Connie Quaedvlieg
Saturday Art inSite Tour Guides
Lynden Beesley
Jolene Mackie
Family Sundays Assistants
Marion Krahn
