Here are the members of our amazing team. We look forward to working with you.
For general email, you can contact the Gallery at info@kelownaartgallery.com
Amanda Christmas, Executive Assistant to the Executive Director
Membership/Development Liaison
ext 306, e: amanda@kelownaartgallery.com
Amanda spent over twenty years working in the film industry in Vancouver. Since moving to the Okanagan, she has transitioned into archival and records management, running an independent archive and working as an archivist at a local museum. She is pleased to continue supporting the arts and cultural community through her work at the Kelowna Art Gallery. Amanda is currently completing a Business Administration degree with a specialization in Marketing at Okanagan College.
Joshua Desnoyers, Marketing and Communications Manager
ext 305, e: josh@kelownaartgallery.com
Josh joined the Kelowna Art Gallery as Marketing and Events Coordinator back in 2012. He now leads the team’s marketing, public relations, social media, and communications efforts. His role also assists with community outreach and sponsorship development, as well as supporting gallery openings and events.
Prior to moving to Kelowna, he was the Tourism Marketing Specialist at the Vancouver Art Gallery, and managed sales and marketing at Backroad Mapbooks, a best-selling Canadian outdoor recreation series. In 2025, he was the recipient of the “Top 40 Over 40 Award” for leadership and contributions to the community.
When he’s not at the Gallery, he can be found camping, mountain biking, hiking, or travelling. If he’s not exploring the outdoors, you’ll likely find his nose in a book, his fingers on a guitar, or his head in the clouds.
Janine Hall, Public Programs Assistant
ext 307, e: janine@kelownaartgallery.com
Janine began working with the Kelowna Art Gallery when she relocated to the Okanagan in 2021 from Calgary. She is an artist and enjoys a very quiet life dividing her time between her work at the gallery with her work at the easel. Her duties here are as a Programming Assistant where she assists our Education Coordinator in providing the many gallery programs the Kelowna Art Gallery offers. You will see her leading school tours, our monthly Gallery Get Together and around the Art Lab making sure it is filled creative activities for our guests to enjoy.
Janine has been committed to painting and making art since graduating art school in Calgary in 1987. She has balanced domestic family life with creative studio life and has been involved in the arts exhibiting and working in an art gallery setting as a fine art picture framer, most recently at Norberg Hall Gallery in Calgary. Her artistic expertise is in representational drawing and painting, including portraiture.
Hana Hamaguchi, Public Programming Assistant
ext 301, e: programs@kelownaartgallery.com
Hana Hamaguchi grew up in Banff, AB and has been based in Kelowna since 2010. She graduated from UBCO in 2022 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts focusing on painting and screenprinting. At UBCO, she enrolled in the public art mural course, where she painted the salmon mural in downtown Kelowna with her peers. Since her time at UBCO, she has worked for the Lake Country Art Gallery and the Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art. She is passionate about learning new ways to create, tinker and experiment with any medium.
She has spent her past year abroad in Rouen, France, where she explored endless galleries and bakeries. Outside of the gallery, she is usually found walking her cat, crocheting, studying French, or playing video games.
Clea Haugo, Curator
ext 303, e: clea@kelownaartgallery.com
Clea Haugo has worked at Kelowna Art Gallery since 2013 as both Registrar and Assistant Curator and in 2026 she assumed the role of Curator. Clea holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Studio Art and Art History from Concordia University, Montreal. In 2008 she completed the Applied Museum Studies program at Algonquin College in Ottawa. She became an accredited Canadian Personal Property Appraiser (CPPA) focusing on Fine and Decorative Arts in 2012. In the past she has co-founded an arts collective, had professional experiences in cultural institutions in Canada and the United States, and at a major Fine Art Auction House. She has been a past member of the Society for Industrial Archeology and Heritage Advisory Committee and currently serves on the committee for the Heritage Grants Program for the City of Kelowna.
Clea is also a practicing mixed media artist interested in industrial history, urban decay, and sustainable development. A self-confessed museum nerd, she enjoys experiencing art and visual culture while travelling with her family. In her spare time, she likes gardening, listening to records, and drawing with her daughter.
Joe Lanaway, Buildings & Operations Coordinator
ext 302, e: joe@kelownaartgallery.com
Joe is entering his third decade living in the Okanagan and has loved every minute of it. He is a graduate of The University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus, where he completed his Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in psychology. Outside of the gallery, Joe enjoys many forms of physical activities (mainly basketball, pickleball, and nature hikes). He also has a vast knowledge and love for movies, books, music, and both video and board games.
Joe always tries to learn something new every day, whether that is about another person, the world around him, or even himself. Joe is known to staff for his friendly demeanor, his curiosity, and his laugh (if you are visiting the gallery, listen closely and you will hear it).
Kirsteen McCulloch, Public Programs and Engagement Manager
ext 302, e: kirsteen@kelownaartgallery.com
Kirsteen’s upbringing was steeped in art, debate, and conversation — her grandmother went to art school, her mother is an artist, and the family home was always full of artists, educators, and lively talk. She studied Art History and English Literature, where connecting with a work of art felt much like falling into the world of a good book — always looking for the story, the why. An unexpected detour into business and technology shaped much of her career in Vancouver, Toronto, and Ottawa. Returning to the Okanagan, she led the Arts Council of the Central Okanagan for six years, advocating for the arts and championing projects like Light Up Kelowna, which brought digital art into the heart of the cultural district. At the Kelowna Art Gallery, she’s in her element: connecting people with artwork and designing programs that open doors at any age.
A placemaker and dreamer at heart, Kirsteen meditates on ideas and laughs at her own jokes. Outside the Gallery, you’ll find her on the lakeshore or the trails of Knox Mountain with Duncan, a Westie with strong opinions and excellent comedic timing.
Nataley Nagy, Executive Director
ext 304, e: nataley@kelownaartgallery.com
Nataley Nagy has been Executive Director of the Kelowna Art Gallery for ten years. She moved to British Columbia from Toronto where she worked the Executive Director of the Textile Museum of Canada (2002-2009). And she has previously lived in Ottawa and Windsor, Ontario. Nataley graduated from Carleton University with an honours, Bachelor Arts ( English and Law) and received an Honourary Doctorate from the University of Windsor in 1999. She is an alumnus of the Getty Leadership Institute (2007), where she met her husband John Richard Grimes, and the Banff Arts Administration Training Program (1984).
A native of Montreal, Nataley, and her husband, a Boston native, love to travel, watch movies and are proud, puppy parents, of a little ball of fluff recently welcomed into the family, named Miss Frida.
Aidan Peleato, Curatorial Coordinator
ext 309, e: aidan@kelownaartgallery.com
Aidan joined the Kelowna Art Gallery in 2019 as a Gallery Assistant and has since transitioned into the role of Curatorial Coordinator. She supports the curatorial department with exhibition planning, administrative coordination, and reporting.
Originally from Toronto, Ontario, Aidan has called Kelowna home since 2018. She holds a BFA in Visual Arts from York University and completed the University of Victoria’s Cultural Resource Management program. Passionate about making art accessible, Aidan is committed to connecting the community with meaningful and engaging cultural experiences. In her spare time, she enjoys cycling, film, and exploring new culinary adventures.
Kyle L. Poirier, Graphic Designer
ext 308, e: kyle@kelownaartgallery.com
Kyle L. Poirier has been the graphic designer at the Kelowna Art Gallery since 1999. During his time with the KAG he has designed numerous exhibition catalogues, as well as newsletters, advertisements, vinyl graphics and signage, and also maintains the Gallery’s website. In addition, he teaches the Studio Sampler Series, an introductory art class for adults. For Kyle, it’s not just a job, it’s an adventure!
When he’s not at the Gallery, Kyle spends his time with his wife, two children and the family dog. He works on freelance projects as well. He enjoys film, all kinds of cycling—including riding his prized Penny Farthing in the park—and is also an aspiring painter with a soft spot for acrylics.
Gallery Assistants
Fern Teleglow
Ana Salgado
Kathryn Kelly
Lean Gerente
