Upcoming Exhibitions
Upcoming Exhibitions
February 14, 2025 - March 16, 2025
Main Gallery
stim̓ aspuʔus: What is on your heart? What is your heart telling you?
National Indigenous Professional Artist Training Program (NIPAT)
wayʼ x̌ast siɬkʷʕast (hello good day) The En’owkin Centre is pleased to announce our exhibition stim̓ aspuʔus in partnership with the Penticton Art Gallery. As we continue to support our learners in our third year of hybrid programing online and in person training the NIPAT program is excited to share our interdisciplinary works and creations with all the communities in the syilx homelands. It is with great pride and open hearts that we invite you all to join us at our opening Febuary 14th, 2025 with tea and bannock.
As we take into consideration all that is happening around the world and in our communities now more than ever do we need healing energy and generous hearts. As we continue our efforts of revitalization in language, and cultural practices in our Indigenous communities around Turtle Island we are so grateful to have a student body that reflects this diversity in Indigenous communities. Please come and help us celebrate our current learners, invited artists, alumni, faculty, and staff with this exhibition as we reflect on what is important to each one of our hearts. We hope in this winter season that we can inspire reflection and healing. This ongoing partnership with the Penticton Art Gallery reflects our commitment to bringing together many different parts of our communities in the syilx homelands.
2025 Featured Artists:
1st Year NIPAT Artists: Miranda Adams, Amiel Flett-Brown, Chila Louis, Brent Martin, Danny Martinez, Owen Nepoose, Kathleen Norman, Teigan Peterson, Sheldon Steinhauer
2nd Year NIPAT Artists: Jolene Arcand, Amber Cardenas, William Desjarlais, Dejerie Jackson, Sharifah Marsden, Rochelle Nepinak, Mercedes Paluck, Emma Rosette, Teresa Taylor, Denise Tom
2025 Invited Artists and Alumni: Shiana Allison, Francesica Bell, Lee Clairmont, Bracken Hanuse Corlett
NIPAT Faculty/Staff: Cynthia Jim, Geraldine Manossa, Catherine Pierre, Dr. Michelle Jack, Tracey Kim Bonneau
The En’owkin Centre is an Indigenous post-secondary arts and cultural centre located on the Penticton Indian Reserve. En'owkin's unique building design reflects a traditional Okanagan winter home also known as a pit house. It is a gathering place where families and community members can replenish themselves spiritually and is also a teaching place where story, co-operation, craft, and artistry come together. The En'owkin Centre (hereafter referred to as En'owkin) is a dynamic institution, which puts into practice the principles of self-determination and the validation of cultural aspirations and identity. An Indigenous cultural, educational, ecological, and creative arts organization, En'owkin plays a lead role in the development and implementation of Indigenous knowledge and systems, both at the community and international levels. The word En'owkin is an Okanagan concept, which describes a respectful dialogue of clarification, conflict resolution and group commitment, to come to the best solution; essentially, consensus.
The National Indigenous Professional Artist Training Program (NIPAT) is one of many innovative programs housed at En’owkin. This two-year certificate program includes storytelling, performance arts, media arts, painting, sculpture, and installation art. The focus of the National Indigenous Professional Artist Training Program is to protect and preserve Indigenous worldview and arts expressions in traditional heritage utilizing interdisciplinary works with contemporary practice. Professional Indigenous artists are provided with mentorships and the creation space to produce exhibition ready artworks. The NIPAT program was developed to support the learning to "revitalize" traditional art forms into contemporary practice. It is a professional training opportunity that assists the artist to interpret traditional forms of art in today's context. The training consists of these fundamental principles: Research of historical cultural heritage information (Mentoring) Land community culture context: designs, principles (Protocols) Produce new works/cultural products that clearly revitalize a traditional arts practice (Preservation).
~ Written by The En'owkin Centre and Dr. Michelle Jack
Project Room Gallery
When Art is Life: Process and Passage
A Memorial Exhibition Honouring Carol Munro (1948–2024)
“There is a persistent whisper of things not-quite-seen, but powerful - forces and presences which are oddly familiar at some deep animal level within us. It is this sense of cycles - of movement, recurrence and belonging that I work to record when I put my mark on the paper or the canvas.” ~ Carol Munro
For Carol, art was a language, a way of life, a teacher, an outlet, an enigma and a responsibility. The creative process was both a philosophical exploration and an engine that would guide her throughout her life. Writer, broadcaster, painter, textile designer... Across varied disciplines and media, she translated the world around her into new forms. This exhibition is not only a celebration of her incredible legacy its also an installation documenting the influences and process of a creator as illustrated through the ephemera that inspires, the drive to create and play.
This exhibition is the embodiment of a life lived, an archaeological survey documenting the people, places and things which inspired, motivated and fuelled her insatiable need for creative and personal exploration. This unique installation invites you into the artist’s private world, offering a rare glimpse into the artifacts collected over a lifetime and the threads that wove together the fabric of her creative practice and family life. In doing so, you may discover something that resonates deeply with you, or perhaps even inspires you to embark on your own creative journey.
Carol Munro was born April 26, 1943, in Vancouver, the younger daughter of Hubert and Peggy Clarke. Carol was deeply creative her entire life, and that creativity was rooted in the poetry of childhood landscapes populated with vibrant family characters and stories, from the forested slopes of North Vancouver to the small interior town of Hedley where she visited her grandparents.
Ever willing to learn new things, Carol’s professional career followed several arcs: teaching, writing, broadcasting, and art.
Carol completed her Master's degree in Children’s Literature (UBC) and in 1970 was invited to join the inaugural faculty at Cariboo College (now Thompson Rivers University) where she taught for several years. Over her career as an educator, she also taught for BCIT, SFU, UVIC and UBC. She undertook several overseas contracts with Cuso International, which took her to Bolivia and Armenia for several weeks at a time.
Her career in radio broadcasting began in the 1960s with her first announcer gig at CHQM-FM in Vancouver. She briefly worked in television in the early eighties, famously holding “contract #1” with Knowledge Network for a series of station identification segments. Most of her broadcasting work was with CBC Radio in Vancouver. She produced a number of independent freelance pieces for the program ‘Ideas.’ Her freelance documentary broadcast work brought her into the lives of many fascinating figures, from missionary pilots in the Amazon, to the famous belly dancer, Little Egypt and how she was connected to Buffalo Bill Cody. Carol travelled to Vienna to interview the son of Wilhelm Reich, a radical psychoanalyst of the early 20th century. Later, she was the regular guest host of the well-loved national daily music show ‘Disc Drive,’ standing in for long-time friend, Jurgen Gothe
During this time, Carol and her family lived on an 8-acre property in the rural community of Whonnock, where they managed a fulfilling and often surprising hobby of raising sheep, chickens, and assorted other livestock. Carol delighted in the unusual blend of feeding chickens or delivering lambs in the morning, then hopping on the Greyhound to Vancouver to host 3-hours of ‘Disc Drive,’ live in the afternoon. These intersections of seemingly unrelated realities brought her much joy and she often sought them out.
Perhaps rooted in the experiences of her childhood, ‘place’ always had a compelling influence on Carol. Over the years she and Don travelled to many countries and relished the pleasures of those fresh experiences. Shortly after Carol and Don fell in love and married in 1982, the family of three relocated to Lima, Peru for a two-year contract. In Lima, they had the opportunity to visit the Amazon Rainforest, Machu Picchu, and the Galapagos Islands. Carol became fluent in Spanish and immersed herself in the daily life of this fascinating land.
In the mid-nineties, Carol and Don built a home on a peach and apricot orchard in Naramata, where they relocated for retirement. Both became actively involved in the local community (Naramata Heritage Museum, Naramata Choir, Naramata Woodwackers, and Emergency Preparedness). They planted 4 acres of Pinot Noir grapes and began a new adventure in the wine industry. Foxtrot Vineyards provided contract grape growing services to Kettle Valley Vineyards for nearly 12 years until Carol and Don relocated to McLean Creek Valley for another decade before finally shifting into Penticton to their most recent home.
Carol turned to her art full-time in the early 2000s. The foundation of her artistic practice was her training with Chinese Master Painter, Chin Shek Lam (1922 - 1990). With him, she undertook many hours of work in calligraphy and ink. From those beginnings, Carol stretched her art in varied directions. She could make art on any surface and in any medium-- painting, sketching, colouring vintage portraits in watercolour, or working digitally. Thanks to many joyful workshops with Thea Haubrich (1952 - 2013), she began a long love for the encaustic medium that eventually led to a line of wearable art fashion. She was a proud member of the Federation of Canadian Artists, and her work was presented in many exhibitions throughout the Okanagan and Vancouver. Her works hang on walls around the world. Carol was the definition of an artist and a philosopher. She has filled our world with beauty and with images of her perceptive and often wry take on the human condition. Her artist website explains "Each painting is the result of a vigorous negotiation between the hand and the brush, the paint and the surface"
Carol’s creative energy never waned. In the spring of 2024, she took the stage at Tempest Theatre in Penticton, portraying Carmen Miranda in a short play by Kate Twa. Until the very end, she pursued a creative life, constantly pushing the boundaries of her comfort zones, artistic practice, and personal explorations. Sadly, Carol passed away shortly after, on August 11, 2024, at age 81. Her legacy lives on through the impressive body of work she created and the countless lives she touched, serving as a lasting testament to her remarkable journey and inspiring spirit.
Toni Onley Gallery
Sqilxʷɬcawt (Our Ways of Being)
Outma Sqilxʷ Student Art Collection
The Outma Sqilxʷ Student Art Collection: Sqilxʷɬcawt (Our Ways of Being) is an exhibition which celebrates the creative output and cultural heritage of the Grade 7/8 students at Outma Sqilxʷ Cultural School. Guided by their teachers and local community mentors, students explored a wide range of artistic practices that honour syilx culture and traditions. The exhibition reflects their journey of self-expression, connection to the land, and the collective spirit of learning through storytelling, art, and hands-on activities.
Highlights of this exhibition include a collaborative mural led by artist and mentor Catherine Pierre, where each student contributed a hand-painted tile. The Four Food Chiefs Dot Art showcases intricate designs inspired by the captikʷɬ (traditional stories) and the guiding attributes of the Four Chiefs. Other works include handcrafted drums and a recorded song used in ceremonial stick games, string nail art depicting symbolic images, and pine needle baskets woven with great care. These pieces reflect the students’ deep respect for their cultural roots and their commitment to preserving traditional knowledge through creative expression. Each artwork invites viewers to engage with syilx stories and values, offering a powerful testament to the significance of traditional cultural teachings, art and education.
Outma Sqilx’w Cultural School (OSCS) is located on the Penticton Indian Band Reserve overlooking the City of Penticton, offering stunning vistas of both Skaha Lake and Lake Okanagan. Outma Sqilx’w Cultural School serves students from Junior Kindergarten to Grade Nine Currently, the school has a population of approximately 100 students. Outma Sqilx’w Cultural School offers a strong Nsyilxen Language and Culture Program and a solid academic program which meets provincial learning outcomes. Special attention is given to create a safe and welcoming school environment.
The Buildings design reflects a deep connection to the land and the cultural heritage of the syilx people. At the request of the Penticton Indian Band, the building was designed to grow organically from its surroundings, adopting a form language inspired by the natural textures and patterns of the nearby hillsides. This harmonious blend of architecture and environment extends into the interior, where the cultural education room creatively re imagines the traditional subterranean pit house.
The design and construction of the school were led by principal architects Peter Hildebrand and Kendall Jessiman of the Iredale Group Architecture. The project has earned significant recognition, including being named one of the Top 25 Schools in the World by World Architectural News Magazine (2010) and receiving the Best in Canada award from Interiors Magazine (2012). Officially opened to students in 2011, the school exemplifies the seamless integration of contemporary architecture and technology with Indigenous cultural values and environmental stewardship.
March 22, 2025 – May 10, 2025
Main Gallery:
Tsuneko Kokubo: Following the Water
This exhibition is part of Tsuneko Kokubo’s lifelong artistic journey weaving in the recently documenting bodies of water in the Kootenays/Boundary region near former Japanese Canadian internment sites. At each site, she created preliminary sketches that evolved into two monumental studio works. These large-scale canvases will be the centerpiece of a larger installation, complemented by a selection of recent and older water-themed pieces, reflecting her enduring exploration of water as a flow of consciousness, memory, and intuition in her practice.
Toni Onley Gallery:
Raghu Lokanathan: Script
https://tworiversgallery.ca/see/exhibitions/object-decay/
Script is a collection of works involving scavenging materials, tracing objects, spilling ink and tearing, piercing and hanging paper. It`s about letting things fall apart and become themselves. It`s about everything as writing, even what seems unreadable.
Project Room Gallery:
Alexandra Bischoff: Homesick
http://www.alexandrabischoff.com/
Alexandra Bischoff's installation, Homesick, reveals a hidden chapter of her family’s history, centered on "The Truth Tapes," the unusual business that bankrupted her grandfather in 1967. As his life and business fell apart, her mother’s family was uprooted and homelessness in the late 1960s. This persistent instability and disconnection from place continue to affect both immediate and extended family. Drawing from family archives, Bischoff critically examines colonial notions of homemaking, a pressing topic as Canada’s housing markets become increasingly inaccessible. Through Homesick, she explores whether her conceptions of 'home' are inherited and questions how, as a settler, her desire for a specific kind of 'home' may uphold the colonial myth that these lands are available for the taking.
Community Space:
Rika: Synthesis
Rika is the designer of this year's Ignite the Arts Poster, and we are thrilled to showcase a selection of his creative work in our Community Space. Poster design is Rick's true passion, a beautiful fusion of art and design, whether through silkscreen, digital, or giclée prints. His ever-growing poster collection, spanning from Japanese subway designs to vintage rock screen prints, reflects his deep love for the medium. Through his personal practice, Rick aims to bring greater value and appreciation to the natural world, contributing to its preservation as wild, free, and protected spaces.