As a visual artist, Deb works primarily in pastels, capturing landscapes as they shift and change. Her work in disaster recovery focuses on supporting small, rural and remote communities as they rebuild—a project that became immensely personal after her community of Argenta was severely threatened by fire last summer.

While B.C.’s arts and entertainment sector is thriving, data from WorkSafeBC reveals that injury rates persist and remain a key focus area. Each year, hundreds of workers experience injuries due to preventable incidents on sets, stages and event sites.

The news of KSA’s closure has come as a shock to the students, teachers and arts community in this region, particularly as just this year the ceramics program was expanded, due to strong demand.

We need a narrative of impact and urgency that supports necessary investment in arts and culture. The conference keynote by Michelle Chawla, CEO of the Canada Council, was a masterclass in just that.

“Rob is a huge believer in finding art in unexpected places and has been involved with several public art projects over the years,” says Carol Palladino, Chair of the Revelstoke Public Art Committee, Director of Arts Revelstoke, and Board Member of Tourism Revelstoke. “His contributions are part of what makes Revelstoke an arts town that happens to have a ski hill!”

Kallee Lins, our Executive Director, and Lily Andersen, our Grants Officer and Operations Manager, headed in mid-September 2025 to a few communities we don’t often get to visit in person: Cranbrook, Fernie, Invermere and Golden, along with a pit stop in Revelstoke.