Meet our 2020 Honorary Lifetime Members
The Penticton Art Gallery’s Board of Directors, at its discretion, awards the distinction of Honorary Lifetime Member to those individuals who have made an extraordinary contribution to the Penticton Art Gallery as a whole over an extended period of time.
2020 Honorary Lifetime Member Awards
Richard Armstrong / Dr. Jeannette Armstrong / Glenn Clark / Antonina + Bernie Cattani
RICHARD ARMSTRONG
Richard is syilx Okanagan, a fluent speaker and teacher of the Nsyilxcn Okanagan language, a traditional ecological knowledge keeper, Indigenous knowledge, customs, lifestyles, practices and performance through the use of c’aptikwl (Okanagan Legends), songs and stories.
Richard is one of the leading knowledge keepers at E-community Place, a project for syilx guided restoration and recovery for species at risk. With this specialized knowledge Richard has been a part of the efforts in habitat restoration and protection for the Yellow Breasted Chats, the Tiger salamander and the Western Screech Owl along side with the Black Cottonwood ecosystems habitat. As a part of his humbleness and generosity he has been an inspiration for many years and is a strong advocate for creating awareness and education through public events and festivals like the Meadowlark Nature Festival and the children’s festival.
DR. JEANNETTE ARMSTRONG
Dr. Jeannette Armstrong is syilx Okanagan, a fluent speaker and teacher of the Nsyilxcn Okanagan language and a traditional knowledge keeper of the Okanagan Nation. She is a founder of the En’Owkin Centre, the Okanagan Nsyilxcn language and knowledge institution of higher learning of the syilx Okanagan Nation.
She currently is Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Okanagan Philosophy at UBC Okanagan. She has a Ph.D. in Environmental Ethics and syilx Indigenous Literatures. She is the recipient of the Eco Trust Buffett Award for Indigenous Leadership, and in 2016 the BC George Woodcock Lifetime Achievement Award. She is a visual artists and a prolific author whose published works include poetry, prose and children’s literary titles and academic writing on a wide variety of Indigenous issues, she is considered one of the great thinkers in the arts and culture of British Columbia. Dr. Arm - strong currently serves on Canada’s Traditional Knowledge Subcommittee of the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada.
GLENN CLARK
Glenn was born in 1959 and grew up in Kelowna. He studied art at Okanagan College where he received a diploma with distinction before moving onto the University of Calgary where he received a BFA in 1991. Immediately after graduating he was hired by the Art Gallery of the South Okanagan, and it was here he first met his wife and fellow artist, Camille, who had also applied for the same position of Art Preparator.
In January of 2012, in recognition of Glenn’s 20th anniversary of working for the Penticton Art Gallery, we honored him with the largest solo exhibition held at the Gallery to date. It spanned over two of our exhibition spaces. The exhibition Glenn Clark: First Person Narrative served as a mid-career survey, featuring more than 100 of his paintings going back to his university days.
In 2017, in recognition of his 25th year at the Gallery, we presented Glenn with a bottle of scotch to celebrate each year he had been at the Gallery. A quarter of a century is a significant landmark, and just as a fine whisky will have acquired a large amount of character and complexity over 25 years. We owe a debt of gratitude to all that Glenn has brought to Penticton Art Gallery since he first walked through our doors.
In early 2020, after 28 years, Glenn retired from the Gallery in pursuit of making his lifelong passion for art and teaching into a full-time career. It’s been an honour and pleasure to have had Glenn here at the Gallery. The nearly three decades he dedicated to the Gallery will be felt well into the future.
Glenn has created numerous public art commissions, including more than 20 murals, with his most famous one featuring the Penticton Vees at the Brandenburg Gate after winning the 1955 World Championship, a painting commissioned by the Penticton Elks Lodge. His work has been exhibited across western Canada and can be found in countless private and public collections. Today he can be found paining full time in his custom built studio or, en plein air, out the back of his dragon wagon.
Follow Glenn on Facebook and keep updated with his painting sales!
Glenn in his art studio
ANTONINA + BERNIE CATTANI
We are pleased to present an Honourary Lifetime Membership to Antonina Cattani and her late husband, Bernie, in recognition of their years of service to the arts, and their unfailing support of the Penticton Art Gallery.
Toni Cattani has been a dedicated member of the Penticton Potters’ Guild. Her donation of bowls to our much loved Soup Bowls Project are among the most coveted and sought after. She is a highly regarded member of the arts community and a great friend, supporter, and mentor to all she comes into contact with. In a pre-pandemic world, an opening or Gallery event would not be complete without her in attendance with her laugh and smile brightening the room. Her work can be found for sale in our Gift Shop and in many distinguished collections the world over.
Toni’s late husband, Bernie, was an active member of the Federation of Canadian Artists and resided in Penticton. His early artwork was done in oils focusing on landscapes, local scenery, and other topics of interest. His recent works were done in watercolour, and he became an established artist in this media. Prior to retiring to the Okanagan Valley, Bernie’s railroad career moved him from Thunder Bay to Winnipeg to Calgary. This gave him the opportunity of expanding and furthering his knowledge in the art world through courses and workshops. While in Calgary, Bernie participated in many art shows, becoming an active member of the Calgary Art and Sketch Club. After retiring, Bernie and his wife spent their winters in Yuma, Arizona, where he attended courses offered through the art department of the University of Western Arizona.
Bernie was a member of a Penticton art group called The Brushstrokes of the South Okanagan. This group participates in many of the South Okanagan art shows. Bernie was actively involved with local artists and explored means of improving the art scene. From 2001 to 2006 Bernie taught painting to local seniors at the Sandbridge Art Group. Bernie passed away in 2006 and will be missed by the Penticton arts community. In the winter of 2006 there is a retrospective of Bernie’s recent work at the Penticton Wine Information Centre.
The Community Foundation of the South Okanagan Similkameen hold in trust the Toni + Bernie Cattani Legacy Fund for the Arts, a fund which has been providing an artist the opportunity to travel to Wells, B.C. each summer to participate in a nine day intensive artist in residency program organized by Island Mountain Arts.
On June 13th, Toni will be celebrating her 95th birthday. We are honoured to be able to recognize this milestone along with her lifetime support of the arts in Penticton.
