‘They were sharing with me that they also felt disconnected’: upcoming Stínesten gallery gives local and Indigenous artists a place to grow

The new Stínesten gallery opens this summer, offering more opportunities for local and Indigenous artists to exhibit their work in the community. 

Stínesten means “cedar root” in Secwepemctsín and it was chosen to showcase the ecological and cultural significance of cedar roots in the Secwépemc culture. The roots create a strong foundation which holds the land together, a metaphor for the gallery, which seeks to nurture Indigenous artistic growth while supporting the community ties.

Stínesten gallery and the Indigenous Resurgence Project

The gallery is supported by the Indigenous Resurgence Project, a Kamloops-based Indigenous arts collective focused on providing resources and a platform to Indigenous artists in Interior B.C.

Shay Paul, an Indigenous artist located in Kamloops (Tkʼemlúps), is the director of the Indigenous Resurgence Project and founder of the Stínesten gallery. Creating an accessible space for local and Indigenous artists, whether new or established, to showcase their work was a top priority in launching the new gallery, Paul says. 

“One of the largest issues in the Kamloops area that I think many arts professionals can relate to is that there is a lack of affordable, accessible spaces and venues.”

While space and funding is lacking, as a budding artist, Paul found organizations willing to help. 

As an artist getting established in Kamloops in 2018,  Kamloops United Church (KUC) donated its space for artist events, and Paul hosted pop-up events there. Throughout the years KUC and Paul have worked together to put on events related to the arts and culture, and that partnership has helped make the Stínesten Gallery a reality.

Last year, Paul reached out to KUC’s administrative manager Florence Ballard and asked her for the opportunity to rent a space at the downtown location to start the gallery. After a while Ballard offered Paul a secondary space on the Northshore at 140 Laburnum St., which will operate as the collective art gallery.  

“At this very moment in time, we’re still in the process of figuring out what that looks like,” Paul says. 

Born from Paul’s personal experience of growing up in Kamloops with a lack of resources and support for artists, the gallery will offer a space for workshops as well as a location for new and established artists to showcase their work.

It will also be a place to build community and connections, something Paul lacked as a blooming artist.  

“It’s not that those resources or opportunities didn’t exist per say, but rather that I was in the wrong circles or I wasn’t talking to the right people,” Paul says. 

At the time, Paul felt if she wanted to be an artist she would have to move somewhere else, but  she put on an art show focusing on reconciliation during senior year of high school, where she connected with other artists. Here she saw the vital need for networking and connection among local arts.  

“They were sharing with me that they also felt disconnected, that they also didn’t know who to talk to.”

A lack of accessible spaces, arts funding in Kamloops

Tanya Nielsen is the executive director of the Kamloops Arts Council (KAC) which is a non-profit organization that focuses on the development and enhancement of the arts in Kamloops. The KAC supports all artists and organizations, along with hosting low-to-no-cost arts programs and workshops.  

Nielsen also sees a lack of art gallery spaces in Kamloops. 

“We have the Kamloops Art Gallery, but what that does is it brings a lot of artists to the region. It does not so much show [local] artists. They do have the occasional show by a local artist or artist organization or group but it’s more along the professional level of arts.”

For artists who are just starting out there are not many places to exhibit their work Nielsen says. The KAC has an application process and artists can book its space based on the works presented.

“We prioritize anyone who has not shown [their work] in the last two years. We are booked to the end of 2026 right now. Every time we run submissions we get 30 or 40 of them,” Nielsen says.

The demand for spaces to showcase art is there, and the Stínesten gallery aims to help fill the gaps.

“It’s really important to have this kind of space because there aren’t many spaces that are non-commercial art galleries…and when you’re starting out, you need to start somewhere,” Nielsen says.

According to Nielsen there is also a lack of funding for the arts, not only in Kamloops but throughout the province. 

“How do we make sure that these organizations don’t disappear or get lost because we don’t have the financial support? Right now, we’re all trying to figure out how to stay alive and how to keep going.” 

This lack of resources has caused some other art spaces to close in the Lower Mainland, and limits what artists can do with their work. But supporting local artists will allow them to continue their work and promote the art scene in Kamloops. 

“Kamloops is known as being the tournament capital, so there’s a lot of focus on sports and it’s great that people want to be physically healthy, but art helps us keep our minds healthy through what we see, what we do, but also being able to create that keeps us young,” Nielsen says.

What is different about Stínesten gallery

While the gallery’s priority is to showcase local Indigenous artists, there will be opportunities for other artists who are not local to put on solo exhibitions.

“Whether that is a themed exhibition or a showcase of their portfolio work, it is meant to be as open to beginners or as challenging to more established artists as they decide they want their show to be,” Paul says.

Paul will work with contributing solo artists as a mentor, and eventually the goal will be also to include group exhibitions which explore different themes and topics connected to the artists’ cultural, geographic or familial backgrounds. 

Once the gallery opens it will have more 2D pieces, or pieces that can be displayed on the walls considering the space of the gallery. 

“It’s our goal to be able to work with artists to bring in whatever their medium is,” Paul says. 

Paul is always looking for opportunities to partner with organizations focused in the arts and cultures that are interested in working with artists. 

For more information or to connect with Paul regarding the gallery, you can email her at indigenousresurgence@gmail.com