About Us

Discover the heart of our Arts Council by exploring Who We Are and meet the passionate team driving creativity forward. Stay up-to-date with our Latest News, featuring exciting events, and opportunities. Looking to make a difference? Volunteer with Us and contribute your time and talents to support the arts. If you’re ready to take on a leadership role, Join the Board of Directors and help shape the future of our organization. Have questions or ideas? Visit Contact Us — we’d love to connect with you!

Events & Programs

Explore upcoming programs, workshops, and events on our Community Arts Event Calendar and never miss a moment of creativity! Celebrate with us at the Mountain Muse Festival. Dive into the Outside Voices Mural Program to discover stunning public art across our community. Curious about past highlights? Check out Past Programs and Events for a glimpse of the impactful projects and memorable moments that continue to inspire us today.

The Artists

Discover the talented artists in the area on our Meet the Artists page. Support the arts and enjoy exclusive benefits by Becoming a Member—your contribution helps us grow and thrive! Don’t miss out on exciting opportunities—explore Calls for Artists to submit your work, join exhibitions, and participate in upcoming projects.

About Us

OUR MISSION

To foster a vibrant arts scene by elevating Pemberton artists and increasing community participationin the arts in the Pemberton Valley.

CORE VALUES

Inspiring

Innovative

Authentic

OUR VISION

Pemberton and regional communities value Art as a key element of their heritage and culture.

CONSTITUTION

To build, promote and integrate the arts and culture into the fabric of the community of Pemberton and surrounding areas, by:
  • Educating and increasing the public’s understanding and appreciation of the arts and culture by providing performances and exhibitions of an artistic and cultural nature in public places.

  • Providing instructional seminars and workshops to the public and to artists on topics related to arts and culture.
  • Working collaboratively with other organizations in Pemberton and the surrounding areas to support, enhance and coordinate artistic and cultural experiences such as, but not limited to, workshops, events, presentations, exhibitions and festivals.
  • Working collaboratively with other organizations, businesses, government, First Nations communities and local residents in Pemberton and the surrounding areas to support and enhance artistic and cultural tourism.

 

  • To do all such other things as ancillary or incidental to the attainment of the above.

FOCUS AREAS

  • Finding a home for PAC
  • Building organizational capacity
  • Collaborating
  • Increasing awareness and participation
  • Programming
  • Performances, exhibitions & festivals
  • Educating (includes seminars and workshops)
  • Celebrating artistic endeavours and culture

A CREATIVE HOME
FOR US ALL

Our differences make us who we are, and we celebrate that! Including people from all walks of life in our organization allows us to best represent the diverse community that we live in. We ensure accessibility, equality, and diversity are prioritized in our arts & culture programming.

Meet our Board

Joan Richoz

Chair

Susan Holden

Treasurer

Sonya Lebovic

Secretary

Katelyn Spink

Director

Jill Patrick

Director

Susan Hutchison

Director

Sierra Aston

Director
Cléa Thomas

Cléa Thomas

Executive Director

Chair

Joan Richoz

Joan Richoz grew up in Vancouver, received a Master’s degree at UBC, and has lived in Whistler since 1974 with her husband Marcel and raised her two children here. Her strong belief in the importance of fine arts in the education of her children led her to become involved in the first Whistler Arts Council Children’s Art Festival in 1983. She was on the Arts Whistler board until May 2022 when she reached her 6-year term and is taking a year off. Joan started the Whistler Public Library in 1986 and worked there until 2006. She has served as a board member for Arts BC, Association of BC Public Library Directors, Whistler’s Mature Action Community and is a current board member of the Whistler Farmers’ Market and the Sea to Sky Arts Councils Alliance. Joan is passionate about the arts and is excited to see the growth of the arts and culture in the Sea to Sky corridor and is eager to work with the Pemberton Arts Council and the community of Pemberton.

Treasurer

Susan Holden

Susan Holden is strategic, creative, and caring. She strives to have a positive impact in the world through sharing compassion and supporting people and projects. She has a Master of Counselling Psychology degree and has worked and volunteered in community services and healthcare for over twenty years. Her arts and culture experience includes; senior arts organization administrator, creative hub board director, event organizer, arts and culture funding strategist, and twenty years as a professional musician. She has guided teams in healthcare, hospitality, financial services, social services, and arts and culture. She is gratified to find ways to support others to do their best work.

Secretary

Sonya Lebovic

Originally from Ontario, Sonya made the move to BC in 2008 to pursue her love of snowboarding and the outdoors. Sonya, her husband and their cat are happy to now call Pemberton home. Since 2016, Sonya has been the Museum Shop & Admissions Manager at the Audain Art Museum in Whistler. She is responsible for the leadership of the Visitor Services team and is the buyer for the Museum Shop. She works closely with over 100 BC artists, art dealers and the BC Craft Council selecting items that range from handmade jewelry, pottery, woodwork and homeware.

Director

Katelyn Spink

Katelyn was born & raised in Pemberton, and has a passion for the community and the Arts. With a past career in the music industry and a current one in business, Katelyn joined the Arts Council in hopes of creating an avenue for more live music and events within the community. When not volunteering with PAC, Katelyn can be found running her Real Estate business, belting tunes out with her guitar and enjoying the outdoors with friends.

Director

Jill Patrick

Jill is a writer from the N’Quatqua Nation, of the St’at’yemc people. She brings three years of non-profit development and communications experience to the Pemberton Arts Council, as well as her passion for building a more just and inclusive community. She believes that the creation and enjoyment of art should be accessible for everybody. In her time off, Jill writes novels, is a new snowboarder, and wants to learn how to skateboard.

Director

Susan Hutchison

Susan Hutchinson grew up in West Vancouver and moved to Paris, France when she was 19. She was involved in an English theatre group called Theatre Maubel, where she performed in many productions and learned the theatre craft from the ground up from many talented expats. At 21 she moved to Los Angeles determined to become a big or even a little star but unfortunately after 3 years grinding it out in the city of lights, she realized that her dream was not going to come true and returned to Vancouver. Susan moved to Whistler in 1994 and finally found her forever place after many years of traveling around. Since moving to Whistler, Susan has performed in many productions at the Flagstop Festival and has been heavily involved with the Between Shifts theatre group out of Squamish. When not acting you will find her in her real role at Pique newsmagazine being the sales manager of Pique newsmagazine.

Director

Sierra Aston

Originally from Ontario, Sierra Aston made her way out Westin 2020 after graduating from the University of Waterloo. Eventually Sierra settled in Pemberton where she got involved with local non-profits and worked as the Executive Director Stewardship Pemberton Society, a local environmental group. Sierra is passionate about supporting the community through programs that connect and inspire individuals. Sierra looks to use her experience and passion to support the local art community and the PAC.

Cléa Thomas

Executive Director

Cléa Thomas

Cléa and her family have been living in Pemberton for the last 6 years. She studied Film and Film Animation in Sydney, New Zealand, and Montréal and has a Master’s degree in Geology. She is a creator, artist, and filmmaker, and is heavily involved in the Sea to Sky arts community. Cléa believes that creativity in all its forms brings people happiness, and she is determined to bring more art events, classes, and workshops to the Pemberton community and surroundings.

JOIN THE BOARD

Directors are elected volunteers that help guide the Pemberton Arts Council toward its vision. They play a crucial role in the planning of events and programs, attend monthly Board meetings and chair or sit on Committees. Some Directors become part of the Executive Committee as Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary or Treasurer.

All Directors must be members or supporters in good standing.

Learn more about the Roles & Responsibilities of a PAC Director.

Please fill out a Board of Directors Application or send us an email by March 31, 2025 to be considered for this year’s board positions.

APPLICATION FORM

Want to get involved in other ways? Join one of our committees or by volunteering an one of our events, learn more.

OPEN BOARD POSITIONS

  • Account for and report on the funds, budget and expenditures of the Pemberton Arts Council.
  • Be a signing authority on financial documents.
  • Work closely with the Chair of the Fund Development Committee. 
  • Oversee the financial records of the Pemberton Arts Council.
  • Work directly with the Executive Director to create and present summaries of operating budget and financial reports.
  • Review financial statements with PAC accountant/bookkeeper.

 

Job Type: Volunteer

Hours: 5-10 Hours/Month + Monthly Board Meetings(1.5 Hours)

Start Date: Immediate.

OUR HISTORY

Over forty-five local artists with diverse strengths and talents founded Pemberton Arts Council in 2006. The Council developed events like MADE (Music Art Dance Expression) and Mountains of Art to raise awareness for local artists.

We had a vision to create a sculpture project throughout town, starting with Martha Sturdy’s donation of her metal sculpture in the roundabout. Then Davide Pan built a creation live during the original Music Festival in 2008, which now lives at the Community Garden. The Art Barn in town was a focus for a centre of the arts where there could be shows, music in the garden and a host of workshops and meetings (thanks to Liks for the graffiti signage!).

Cultural Roundtable, a Village of Pemberton Committee of Council, formed in 2011. The Roundtable’s mandate was to research ways to strengthen cultural development in the Pemberton region. Over the next two years it became evident that the logical organization to take the lead on strengthening cultural development was the Pemberton Arts Council.

Since the handover, we’ve developed board governance tools and expanded our mandate to support all genres of artistic endeavour and celebrate cultural diversity. In 2016 we acquired a number of grants which allowed us to hire our first Executive Director, who produced our Marketing Strategy & Communications Plan, increased our membership with new member benefits, and created a website.

In 2020, the Council gained a number of new board members who were excited and energized to bring new life to the organization. They successfully navigated the turbulent time of COVID and were able to bring the joy of art to the community via the 1st Annual Pemberton ArtHOP – showcasing local artists’ work in business window-fronts around town.

In its 15th year, PAC looks forward to engaging with the Pemberton Valley to foster a vibrant arts scene by elevating our local artists and providing ways for the community to engage with the arts.

PAC is a member of the Sea to Sky Arts Council Alliance – comprised of Bowen Island, Lions Bay, Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton arts councils – working together to promote arts and culture in the Sea to Sky Corridor.

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About Us

The Pemberton Arts Council is a non-profit organization whose mission is to foster a vibrant arts scene by elevating artists and increasing community participation in the arts in the Pemberton Valley.

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The Pemberton Arts Council operates within the unceded territory of Líl̓wat Nation and honours the language, culture and history of the Lil̓wat7úl.

Website design by Whistler Creative.

Since the handover, we’ve developed board governance tools and expanded our mandate to support all genres of artistic endeavour and celebrate cultural diversity. In 2016 we acquired a number of grants which allowed us to hire our first Executive Director, who produced our Marketing Strategy & Communications Plan, increased our membership with new member benefits, and created a website.

In 2020, the Council gained a number of new board members who were excited and energized to bring new life to the organization. They successfully navigated the turbulent time of COVID and were able to bring the joy of art to the community via the 1st Annual Pemberton ArtHOP – showcasing local artists’ work in business window-fronts around town.

In its 15th year, PAC looks forward to engaging with the Pemberton Valley to foster a vibrant arts scene by elevating our local artists and providing ways for the community to engage with the arts.

PAC is a member of the Sea to Sky Arts Council Alliance – comprised of Bowen Island, Lions Bay, Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton arts councils – working together to promote arts and culture in the Sea to Sky Corridor.

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