I grew up in rural Alberta, where the land was flat, and the expectations followed suit. The economy ran on oil, and so did everything else. Conversations, ambitions, and unspoken rules about what a person was supposed to want revolved around “the patch.” Arts weren’t part of the picture. They were something that happened in other places, for other kinds of people. I believed that for a long time. When my unnamed thirst to be anything but what I currently was became too strong to deny, I went in search of who I needed to be. My trials would find me in Kelowna, and Kelowna led me to the arts. They didn’t announce themselves; they reached out and grabbed me, like the best things in life tend to do.
I first became serious about writing roughly a year ago, and so far in my fledgling career, the Okanagan has been good to me. The past several months with the Kelowna Arts Council have taken me to galleries, concerts, and community events across the region, and now it’s brought me to Summerland, where I’ll be covering the Ryga Arts Festival. I’ve written before about how I came to the Kelowna arts scene, through curiosity, a nudge from someone close to me, and an openness that I didn’t always have. When I look back, though, I am still surprised at how natural it would come to feel.
I’m not certain about it, but I think it’s because art itself is inherently inclusive. It doesn't care where you grew up, how your brain works, or what you did before you walked into the room. It speaks in feelings rather than rules, which means there's always a way in. For those of us who struggle with connecting to others, the arts provide community without an entry fee of social ease. Inclusivity as a starting point is a value I’ve come to recognize in the Okanagan arts community, and one reflected clearly in the Ryga Arts Festival.
I’m a writer who believes the most important stories to tell are those that help us feel less alone in our experience. It’s a belief that I found a vessel for in the Kelowna arts scene, and one that aligns naturally with what Ryga stands for. A festival built on the idea that art belongs to everyone is exactly the kind of space that I want to be writing in, and exactly the kind of community I want to be a part of. I’m not coming in as an expert, rather as someone who is genuinely curious and invested in the people and the stories I’ll find here.
What excites me most about covering the arts is the never-ending range of different voices and styles. Theatre, music, visual arts, and yes, writing, are not different things to me; they are different dialects of the same language. I’ve spent the last year learning what each of them is saying, and I’m still very much a student. But I’ve found that the more time I spend around the arts, the more I understand both the artists themselves and the people who experience their works. That’s the thread I want to follow at Ryga. Not just what’s on stage, but what it means to the creators and their audiences equally.
After a year of exploring the arts scene in Kelowna, Summerland feels like a natural choice for my next adventure. It’s close enough to be familiar, but with a distinct personality that I’m excited to know. The stories I want to tell are personal and genuine, reflecting the intriguing personalities of creative people. Every piece of art reflects a part of its creator, and the stories behind those reflections are what I’ll be looking for in the coming months.
The distance between a small town in rural Alberta and the Ryga Arts Festival in Summerland is harder to measure in miles than it is in experience. I've come a long way to get here, and not just geographically. The person I am, and the things I care about, have changed in ways I never could have foreseen. The road has taken some unexpected turns, and I've learned to welcome that. If the past year is anything to go by, the next few months are going to be full of them.
To be honest, I’m a little nervous, but that’s part of the fun. Between now and September, I’ll be getting to know the people behind the Ryga Arts Festival, including the artists, organizers and community members who make it what it is. I’ll be sharing news, stories, and interviews as the festival takes shape. This summer has lots in store; I hope you’ll join me for the ride.