The Kelowna Chamber of Commerce is once again launching its ‘Top 40 Over 40 presented by BDO’, to celebrate individuals in the community over the age of 40.
These are people who showcase as mentors, champions and role models and who encourage and foster the future leaders of the community.
The Kelowna Chamber is highlighting new honourees between February and July 2021. Each year the program alternates between Over 40 and Under 40 Honourees. The sixth year of the program, 2021 marks an “Over 40” year.
Nataley Nagy has served as the executive director of the Kelowna Art Gallery since 2010.
During her tenure she has organized numerous exhibitions, publications, and community-based projects that celebrate the work of local and regional artists, while bringing important national and international art to the people of the Okanagan.
Her many initiatives have led to innovative and groundbreaking collaborations with First Nations artists and communities, and helped foster greater awareness of the histories, cultural legacies and continuing vitality of the visual arts.
In all of her undertakings, Nataley works to promote understanding that art is not only important in itself, but that creativity is a universal human inheritance.
She believes that fostering the creative potential of everyone is the best means of creating mutual understanding, and developing collective and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges.
Nataley brings nearly 35 years experience in the visual arts sector to her job at KAG.
Before assuming her position at the KAG, she was the executive director of the Textile Museum of Canada (2002-2009), and oversaw the digitization of a 12,000 textiles.
She also served as executive director of the Art Gallery of Windsor (1993-2001), where she was responsible for fundraising, planning and construction leading to a new purpose-built $27 million facility.
She was also arts officer at the Ontario Arts Council (1988-1993), and director of Galerie SAW Gallery/SAW Video (1984-1988).
She’s also a former board member of the British Columbia Museums Association, the Canadian Museums Association, past president of the Ontario Association of Art Galleries, a current member of Canadian Art Museum Directors’ Association (CAMDO) and a member of the Tourism Kelowna board.
Nataley has been actively contributing to the community, since her move to Kelowna in 2010.
She’s volunteered and participated in a number of community events and is currently a member of the Ogopogo Rotary Club.
Nataley is a graduate of the Getty Museum Leadership Institute (2007), and was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Human Sciences from the University of Windsor (1998).
She is also a graduate of the Arts Administration Training Program at the Banff Centre for the Arts (1986), and holds a BA in Law and English (honours) from Carleton University (1984).
She was selected from an international field of candidates to attend the Getty Leadership Institute and the Banff Arts Administration Training Program.
Her honorary Doctorate from the University of Windsor was in recognition of her contributions to Canadian arts and culture.
In addition, she has led all the organizations she has worked for to receive numerous awards for their exhibitions, printed publications and digital media.