Shae Lightening is the project manager at the Quesnel Art Gallery and Gift Shop, a place where she and the gallery's team of dedicated volunteers get to support local artists and help them shine.
"Art is everything. Art is literally everywhere we go and everything we do. We get dressed in the morning, that's curating an outfit. That's art," she explained. "I've always been looking for the little details in life and all of the artistic things."
In her role at the gallery, Lightening helps run the day-to-day activities of the gallery and gift shop, sets up exhibits in the gallery and researches grant funding options to help keep the gallery's doors open and supporting artists.
"I used to work at Starbucks and the coffee cups are plain white, which is a perfect canvass so I would always just doodle and draw and give that to people and share art in that way," Lightening said. In 2021 she saw the posting for the gallery job and has been working there since with a role that has been growing the longer she's there.
While she started as a part-time employee, Lightening started looking for ways to help the gallery secure funding and found grants.
"I started looking to see what was possible and there was a really big grant from the Vancouver Foundation for the next three years. With a really good amount of money that we could actually take on projects," she explained. After securing that grant, the gallery could afford to hire her to be a full-time employee and she's been helping Quesnel's art community ever since.
Whether it's events, workshops or the Art Trail, Lightening has a role with everything the gallery does to support the city's artists both established and emerging.
"I'm going to be talking to a couple other galleries and finding out what they do for funding to try and see if we can learn from each other, figure out some ways to find more opportunities," she said. "I feel like people are quick to sponsor performing arts and sports and all these kinds of things but as a visual arts location, it's hard for us to put ourselves out there. We're not performative, artists are quiet and shy."
She said everyone loves visual arts and puts pieces of it in their homes, but she finds it's hard to find people to sponsor things like a gallery exhibition.
Each month the gallery holds shows featuring work from artists, often local artists who are seeking a chance to share their work. They also bring in artists from out of town to grow Quesnel's reputation as a city of the arts.
Lightening talked about how some of the artists who create incredible work that's shown in the gallery don't see themselves as artists, but people who create art as a hobby.
"Everybody's an artist and nobody wants to call themselves an artist," she said. "There's a difference between a professional artist and an artist and I think everybody is an artist. We all struggle to tell ourselves that and admit that to the world, but it's true."
The art Lightening creates is varied. She creates paintings and bracelets, some of which she has sold but mostly she sketches and doodles and said she does that for herself.
"I keep a daily sketchbook that I, every day, try to pick that up instead of my phone and I feel like it really helps me to see the world," she said.
She also creates posters for the Art Gallery, using graphic design skills to draw people in and showcase some elements of the artist's work.
Lightening loves graphic design and one of the unique ways she has used that skill is to help Archie Chantyman create his March with Arch logo.
"I did the logo for Archie for free because he's a really good friend and I really support what he does and the March with Arch is awesome," she said. She based the design off a sketch Chantyman sent her.
Lightening volunteers around the community, helping with the recent Snotty Nose Rez Kids concert at the West Fraser Centre, will be at the upcoming Lhtako Dene Nation's Powwow and helps out in other places around the community, including the Art Gallery.
"I volunteer with the art gallery. I work for them but I do put in some volunteer hours as well because that's my passion and I really love the work that I do here," she said. "I'd love to volunteer more but I just can't find the time."
A message she has for artists in Quesnel is that the gallery is there to support them.
"We have the gift shop and that's full of local artists selling their work. Lots of artists sell cards, there's pottery, there's paintings, there's jewellery , there's textiles, anything that is art, we sell that in our gift shop," she said. "We are available to artists and we want you to come and see us and talk to us and find out what your opportunities are in Quesnel because lots of artists are kind of on their own and doing the career themselves."
The Quesnel Art Gallery and Gift Shop is located at the Arts and Recreation Centre at 500 North Star Road.
