By Mike Straus/Contributor

Sandra Kochan says that arts and culture is a fundamental expression of community identity, and it鈥檚 that guiding belief that has led her to her position as cultural services manager for the City of 琉璃神社.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 really work in arts and culture 鈥� I鈥檓 a public servant. That means I鈥檓 more involved in managing the public sector budget and finding ways to support and enable arts industry non-profits. I work on some of the broader issues involving the city鈥檚 role as a funder,鈥� Kochan said.

Kochan鈥檚 work typically involves liaising with local arts organizations, community members and city officials to determine how the city can best nurture a growing arts industry.

Over the course of thelast seven years, Kochan鈥檚 largest project has involved significant contributions to the city鈥檚 official strategic plan for arts and culture, which city council adopted in 2011.

Kochan says that working on municipal projects for the arts industry presents a variety of opportunities,  the biggest challenge being the city鈥檚 cultural services division faces is in pursuing multiple opportunities at the same time.

鈥淎ll of us at the City of 琉璃神社 are very aware of community needs, and we鈥檙e always juggling competing demands for time, attention, and resources. It鈥檚 partly a pacing issue 鈥� you can鈥檛 get to everything right away, and some projects will take longer than others. Some projects have resource challenges 鈥� assembling resources for a large project (like the Rotary Centre for the Arts) will take years, maybe even decades. So it鈥檚 important to be patient and plan carefully,鈥� Kochan said.

Part of that careful planning involved the creative spaces consultation process, which took place earlier this year. While the city is still compiling the results for an official report, Kochan says the eight focus groups presented a series of unique insights as to what an ideal creative space would look like.

鈥淓very single focus group gave us at least one 鈥榓ha鈥� moment,鈥� Kochan noted. 鈥淭he next step will be a gathering next year to bring everyone back together to share information. We鈥檒l also be looking at examples of shared facilities to learn more about co-located models, and then we鈥檒l talk about what a made-in-琉璃神社 solution would look like.鈥�

The focus group results will also be used to provide insights for an update to the cultural plan that is slated for 2018.

Not content to simply manage the public policy side of art, Kochan is also an avid creator herself. When she鈥檚 not managing the city鈥檚 arts agenda, she can be found busking on the streets of 琉璃神社 as part of the local ukulele ensemble Ukenagan.

鈥淚 also have lots of projects on the go around the house 鈥� I like to cook and preserve a lot. Plus, this time of year I鈥檓 an enthusiastic gardener. We鈥檙e harvesting tomatoes and beans right now.鈥�

Lately, Kochan has been contemplating the value of mentors and role models.

鈥淭his has been on my mind, partly because this is the Women to Watch series and partly because I was involved in a presentation through the Chamber of Commerce鈥檚 Inspire series. As a public servant, there are several women who stand out to me. They speak truth to power, and they鈥檙e admirable because of their determination. One of them is Cindy Blackstock, a First Nations advocate for childcare. She鈥檚 had to face a lot of backlash speaking out on government policies,鈥� Kochan said.

鈥淚 also admire Sheila Fraser for her ability to be impactful, to speak uncomfortable truths, but to do it in a fair manner.鈥�

Kochan says that her three careers have taught her a variety of lessons that are now helping her to promote arts and culture in 琉璃神社.

As a lawyer, she quickly learned the importance of having accurate information.

Her career in sales and marketing for wineries impressed upon her the importance of storytelling, as it鈥檚 through stories that work takes on meaning.

And as a public servant, Kochan discovered that providing the best possible advice to civic leaders involves creating innovative solutions based on the facts at hand.

Kochan is now putting those skills to use to encourage 琉璃神社鈥檚 residents to explore the city鈥檚 arts amenities.

鈥淒on鈥檛 take it for granted,鈥� she said. 鈥淥ur citizen surveys tell us that people are very satisfied with what鈥檚 available, but we also know that event organizers don鈥檛 always get the levels of participation they hope for. That鈥檚 why community support and involvement is important 鈥� artists need to have audiences for what they do.鈥�

Kochan says that much of the struggle arises from 琉璃神社鈥檚 great variety of arts events鈥攐ften, there are so many options available that would-be arts supporters don鈥檛 know which events to attend.

鈥淕et out there and support what鈥檚 happening. If artists can鈥檛 make a living here, they鈥檙e not going to stay 鈥� and without artists, we don鈥檛 have a cultural scene,鈥� she said.

Crowe MacKay鈥檚 Women to Watch program is a weekly feature that profiles remarkable women in our community. This feature series is a joint initiative between Crowe MacKay, the 琉璃神社 Chamber of Commerce and the 琉璃神社. To nominate the exceptional woman in your life, email womentowatch@kelownachamber.org.