Today there are four apartments in the house. In accordance with Sveva Caetani's wishes, the Caetani Cultural Centre is keen to assist artists in the community with rentals when possible.
Christine Pilgrim
Christine was trained in acting and teaching at the East 15 Acting School in London, England. She operated her own drama studio and taught at several reputable drama schools in England. Subjects ranged from Shakespeare to Victorian Music Hall. She has worked extensively in theatre, TV and film. Canadians will recognize her from the Benny Hill Show on TV and The Fool on film video. She has toured much of Europe, the US and Australia as a stand up comic.
When she immigrated to Canada in 1992 to be with her then recently widowed mother, she focused on interpreting history in an interactive, enjoyable manner and has worked at historic sites from Barkerville to Fort Langley. Locally, she plays Mrs Mackie at the Mackie Lake House in Vernon and gives garden tours and discourses about Sveva Caetani and her family every summer, dressed as the family companion, Miss Juul.
Not only does Christine perform her own one-woman history-based shows in schools, museums and theatres, but she is also popular throughout BC for her Knights of British Knonsense when she can let her hair down and indulge in that specific brand of British humour that leaves some Canadians cringing and others hooting with mirth. Other shows include What Women Wore and Why and We'll mMeet Again.
She writes most cover stories for North of 50, a news magazine that circulates throughout the Okanagan and much of the Cariboo and Similkameen. Currently, she is working towards publishing her children's story, about a Bear called Ffffff. with illustrations by Destanne Norris who worked from one of the Caetani garden studios in 2007.
Christine Pilgrim also specializes in storytelling and helps youth at risk manage conflict in the workplace through drama and improvisation
Sandra de Vries grew up in the Netherlands and started her education in a Teachers College in the subjects languages, literature and textile art. She moved to Israel and apprenticed in a ceramic studio for 2 years. She traveled through Asia, mostly on a mountain bike and eventually ended up in Vernon, BC. She started teaching ceramic classes at the Arts centre and started to develop her interest in metal and mixed media.
She has always been involved in the arts community first by setting up an arts co-op called Inspiral. From there on she become one of the funding members of Gallery Vertigo and continued to set up her own gallery with co owners Carolina Sanchez de Bustamante and Susan Brandoli called The Fugitive Gallery
There were many ventures and now she lives in one of the suites at the Caetani House with her children Eva and Noa and has her studio at the Caetani House, where she continue to collect all kinds of discarded materials and recreate new works.
Sandra likes to collect discarded materials and re-use them into different images in which I playfully like to comment on the relationship of society and consumerism. Her work explores issues of memory, fantasy, utility, and the desire to re-create the meaning from discarded material elements. She likes working with metal and to use it in a manner that defies the rigidity of this material. Titles like "quilt" and "patchwork" refers to softness and pieces are often attached (sewn) together with metal wire or even magnets.
In her newer work she has been playing with images of the Buddha. It is more personal work because she lets the material guide her to pieces that would give her peace and contentment to look at. These works are more about the beauty she sees in the old materials and their colors. The pieces are inspired by associations with the Buddha, the colors that come to mind, the ancientness, reflected by the old re-used materials and the quietness through the images of the Buddha.
Sandra's work can be found in different galleries but mainly at Ashpa Naira Art Gallery and Studio.
Ryan graduated from NSCAD University in 2009 and recently moved to the Okanagan from Cape Breton Island. She is a drawer, painter/creator and works out of Vertigo Gallery. Highly driven by the process, she considers herself to be an instinctive creator. With a background in movement, a fine arts degree and a desire to challenge the standard of popular culture her work has come to the theme of Feminine-Grotesque. Art for Ryan is used as a means to learn about different topics such as people, anatomy, sex, gender and representation. Her work combines a woman's sensuality with the abject, in an attempt to create turbulence between the subject and the viewer. Her process allows her to make mistakes and to see those mistakes as beautiful.
Ryan is very interested in youth programming; she loves working with children and believes that art teaches them to be honest, conscious and inspired. Art has the power to create a loud conversation in our community; Ryan plans on joining in and encouraging our youth to get involved.
Brent Carabin
Brent Carabin is a
musician from Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia.
Skilled with several musical instruments, he is a lover of rhythm. Focusing most of his ability on bass guitar
and percussion.
In 2010 Brent
received a nomination for an East Coast Music Award (ECMA) along with his
bandmates "The Easy Bleeders," for the
release of their self-titled debut album.
The album was nominated in the category of Best Alternative Recording and it's first
single hit #1 on the East Coast Charts.
Brent
brings his love for music everywhere he goes,
taking every opportunity to meet, exchange ideas, and play music with
fellow musicians. He is also a
passionate and adoring fan of an artist by the name of Ryan Robson. Proud to be a part of Caetani, Brent looks very forward to living and
creating music in the Okanagan.
Christine was trained in acting and teaching at the East 15 Acting School in London, England. She operated her own drama studio and taught at several reputable drama schools in England. Subjects ranged from Shakespeare to Victorian Music Hall. She has worked extensively in theatre, TV and film. Canadians will recognize her from the Benny Hill Show on TV and The Fool on film video. She has toured much of Europe, the US and Australia as a stand up comic.
Sandra de Vries grew up in the Netherlands and started her education in a Teachers College in the subjects languages, literature and textile art. She moved to Israel and apprenticed in a ceramic studio for 2 years. She traveled through Asia, mostly on a mountain bike and eventually ended up in Vernon, BC. She started teaching ceramic classes at the Arts centre and started to develop her interest in metal and mixed media.
