Locals selected for Fort St. John’s Artists in Residence program

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Two local artists have been selected for public art residencies through a partnership between the City of Fort St. John and STEPS Public Art.

Earlier in 2023, the two entities partnered to search for an emerging artist identifying as black, Indigenous or a person of colour (BIPOC) for a new temporary public art piece to be displayed later this year.

Ovvian Castrillo-Hill was chosen to be the CreateSpace Public Art resident, a national public art program to provide emerging BIPOC artists with the skills, relationships and practical experiences needed to build and advance community-engaged public art practices.

The city said over the next several months, Castrillo-Hill will work to bring a temporary public art piece to Fort St. John.

Castrillo-Hill is a sculptor who has participated in and curated the EX-SITU art exhibit in Peace Gallery North since 2019. She has also been awarded in numerous art competitions and has started filmmaking through TELUS STORYHIVE grants.

John Lambert was selected as the RECLAIM Public Art Resident, which supports mid-career artists pursuing public art practices that use upcycled art or construction materials to create new work for exhibition.

According to the city, Lambert will lead a small cohort of youth and young adults through completing a 3-dimensional temporary art featuring reclaimed and upcycled materials.

Lambert is a third-generation First Nations carver, with work featured in the head offices of the First Nations Health Authority in Vancouver and Prince George, as well as in front of the Fish Creek Community Forest.

“It is my passion for recovery and healing that has brought me to participate in the RECLAIM project, which unites young artists and the environment together through community, connection and creativity,” Lambert said.

For more information about the Artist in Residence program or either of the artists, visit the city’s website.