PRESIDENT
Denise Smith
I consider it a great honour to hold the position of President within the Collective, where I have the privilege to collaborate alongside a remarkable Board and Executive Director.
From a corporate standpoint, my extensive experience as a business owner and entrepreneur spans over three decades, providing me with a wealth of knowledge and insights. Furthermore, my past involvement as a Board Member in various organizations, notably ISACA, an international professional association focused on governance, training, and certifications, has allowed me to play a significant role in shaping and advocating for best practices in governance, audit, risk management, privacy, and accountability within the realm of information management and technology. This expertise can be effectively utilized by Route 22.
Beyond my professional endeavours, I harbour a profound passion for art and have honed my skills as a self-taught artist. I express my creativity through two primary
mediums: photography and painting. These artistic pursuits enable me to explore the realms of imagination and convey my thoughts in visually captivating way
VICE PRESIDENT
Stephen Purdy
I am honoured to hold the position of Vice-President on the Route 22 Gallery board. Upon joining the gallery I was impressed at the outset on the quality of the member group and organizational personnel. There are a diverse group of artists at Route 22, all with varied stories and backgrounds, all interesting, and all producing great work! I have volunteered for the board to support the gallery and the member artists.
I bring to the position of Vice President thirty years experience in the corporate world from the Architectural and Engineering industry. I have experience in Corporate structures and the business of the design industry. I have experience in project management, team leadership, industry consultations, budgeting, scheduling and community liason.
My passion is painting. I enjoy painting ‘sur le motif’; painting landscapes in the great outdoors, even in the winter! My position on the board of Route 22 Gallery is in support of a gallery that does a lot for myself, and more importantly for the greater community as a whole.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Lara Kruger
It is a pleasure and an honour to serve Route 22 and the incredible Cochrane and area arts community in my role as Executive Director. As past president and co-founder of Route 22 Artist Collective Ltd, the long term success of this organization is a priority and passion both professionally and personally.
I was born and raised in Cochrane and have strong roots in this community. My fine arts education was taken in Calgary (ACAD) and New Brunswick (Mount Allison University) before moving back to the Bow Valley and starting my family in Banff. I worked several years for, and then managed private galleries in Banff and Canmore before relocating back to the rural Cochrane area and working further in management in the non-profit sector. I am a practicing professional artist (sculptor and painter) and have long seen a gap in Cochrane for a permanent visual arts presence and professional arts opportunities. Route 22 was founded to address this need. It has evolved from dream to reality over the past three years thanks to all of the dedicated member artists and the support of our wider community. The future looks very bright for Route 22 and the arts in Cochrane and it is a privilege to be helping to shape and grow a permanent place for arts and culture in our community.
PROGRAMMING DIRECTOR
Michelle Weibe
A fixture in the Calgary and area arts instructing community, Michelle Wiebe brings over 15 years of experience in non-profit arts and educational programming to her role as Programming Director. Her goal is to bring the best possible experiences to students and teachers in our classroom space. She has previously collaborated with Alberta Printmakers, the Leighton Centre and the Inglewood Art Supplies teaching space, B-Side Studios among others.
A practicing multi-disciplinary artist, Michelle is focused primarily on painting, printmaking and letterpress printing. Her work is characterized by simple subject matter rendered with bold colour and line work. She can also be found doing collaborative projects, demonstrations and commission pieces through her Cochrane based studio.
ACCOUNTING & FINANCE STRATEGIST
Lisa Andrade
Lisa graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a Bachelor of Commerce degree majoring in accounting and finance. After completing her accounting designation, she moved into public practice work in corporate tax and non-profit auditing before starting up her own small public practice. In 2020, Lisa decided to follow a calling to let go of her tax clients and work exclusively with non-profits. Lisa believes that one of an organization’s most important tools for success is accurate, organized and up-to-date financial data that is available to decision makers on a timely basis. She brings two decades of accounting experience in assessing internal accounting systems and processes, as well as training bookkeepers on the intricacies of not-for-profit accounting such as restricted fund tracking and donations. Lisa believes that accounting is so much more than just data entry and she is focused on helping non-profits maximize their potential.
Lisa loves living in Cochrane with her husband and two dogs where she can escape to the mountain trails or the river just outside her door.
SECRETARY
Sharon Shuttleworth
Sharon is passionate about volunteering, with past experience including a role of 4-H club leader for many years and then once her kids were grown, serving on the Board of Directors for the Airdrie Art Society. She and her husband Wayne regularly volunteer for running events in the Calgary area. During Covid lockdowns in 2021, they adopted an orphaned baby goat and and due to her popularity on Facebook formed The Lola Project and raised over $5000 for mental health care in Airdrie.
A sense of community is very important to Sharon and she has been thoroughly enjoying meeting Route 22 members through events and volunteerism. She is committed to helping to make Route 22 as welcoming as it can be for members and visitors. Sharon is pleased to apply her enthusiasm for lending a hand into her role as Secretary for Route 22. She is a self-taught acrylic artist who has lately been venturing into watercolour and plein air.