Reyhaneh Bakhtiari
Reyhaneh is an international artist, having participated in exhibitions in Europe, USA, Canada, China and Iran. Born in Tehran, Iran, Reyhaneh continued her education and artistic life at Swindon College and the University of London (UK).
Her oil paintings reflect realistic natural life with historical and mystical subjects also inspiring her works. She has had several solo exhibitions on the North Shore, received the juror’s first prize in the NVCAC’s Art Rental exhibition in 2004, and has participated in several exhibitions at CityScape Community Art Space and Art in Public Places. Reyhaneh also teaches painting on the North Shore for students of various cultural backgrounds and age levels, organizing exhibitions for her students at the start of spring for the Iranian New Year.
Reyhaneh has been an active participant in the North Shore artistic community: as a member of the jury for the Lonsdale Banner Competition (City of North Vancouver), as a winner of the Evergreen Mosquito Creek Sign Project, and as the artist for the Museum and Archives on the occasion of the first annual heritage fair .
Jim Cooke
Jim has been active in post-secondary education for over thirty years and has recently retired as Vice-President, Student and Institutional Support, at Capilano University. He was previously Vice-President, Academic, at Champlain College in Quebec. He has chaired the Board of the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) which brings together Canada’s over 175 colleges in their advocacy efforts and international activities. He has also chaired BC’s Committee of Senior Educational Service Officers, the Board of Literacy BC, and the Council of the Royal Commonwealth Society. By ministerial appointment, he served six years on both the BC Council on Admissions and Transfer and the Board of Examiners.
Michele d'Eon
Michele, originally from Toronto, moved to Vancouver as a teen. She has a true love of the arts and has been a lifelong volunteer within various arts organizations including: the NVCAC, the Vancouver International Jazz Festival, the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival, and has been a member of the Pacific Ski Club for 20 years.
Michele began painting at a very young age. She has continued to dabble in the arts throughout her life and has an interest in all art mediums. She completed a Certificate in Fine Art at Emily Carr School of Art in 2006 and has a goal to complete her art degree. Michele’s 30 year professional career has been focused in the areas of communications, events planning/logistics, and program coordination - and she is currently working at the Vancouver International Film Festival as the Sponsorship and Development Coordinator.
Linda Falls (on leave 2011-2012)
Linda is a full-time Professor in both the Music Diploma Program and the Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies programs and she is our Liaison for Capilano University.
Born in Vancouver, Linda completed her degrees in piano performance at the University of British Columbia where she studied with Barbara Custance, Bob Rogers and Dale Reubart. Further coursework was done in Kodaly and Orff methodologies at UBC as well as piano methodology at Teacher’s College, Columbia University (New York) and postgraduate coursework in music history and piano at the University of Southern California.
She has taught theory, history, piano, ear training and pedagogy, and has considerable administrative experience as a past music coordinator and private music facilitator. Professionally, Linda continues her performance activities in chamber music and instrumental and vocal accompaniment. She is interested in computer applications in music and continues to explore this interesting field.
Colin Lawrence
Colin Lawrence lived in Edinburgh, Scotland before moving to Canada in 1967 and in 1972 settled in North Vancouver. Now retired, after teaching Mathematics at BCIT, he volunteers at NVCAC, enjoys hiking in the North Shore mountains and is an avid reader. Colin’s love of books led at an early age to his discovering libraries and eventually to the North Vancouver District Library Board which he chaired for three years. He is a regular theatre-goer and now, with his attendance at the NVCAC Film Series, he has learned to have a greater appreciation of that medium. Colin’s interest in science continues and, for a number of years, was on the Board of the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Science.
Louise McLay
Louise was born and raised on the North Shore and still calls it home. She was an elementary school teacher for a number of years and in 2000 returned to university to get a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership to become Vice-Principal of Lions Bay Primary. In 2003 she was assigned as Principal of Bowen Island Community School. Louise has always actively promoted opportunities to integrate unique art experiences into the school community and at Bowen Island Community School, supported staff and community members to develop an environmentally responsible school with a "Learning Through the Arts" program. In 2007, Louise and her school team were honoured with an environmental award presented by the Premier. Music has always been a passion for Louise and she routinely involved children in developing a love of singing and moving to music. Louise is currently retired and lives in North Vancouver with her husband. She enjoys sailing, taking long walks with her two dogs and is recently learning the art of gardening, and playing the cello.
Effat Mirnia
Born and raised in Iran, Effat was part of an art-loving family. From childhood, she expressed her feelings and thoughts through her art – painting, writing and poetry became a form of release for her. From the age of 15, she gave her time and efforts to several organizations through her volunteer work. She taught young underprivileged children working for Unicef. She also taught and volunteered her time to help illiterate women in the villages of Iran. In Iran’s Governor House, she worked with immigrants and refugees get settled into and lead a successful life in a new country. Effat obtained a Bachelor in Communications and a Bachelor of Arts in Design. Since moving to Canada in 1983, she has gone to school to learn French and worked in diverse fields such as interior design and customer service while raising her two daughters. She has fully integrated herself within her community and has volunteered her time with autistic children as well as organizations such as North Vancouver Community Art Council. She is currently undergoing training as a facilitator for refugee and immigrant women who are new to Canada. Her creative oil and acrylic paintings vary from landscapes and architecture to portraits and realistic life subjects.
Dr. Laurel Parsons
Dr. Laurel Parsons teaches music and humanities at Quest University Canada in Squamish, and has also taught music theory and musicianship at UBC, Queen's University, the University of Oregon and Kwantlen University College; she is also a published author. She began volunteering with the North Vancouver Community Arts Council in 1993, and has lived in Deep Cove for 25 years, where she and her husband have raised their 4 children (75% of whom are currently pursuing careers in three different art forms).
Lisa Richardson
Lisa is from the east coast and has been a BC resident for 17 years. She comes from an art loving family in Nova Scotia, where her mother, an artist and teacher, couldn’t keep Lisa away from the art shows where she exhibited her paintings. Lisa has worked for TD Canada Trust for more than 20 years, and is currently the manager of the TD Canada Trust on Lonsdale. She uses her financial planning accreditation to help North Shore residents realize their financial dreams.
Dorothy Young
Dorothy has been a North Shore resident for forty-three years. She taught at Capilano University for thirty-two years and is Professor emerita. She worked as a registered nurse and certified midwife in England and Scotland. When she came to Canada in 1965, she completed her Bachelor of Arts degree at Simon Fraser University in English Literature. She completed a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Creative Writing at UBC in 1985. She attended the Capilano University Studio Arts Program. Dorothy has a wide range of interests. She taught both biology and English at Capilano University and participated in amateur theatre at both Simon Fraser University and Bowen Island’s ‘Theatre on the Isle’. Her hobbies include wildlife drawing, acting and writing.