To view photos and learn about the venues in this area, select a name from the list below.
Click here to return to the main Culture Tour page and view all areas.
47. The Station Gallery @ the Nelson Visitor Centre
Local art & gifts; historical items; heritage building
We are the Station Gallery, located inside the Nelson Visitor Centre. We are pleased to showcase an assortment of pottery, paintings, jewellery, soaps, clothes, metalwork, woodwork and more, made by talented local artists.
Address: 91 Baker St., Nelson
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Socials/Contact:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/discovernelsonbc
Instagram: www.instagram.com/discovernelson
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 250-352-3433
48. Kat Williamson Art Studio Gallery
Paintings; acrylic; wildlife
Kat Williamson is a wildlife painter based in Nelson, on the traditional territories of the Sinixt, Syilx and Ktunaxa peoples.
Kat’s small studio gallery in downtown Nelson offers visitors the chance to step into a working artist’s space and see where her wildlife paintings come to life. Her work focuses on animals, such as the bears, wolves and birds that inhabit the ecosystems of the Kootenays. Through careful observation and expressive brushwork, her paintings aim to capture not only the physical presence of animals, but also the feeling of encountering them in the wild.
Alongside her art, she works as a counsellor and art therapist in private practice. This work deepens her attention to emotion, presence and relationship, which is reflected in her paintings.
Visitors are invited to browse original paintings and prints, see works in progress and learn more about Kat’s creative process.
Address: 614B Josephine St., Nelson
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Socials/Contact:
Website: www.katwilliamsonart.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/katwilliamson_art
Email: [email protected]
49. Kootenay School of the Arts Society
Arts exhibition; alumni sales; guided tour
This year, be sure that Kootenay School of the Arts (KSA) is one of your top stops on the Culture Tour! The KSA building will be open to the public so they can take in an inspiring alumni exhibition highlighting the diverse practices and accomplishments of past graduates, whose work will be available for sale.
Visitors can also tour the school through guided tours, offering a behind-the-scenes look inside the creative spaces and an exclusive sneak peek at the next iteration of the school, including exciting plans for its evolution, programming and role within the arts community. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage with this forward-looking vision and contribute to the conversation about what comes next, and volunteers will be on hand to share insights into programs and future plans for the spaces.
Whether you’re a prospective student, alumni or art enthusiast, this event offers a rare chance to celebrate the school’s legacy while imagining its future.
Address: 606 Victoria St., Nelson
Directions: Downtown Nelson.
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes (Through the main entrance off Victoria St.)
Socials/Contact:
Website: www.ksarts.ca
Instagram: www.instagram.com/ksa_clay
Email: [email protected]
50. Lainey Benson
Acrylic; landscapes; urban/rural
I’m a longtime resident of Nelson. Most of the work I’ll be showing for the Culture Tour will be scenes from around the Basin, but I usually include some works from my Canadian travels, particularly in Quebec and Ontario, where I spent a great deal of time.
Address: 418 Gore St., Nelson
Wheelchair Accessible: No
Socials/Contact:
Website: www.laineybenson.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/laineybensonart
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 250-505-3052
51. Terra Gora Ceramics
Ceramics; functional; sculptural
Tatiana Petrov is the artist behind Terra Gora Ceramics, a studio based in Nelson. Gora means “mountain” in Russian, a nod both to her heritage and the landscape that inspires her. Tatiana studied at Kootenay Studio Arts, completing three years of hands-on training. She began in sculptural metal, learning blacksmithing and bronze casting, before shifting to ceramics. That early grounding in metal gave her a strong understanding of form and material, which now informs her large-scale ceramic work.
Address: 1103 Poplar St. S, Nelson
Directions: Up Mountain Station Rd.; left on Poplar St.
Wheelchair Accessible: No
Socials/Contact:
Website: www.terragoraceramics.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/terra_gora_ceramics
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 250-551-1116
52. PB Woodworks
Carving; fine woodworking; craftsman
Peter Bockner is a designer and craftsman with over 50 years of experience in furniture-making and woodcarving. His work emphasizes original designs, high-level craftsmanship and traditional joinery.
This tour venue is a custom woodworking shop and showroom, with many beautiful items on display and available for purchase.
Items include doors, tables, benches, cabinetry, jewellery boxes and carvings. All items are handmade here in his Nelson shop.
Peter also teaches carving classes several times each year. Information and class registration are available to people interested in this craft.
Address: 623 Behnsen St., Nelson
Wheelchair Accessible: No
Socials/Contact:
Phone: 250-352-1308
53. Martha Stokoe
Paintings; ink; watercolour; whimsical
Come and join me in my studio and see what I’ve been up to for the last couple of years. The whimsy continues with lots of new ink and watercolour paintings, and some new acrylic pieces as well.
Address: 515 Sixth St., Nelson
Directions: Studio access via back alley.
Wheelchair Accessible: No
Socials/Contact:
Instagram: www.instagram.com/martha_stokoe
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 250-777-1342
54. Claire Wensveen Studio
Functional pottery; illustration
As a child, Claire Wensveen wondered if there was a colour that hadn’t been discovered yet—she truly believed this was possible. She keeps the same sense of wonder as she creates new designs, patterns and objects. Inspiration for her work also comes from her childhood in Vancouver, where she was lucky to be immersed in many beautiful and diverse cultures. She also spent quite a few summers in England, where her mother grew up. In England, she developed an understanding and love of the idea of family heirlooms and objects being passed down through generations. Later in life, she began to appreciate the everyday object as a significant contributor to a family’s history.
In 2005, she attended Langara College and obtained her fine arts certificate. She then attended the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, where she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts. Since then she has been sculpting, drawing, attending residencies and teaching children’s pottery classes. She has now settled in Nelson with her dog Jasper.
Claire’s pottery is made with stoneware clay, handmade coloured slips and glazes, and small accents of spectrum underglaze, decals and lustre.
Address: 1112 Elwyn St., Nelson
Directions: Studio building in garden.
Wheelchair Accessible: No
Socials/Contact:
Instagram: www.instagram.com/clairewensveen
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 250-551-0368