Presented as part of STEPS Public Art’s RECLAIM Residency Program
13-16 August 2025
STEPS Public Art in partnership with the Victoria Arts Council is excited to announce a unique land-based art initiative taking place within the traditional territories of the Malahat, Cowichan, Tsawout, Tsartlip, Pauquachin Nations, known as Mill Bay, British Columbia.
Led by artist David Martinello, Intervene is an immersive, inquiry-based workshop designed to create art that communicates with—and emerges from—nature. Drawing inspiration from Shawnigan Creek and its surrounding environment, a select group of invited artists will craft temporary, site-specific installations using only natural materials, honoring the strength and resilience of the land.
A public reception will be held Saturday 16 August from 12PM-3PM at 2911 Wilkinson R in Mill Bay (limited on site parking available).
About the project lead:
Since he was a toddler, David Martinello has been gathering interesting sticks, and his first memory is of being presented with wood scraps, a hammer, and nails. Today, Martinello’s reverence for wood and craftwork continues, his practice now informed by a BFA from Queen’s University and years of managing his furniture-making company, Alternative Woodworks Ltd. He employs print, sculpture, painting, film, poetry, installation, and performance, alongside traditional woodworking, to investigate the expressive attributes of wood. By contemplating the material’s value and legacy, his work develops a holistic account of wood’s influence in natural and constructed environments.
Martinello’s art has been showcased in spaces across Canada, and municipalities in BC and Alberta have commissioned public artworks from him. He has curated several shows and operated a commercial gallery. Martinello has participated in residencies worldwide, volunteers for Tofino’s Public Art Committee and is a member of Nanaimo’s Urban Design Roster and several artist collectives. Community outreach is facilitated with his family-friendly workshops and presentations. Martinello has gathered curatorial experience in several spaces, including owning Points Art Gallery in Duncan.
About the participating artists:
With a background in both graphic and jewelry design, Christi York‘s contemporary craft work naturally flows towards mixed media. Vintage textiles, wild crafted inks, botanical contact printing with real leaves or flowers, and hand stitching all make their way into her mixed media collages. As the world around us becomes increasingly inundated with content created by generative AI, she invites people to pause and remember the slow process of crafting hand made objects. Her sculptural basketry was chosen as one of 50 finalists (from over 2000 submissions) in the 2019 Salt Spring National Art Prize. That same year her work was juried into the Sooke Fine Arts show, receiving an honourable mention judges prize. Shown and collected internationally, her pieces tends to find homes with nature lovers, creative souls, and people who appreciate the lengthy process that goes into the work. York has spent her entire life on the West Coast of British Columbia, living in both Victoria and Vancouver, and now resides in the Southern Gulf Islands. Her first job was in a flower shop, where, perhaps, it all started.
Debra Gloeckler explores the human experience of transition through the lens of ecological relationships. In her studio practice, she engages with rainwater to transform sunlight-sensitive paper and plant dyes into abstract monoprints. Informed by community collaboration to protect native plant and pollinator habitats, her work reflects on human accountability to attune with nature amid a shifting climate. Debra lives in the same coastal community where she grew up, on the ancestral homelands of the W̱SÁNEĆ Peoples’, Tsawout, Tsartlip, Tseycum, Pauquachin and Malahat First Nations (Saanich Peninsula, BC). With interest in ecologically sensitive art practice, Debra participates in environmentally focused art residencies and exhibitions abroad, JOYA: arte + ecologia AiR 2024 and Arteventura/OPEN AIR 2025, in Spain. She takes part in collaborative multi-disciplinary initiatives, such as ecoartspace’s international Soil Shroud Project and the research project, Reconciling with Water, shared at the Royal BC Museum. Her involvement in community based art exhibitions ,includes the fifty fifty arts collective and curatorial work with Metchosin ArtPod. Debra completed Collaborative Artist’s Mentorship Programs after receiving a Diploma of Fine Arts from Vancouver Island School of Art.
Project Partners:
STEPS Public Art is a Canadian charity and social enterprise. STEPS offers services in public art management, hoarding exhibits, cultural planning, and artist capacity building. Our charitable programs support artists and foster vibrant and inclusive communities across the country. www.stepspublicart.org
Established in 1968, the Victoria Arts Council supports artists living and working in this region through exhibitions, education, and advocacy. www.vicartscouncil.ca
The VAC recognizes the continued support of the CRD Arts & Culture; and the Province of British Columbia through the Community Gaming Fund as well as BC Arts Council.
