About Us

ArtsForward provides arts and cultural experiences that enrich the lives of our diverse community. ArtsForward houses two art galleries: the Manawaka Gallery, which displays the works of local artists and exhibitions from across the province and the country on a monthly rotating schedule, and the Community Gallery which showcases the work of emerging artists.
Our classes and workshops run year-round and include classes for toddlers through seniors. We provide education in the fields of visual, performing, musical and literary arts, ranging from container gardening to Dance School, watercolour art classes to Yoga, Zumba & Pilates. Performances and events we organize and sponsor include, community attended events for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, concerts, recitals, author readings, Trivia Nights, beer and wine tastings, and our annual Christmas Craft Sale. We operate a weekly Farmers Market through the summer, our annual R.A.F.T. Live Art event in July and a Theatre Camp in August.

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Staff

Board of Directors

Administrator & Director of Programming
Yvonne Sisley
[email protected]
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Lisa Adams- President
Donna Huck - Treasurer
Gwen McCaskill - Secretary
Meg Fehr -HR
​Diane Martin
​Carmen Jarvis
Katy Martin
Ron Nordstrom
​Tara McCarty