About Us
Founded in 1974 and granted 501(c)3 nonprofit status in 1978, the Waimea Arts Council is the oldest arts organization in north Hawaii. Located in Waimea on the island of Hawaii, the organization has been housed in the old firehouse and firemen’s bunkhouse buildings in the Waimea Historic Corner Park since 1980.
The Waimea Arts Council is an entirely volunteer organization, supported by dues and contributions from artists who sell their artwork, as well as donations from the general public.
We serve the local art community through:
- Stimulating community interest and participation in programs to develop and display the creative and performing arts for all age groups, be they music, dance, visual arts or skilled crafts
- Coordinating and promoting cultural activities, both local and visiting
Board of Directors
Click on any name below for a bio.
J. Jay West – President
J. Jay West is a Kamuela-based award-winning artist, retired graphic designer, and entrepreneur with a BFA in Design and an ASA degree in accounting. Her expertise in bookkeeping and marketing has been a valuable asset to the organization’s programs. A member of the Waimea Arts Council since 1988, Jay has served as a volunteer, gallery manager, committee chair, and dedicated board member. She has curated group art shows on the island for over twenty years. As a respected and influential figure in Hawaii’s art scene, she is known for her innovative use of mixed media and environmentalist commitment to sustainability. With 35 years of experience working with Hawaii non-profits, she has served without compensation on boards for art, theatre, and environmental organizations. Jay has been a driving force in board development and organizational planning.
Amaury Saint Gilles – Vice President
Amaury Saint Gilles has 37 years of art gallery ownership, was a university lecturer (Japan) in the 1980s, a published author and art critic, and an international lecturer on Japanese culture. An island resident since 1990, a teacher with the Hawaii DOE from 1995-1997, and a civic activist.
Kim Horn – Treasurer
Kimberly (Kim) Horn is a graduate of Punahou School, the University of Washington, U.C. Berkeley, and the John A. Burns School of Medicine. As a retired M.D., she now has the time to make jewelry and craft ribbon leis, perform with Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko (an Okinawan Eisa style taiko group), and train with the Kawaihae Outrigger Canoe Club. Occasionally she works in her garden and house. Her husband, WAC member and Plein Air painter Ilmar Reinvald, encouraged her to become a member of WAC a few years back to help with the volunteer needs of the organization.
Irina V. Place – Secretary
Irina V. Place has over 20 years of experience working with non-profits; she is a multi-media artist whose work was purchased by the Hawaii State Foundation for Culture and the Arts for their Art in Public Places program. She provides IT support for the WAC computers and handles art show receptions. She has run the Keiki Art Club outreach program since its inception two years ago.
Tatiana Lyskova – Director
Tatiana Lyskova earned a BFA in illustration and graphic design from The Print and Publishing University of Moscow. She worked for several years at large publishing houses in Russia before moving to the United States, where she began a new career in web design in California. In 2000, she founded her web design studio and became CEO of MesArt.com. This online art gallery was established in 2002 to provide an affordable platform for over 1,500 artists to market their art. Over the past 20 years, she has been an active San Francisco art community member, including participating in groups such as the Shipyard Artists, California Society of Printmakers, and the International Federation of Artists, UNESCO. Tatiana has exhibited her work at various galleries. She has also been an artist-in-residence at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, including the de Young and the Legion of Honor.
Wendi Pa’hana Roehrig – Director
Wendi Paʻhana Roehrig is a retired art teacher who taught at Parker School for 30 years. She danced hula for Michael Pili Pang, Kumu Hula of Hālau Hula Ka Noʻeau, now located in Honolulu, from 1987 and went through ‘uniki (graduation) through him to become a kumu hula (teacher) in 2000. She heads her own hula hālau (school), Hālau Ka ʻŌpuʻu, and she is knowledgeable in Hawaiian history, traditions, culture, and performing arts. An artist herself, she is a valuable asset to the organization.
Anne Sandler – Director
Anne Sandler has been visiting Waimea for 40 years and became a full-time resident in 2021. A retired high school math teacher and former chairperson for Cherry Creek Schools in Denver, Colorado, Anne was involved in several arts leagues in Denver. Passionate about fostering a strong local arts community, Anne is a founding member of Huiʻo Waimea and envisions creating a community arts center with like-minded individuals.
Barbara Schaefer – Director
Barbara Schaefer has been a member of the Waimea Arts Council for almost 30 years and is experienced in art show exhibitions. She is an established award-winning photographer. Her formal education is in the astronomy-physics field. Her last position before retirement involved supervising eight employees, interacting and supporting visiting astronomers, and complex telescope scheduling at W.M. Keck Observatory Headquarters in Waimea. These duties led to good organizational and computer skills and taught Barbara subtleties of personal interaction with a broad range of people. All skills accumulated over her lifetime and a passion for sharing art with others make Barbara a valuable resource for the Waimea Arts Council.
Lorrie Taylor – Director
Lorrie Taylor spent her early years as an artist and photographer in Chicago. She has studied art, photography, music, biology and psychology. She is a graduate of Trent University in Ontario Canada and is currently working on a Master’s Degree in Art Therapy and Counseling. Lorrie worked in the field of advertising as a photographer, and in photo and camera sales. She has participated in art shows for over 20 years. Since her move to Hawai’i she has organized an art tour and taught art at the Waikoloa Elementary and Middle School summer camp. She is a regular at the Big Island Art Fair where she sells her watercolor and oil paintings and her husband’s stained glass along with other creative pieces. She is currently working as the primary instructor for the Thelma Parker Library First Saturday Art Classes. This opportunity places her directly in her element, working with the community. She believes passing on the excitement and experience of art making helps build community and nurtures the human condition.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to live on the Big Island to be a member?
It depends on the type of membership you want. If you wish to be a “friend of the arts” member ($35/year), you can join and receive our newsletter and help to support us without living here. Newsletters are distributed to members via email. However, if you wish to be a “supporter” member ($50/year), you may enter all open call art shows. If you become a “participating artist” member ($70/year), you may exhibit artwork at the gallery with a requirement to volunteer your time at least 4 hours per month. If you are a part-time resident, and you are willing to accumulate enough hours during the time you are here to fulfill a yearly requirement, it could be possible.
Do I have to be an artist to join the Waimea Arts Council?
No, you can join as a “friend of the arts” member for $35/year. See the Membership page.
Is the Waimea Arts Council a co-op?
No, we are a non-profit volunteer organization. In a co-op you are generally expected to pay a share of the operating expenses of the organization and often also have to volunteer to docent at the gallery. In our case, if you wish to exhibit your art in our Firehouse Gallery for sale, you pay a yearly set fee (very small) and are required to volunteer a set number of hours per year, either as a docent or in some other capacity. In addition, you are expected to donate a portion of your sales to the organization, so you don’t pay extra unless your work sells.
Why do I have to volunteer?
We are a totally volunteer organization – we have no paid staff to run the organization or it’s programs. If we don’t have volunteers to staff the gallery when it is supposed to be open, we have to close the doors and no one can sell anything.
Can’t I just pay a larger donation if I sell something and bypass the volunteer requirement?
No, we have no problem finding enough art to fill the gallery – our concern is having volunteers to keep the gallery open.
What if I work full time and can’t come in to docent during your open hours?
We are open on weekends, so that might work for you. While docenting is our biggest need, we also need people who have skills that would allow them to work from home or at odd hours: marketing, accounting, serving on the board (meetings are on Sat.), maintenance projects, helping to put on shows, etc.
Can someone else docent for me to fulfill the volunteer requirement?
Yes, you can arrange for a someone else to docent in your place. However, you are the one responsible to see that they fulfill the requirements and they must be trained as a docent.
