Founded in 1974, the Waimea Arts Council serves 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:
(October 1, 2024 – September 30, 2025)
- President – J. Jay West
- Vice President – Amaury Saint Gilles
- Treasurer – Kim Horn
- Secretary – Irina Place
- Director – Tatiana Lyskova
- Director – Wendi Pa’hana Roehrig
- Director – Anne Sandler
- Director – Barbara Schaefer
- Director – Lorrie Taylor
About the 2024 – 2025 Board of Directors
J. Jay West
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
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
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, Waimea Arts Council member and Plein Air painter Ilmar Reinvald encouraged her to join also a few years back to help with the organization’s volunteer needs.
Irina Place
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
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 Paʻhana Roehrig
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
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
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
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.