In Focus is our gift to the community. A way for us to help show our recognition for the people, businesses and organizations that help make our city great. The team at KelownaNow.com is passionate about this community and the people that make it amazing. We want to show our friends, neighbours, family and colleagues that we notice them and the fabulous things that they do.

What is your name?
Denise Kenney

What do you always find yourself saying?
Breathe.

If you could spend one whole day with anyone in the world who is currently alive, who would you select and why?
The best massage therapist in the world- for obvious reasons.

If you were to receive any existing public award, what award would you like to win?
Governor General Performing Arts Award.

Who inspires you?
My daughter. 

If you had an enormous yacht, what would you name it?
We have an 18’ little houseboat that we have named B’Otis after my father-in-law (who passed away last year).  We are looking forward to doing some boat camping this year. 

If you could foresee a single day of your future in its entirety, what date would you select?
I do NOT want to see the future.  What a frightening thought. 

What are you passionate about?
I am passionate about my art, my family, my community (including the more-than-human community) that sustains me.  I am also passionate about good cheese. 

What has been your favourite day of your life, up to this point?
The day my daughter was born. 

What has been your proudest accomplishment?
I am proud to have evolved to where I am today.  It is, however, a work in progress.   

Where is your favourite place to dine in Kelowna? What do you like about it?
RauDZ and Summerhill for their commitment to local and organic.  Good beer at Curious Café.  Latin Fiesta on Highway 33.  Sandrine’s for pastry and chocolates! Bacaro downtown is yummy.  The Basil Leaf for Thai in Glenmore.  The more local the better!

What is your favourite activity or event in Kelowna? Why?
I loved painting the apple boxes with the kids at the Kelowna Art Gallery last year.  That is such an Okanagan thing to do and I love seeing them displayed.  Swimming in the lake can’t be beat! 

Please, tell us a bit about your business or organization. What is your mission?
In 2007 I moved to the Okanagan valley from the coast to help establish an interdisciplinary performance program at UBC-Okanagan in the Department of Creative Studies. On the coast I had the feeling that if I stood long enough in one place, the flora would grow up over me and I would simply become a damp log or mossy knoll. The Okanagan isn’t like that. Although there are orchards and vineyards all around, it is essentially a desert, and my sense is that I am ON this place rather than IN it. Scars on this landscape take a long time to heal and that makes me feel both clumsy and detached. I am only just beginning to feel like I belong here.  In my own work and in my teaching, I am committed to using art to help us connect to this place and this community in a meaningful way. 

Where can people find you online? 
http://blogs.ubc.ca/theecoartincubator/
http://blogs.ubc.ca/denisekenneyportfolio/author/kenney/
http://innerfishperformance.ca/

If you could achieve one thing within your field, what would it be? Where do you want your business/organization to be in five years?
I would love to advance the work being done in eco art as it pertains to live performance and community engagement.  In five years I hope my work will have some influence on the way our community has defined itself.

If you were trapped in an elevator with several wealthy investors from any field, which field would you want them to be experts in? What would say to them/talk about?
I would want them to be experts (and investors) in sustainable urban planning. 

If I could change one thing about Kelowna, it would be:
Take away all the awful billboards.  Stop sprawling developments. 

What do you think makes Kelowna great?
The beautiful land. 

My choice for the Kelowna In Focus spotlight is:
Nancy Holmes (Writer/Professor).  Rosemary Thompson (Okanagan Symphony Orchestra). 

We encourage you to leave your comments and words of support below, and submit your own nomination by clicking HERE. You are also welcome to submit a form of your own by clicking HERE. Thank you, Kelowna!