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, and W̱SIḴEM (Tseycum) First 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, with an emphasis on natural materials, to honour 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:
David Martinello is a multifaceted artist and craftsperson who investigates the expressive qualities of wood. By working with the material’s characteristics, he considers wood’s value to develop a holistic understanding of its influence in both natural and constructed environments.
Martinello’s practice is informed by a BFA from Queen’s University and years of building furniture with his company, Alternative Woodworks. His art has been showcased in spaces across Canada, and municipalities in BC and Alberta have commissioned public artworks from him. Martinello has participated in residencies worldwide, volunteers for Tofino’s Public Art Committee, and is a member of Nanaimo’s Urban Design Roster, as well as several artist collectives. Community outreach is fostered through his family-friendly workshops and presentations. Additionally, Martinello has acquired curatorial experience at several venues, including owning Points Gallery in Duncan.
About the participating artists:
Christi York has a background in both graphic and jewelry design, and her 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.
Derk Wolmuth, a sculptor and installation artist grew up on Vancouver Island’s south coast in western Canada. Involved with sailing from a young age and later influenced by 1980s punk critique, he inhabited many DIY living spaces in transitional zones. After completing a degree in Philosophy (Trent University 1996) where he studied Continental and Oriental thought he then integrated a period of deep psychological reflection with the material practice of woodworking. As a visual arts undergraduate (Emily Carr Institute 2005), he was influenced by Post-minimalism, Arte-Povera, and conceptual strategies. As a MFA student (Carnegie Mellon University 2011), he was influenced by Kinetic Art, Institutional Critique, Relational Aesthetics, and the Land Art movements. Notably from 2012-2020 he embarked on a solo voyage across the Pacific Ocean aboard a 32-foot sailboat named ‘Bartók’. Currently, he is enrolled in the European Graduate School program of Philosophy, Art, and Social Thought, with a special focus on Post-humanism. Wolmuth’s installations and mixed-media sculptures frequently incorporate modified manufactured objects, wood, metal, electro-mechanical components, lighting, and audio. He invites viewers in with theatrical gestures, then subjects us to possible conditions of threat. His sculptures are crafted with an austerity that focuses us on fears, compulsions, and embodiment. With glimpses of the uncanny, his sculptures leave one suspended within uncertainty. His works engage us bodily and conceptually, implicating us within the hypnotic agency of things.
Katelyn Atkins is a conceptual multidisciplinary artist whose work researches the body-mind connection and the belief that anatomy holds a record of life experience and perceptive memory. Utilising somatic experiencing and embodiment practices she is able to access deeper layers of being, sometimes inducing trance-like states. This lens initiates an intuitive and sensory-driven creative process which takes form through a variety of mediums. “This practice is how I am learning to willingly feel the full spectrum of my emotional and sensory being, how I am processing my experiences as a woman through past and present place. Ultimately, this is my attempt at catching a glimpse of my wholeness, at any given moment, without asking her to be anything other than she is. My work is a collective offering that holds the hope to unveil the truth that we are not alone in our humanness”. Katelyn graduated with honours from the Interior Design program at the Sheridan College of Arts and Design. She went on to excel in practice for over a decade in Canada, Australia and the Netherlands. She applies this knowledge and experience to her art to which she honoured the call in 2020.
Lycia Trouton is a multi-award winning artist and contemporary art historian. Her work insightfully grasps the exploration of liminal spaces with both intellectual rigour and a desire to bring humaneness to light. As a freelance sculptor, writer-critic, curator, presenter and university lecturer, Dr. Trouton has had the opportunity to build community through her art. Her commemorative works, research and teaching sparks excitement and breeds innovation. Lycia’s focus is often on the creation of work that offers an allusion to the past and reveals a discussion of social themes. With giant earthworks, land art creations, and site-specific, touring sculpture, she has managed to stretch our imagination with sheer physicality. Her exhibitions emphasize the peculiarity and preciousness of objects and the archival necessity to commemorate the genius of a story retold.
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.