GM moving from film to art
Photo: Rhadika Tabrez
After a two year stint with the Kamloops Film Society, general manager Radhika Tabrez will be making the move across the street to join the Kamloops Art Gallery.
Tabrez will be joining the gallery as its general manager of development and engagement beginning in August.
She said one of the biggest factors that led to her decision was her excitement at learning from the gallery’s team, including mentorship by gallery executive director Margaret Chrumka.
“I was looking around, and I think I am quite embedded into the art scene right now. I just love it,” Tabrez said, also noting her involvement with Western Canada Theatre and CFBX.
“I also heard fantastic things about the art gallery as an employer and the kind of solid team that they are and also just how they have been able to reach out to the larger community and how they do three or four successful shows every year and they keep on coming back stronger.”
She said part of her new role will be to drive engagement with the Kamloops community, including by developing new programs and activities.
Looking back at her time with KFS, Tabrez said she was most proud of the work that came following the departure of former KFS executive director Dusan Magdolen.
“(That was) a crazy time of transition for us, and I think me and my team, we were able to transition out of that beautifully. We literally held each other’s backs during that time,” Tabrez said.
During that time, the KFS developed its inaugural Black Film Festival and Queer Film Festival, which Tabrez deemed the most successful micro festivals ever hosted by the KFS.
“We got really good at being resilient, so we are able to actually adapt to somebody leaving pretty quickly, and in my case, thankfully, I had the luxury of time, so I was able to plan that transition out in a detailed way,” Tabrez said.
“Transitions and change are hard for everyone. So yes, there’ll be some challenges but we are already on top of it, hopefully trying to craft our plans A through Z.”
Tabrez joined the film society in an operations manager role months after first immigrating to Canada. She said her time at the KFS was one of her “most formative career experiences.”
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