About Xchanges Gallery and Studios

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Heidi Bergstrom (she/her) is Red River Métis citizen with a settler background of mixed Euro-Scandinavian (Sweden and Iceland). Heidi’s education includes a Master of Arts, Political Science (2019) from the University of Victoria, BC; a Diploma in New Media (Internet Site Design, 3D Animation, and Multimedia Production) (2000) from the University of Victoria, BC, a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Honours (1990) from York University, Ontario where she majored in studio arts and art history. Heidi also studied visual arts full-time at the Toronto School of Art (1984-86). Heidi’s early artistic background also includes dance (classical ballet) at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School and Professional Program with Goh Ballet in Vancouver, BC and contemporary/modern in Victoria, BC.

Since 2016 Heidi has hosted artists of all disciplines from around the world at her studio program Studio H Canada International Artist Residency.

Heidi has over thirty years of professional experience in the public, corporate and non-profit sectors in diverse production and management roles; a Director in the BC Government for 13 years (2007-2020) in the Ministry of Citizens’ Services and Attorney General working in Strategic and Business planning, Corporate Planning, Organizational Change Management and Stakeholder Engagement, as well as IT Project Management for Transformation projects. Heidi also worked in the Ministry of Attorney General as a Project Director for Digital Transformation. In the private sector Heidi held leadership roles such as Creative Services Manager for Corus Entertainment (training producers in television advertising production), Marketing at Campbell’s Soup corporation, and as Curator/Director with the Durham Art Gallery in Ontario.

Heidi currently provides professional consulting services in Organizational Change Management (OCM) and is leading a major initiative in Victoria with a coalition of five artist-run centres to create the first Cultural Land Trust in the province of BC.

Cindy Wright (she/her) earned her Honours Bachelor of Science in 1991 from the University of Guelph. She was employed by the Ontario Provincial Government until she moved to Victoria in 1992 to pursue a post-graduate degree. In 1996 she earned her Master of Science from the University of Victoria. After her M.Sc completion, she worked as a private consultant for both the BC Provincial and Federal Government as well as subcontracted to industry. In this capacity, she developed her skills at project management and honed her ability to work on several portfolios at once under time deadlines. In 2007, she accepted a position as a Oceanographic Technician with the Federal Government, where she remains employed today. She is responsible for the oversight, operations, management and safety of four laboratories as well as a key lead and co-team members for several oceanic monitoring programs. She organizes and participates in multiple sea-going operations a year which involves a high degree of planning, testing, as well as financial management of projects.

Cindy has been a member of Xchanges for the last 20 years and has sat on the board for over 10 in various roles including Studio Coordinator, Gallery Coordinator and in 2025, moved into the Treasurer position. Additionally, she has held several positions, including President, and High-Performance Committee Chairperson on the Canadian Outrigger Racing Associations Board of Directors, a National sporting body.

She has an active studio practice at Xchanges where she is developing and exploring her skills as an artist printmaker.

Caron Smith (she/her) is a plein air painter and retired registered clinical counsellor. She holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Alberta, as well as a Masters in Social Work specializing in clinical counselling from University of Calgary, with additional training in couples counselling.

In her artistic practice, Caron has explored acrylics, watercolours, oil, and soft pastels. She has been exhibiting her work throughout the southern Vancouver Island region since 2021, with highlights including the Metchosin ArtPod, Goldfinch Arts Centre, Xchanges Gallery, and the Ladysmith Gallery. Her subject matter spans from landscape, flora, and figure work. More recently she has been experimenting with painting on fabric.

Caron is a long time Xchanges studio artist and member.

Jillan Valpy (she/her) is a Victoria, British Columbia-based heritage professional, museum director, and practicing artist with more than three decades of experience in the cultural and heritage sector. She currently serves as Museum Director and Collections/Exhibits Technician at Craigflower Manor National Historic Site, where she oversees collections stewardship, exhibition development, and public interpretation programs.

Jillan holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) from the University of Victoria and a Diploma in Collections Management through the university’s Cultural Resource Management program. Her professional expertise includes collections management, exhibition design and installation, heritage interpretation, visitor engagement, and organizational leadership within museum and cultural institutions.

She has held key roles with several major heritage sites in British Columbia, including the Maritime Museum of British Columbia, Craigdarroch Castle National Historic Site, and Hatley Park National Historic Site. In these positions she developed strong operational, program management, and team leadership skills while contributing to the development and installation of numerous museum exhibitions.

Jillan also serves on the Board of Directors of Xchanges Gallery and Studios in Victoria, where she contributes governance, financial oversight, and strategic planning experience in support of the organization’s contemporary arts programming and community engagement since 2008.

Kate Seymour (she/her) has been photographing in black and white for over 40 years and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts through the Emily Carr College of Art & Design in Vancouver. She has participated over the years in numerous local venues like the Sooke Fine Arts Show, the Sidney Fine Arts Show, the Coast Collective, and Xchanges Gallery. She has won several top prizes at the annual Monday Magazine Photo Contest as well as being published many times in the British magazine, “Black & White Photography”.

She has the distinction of having one of her images published on a coveted llford B&W paper box which is distributed internationally. She continues to make new work and has several ongoing photo projects. She prefers to use film and to develop and print all her photographs in a traditional wet darkroom by hand. This labour intensive process ensures that all of Kate’s original photographs are limited edition artist proofs. She has maintained a cooperative darkroom in Xchanges Gallery and Artists Studios and continues to do so.

Mark Schmiedl (he/him) is a painter based in Victoria, BC. A graduate of York University’s BFA program in Toronto, he has traveled extensively through Eastern Germany and Australia to study and experience art firsthand. Influenced by Abstract Expressionism and modernist painters such as Kandinsky, Miró, and Robert Motherwell, Schmidle approaches painting as an intuitive, process-driven exploration. His work emphasizes color, rhythm, and movement, treating visual elements like notes in a piece of music. Through layered marks, repetition, and variation, he creates compositions that feel both spontaneous and structured. Balancing natural and synthetic color relationships, Schmidle’s paintings evoke an interplay between emotion, form, and sound—inviting viewers to experience abstraction as a kind of visual music.

Mark has been a studio member at Xchanges for many years and is currently our Gallery Coordinator.

Johanna Kendall (she/her) is a Victoria‑based communications specialist whose interdisciplinary background supports Xchanges’ leadership role in developing a shared arts facility. For nearly two decades she has worked as a technical writer, editor, and researcher in various roles including with an environmental consulting firm, the B.C. Government and with a patient advocacy organization. Her focuses are clear communication, accessible digital services, and evidence‑based decision‑making.

Johanna holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Sciences from the University of British Columbia and has completed additional training in user experience, digital strategy, and project management. She also studied visual art at the Victoria College of Art.

With experience in strategic communication, stakeholder engagement, and public‑sector collaboration, Johanna brings a systems‑oriented approach to complex, multi‑partner initiatives. Her professional background is complemented by extensive volunteer leadership in the arts and non‑profit sectors, where she has contributed to governance development, community outreach, and organizational capacity‑building.

Johanna’s combined expertise in communication, planning, and arts‑sector engagement strengthens Xchanges’ ability to collaborate effectively with partner organizations, support shared operational models, and steward public investment responsibly as part of a sustainable, community‑rooted multi‑organization arts hub.

Joan Borutskie (she/her) studied art history, printmaking and sculpture at the University of Toronto. Following graduation, she continued her Fine arts studies at the Ontario College of Art. In her last year at OCA she won a scholarship to do an independent study of sculpture in Italy focusing on figurative-abstract marble carving. She received a subsequent scholarship the following year to study and work alongside Indigenous carvers in Prince Rupert, the Eastern Arctic and contemporary artists at the École de Sculpture in St. Jean Port-Joli in Quebec.

Returning to Toronto she continued sculpting full time, showing in various galleries and working in mixed media with a focus on installation pieces. After a number of years she attended massage college and worked as a full time massage therapist.  After re-locating to the west coast, Joan’s appreciation of the human form and the natural landscape lead her to resume sculpting and drawing the human figure and plein air painting. 

Alex Jensen (he/him) is a queer multimedia artist and designer living and working on the unceded traditional territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples. His practice explores themes of memory, disability, queer identity, and media studies. Throughout his career, Alex has worked with numerous arts organizations in a variety of capacities, including Arnica Artist-Run Centre, the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Or Gallery, the Victoria Arts Council, ReIssue, IMAA, and Island Chamber Winds. Alex also maintains an independent design practice.

Alex holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Art from Thompson Rivers University, and an Associate Certificate of Graphic Design from BCIT.