On a summer morning at artsPlace, you’re just as likely to find Selah Raynolds Knechtel helping a shy camper find their footing as you are to see her working on her latest pottery sculpture. At 16, she moves comfortably through the space—confident, capable, and completely at ease. It makes sense, she’s been coming here for nearly half her life.

Selah first started attending camps at artsPlace when she was eight years old. Over time, camps gave way to printmaking classes, sewing courses, and Youth Arts Collective programs, including pottery and poetry. Now, she volunteers regularly as a camp leader herself.

“I always enjoyed the camps as a kid. I remember going with friends and enjoying all the fun activities we would do. It’s somewhere that I always loved going,” says Selah. “As a volunteer, I get to meet new people, work with the artsPlace staff and help out kids.”

For Selah, volunteering is not about checking a box. It’s about recreating the sense of welcome she once experienced herself and sharing her love of art.

“Last summer, I worked with the younger kids,” she says. “There was one kid who mainly spoke French, so I translated the lesson instructions for her. And then I helped out with kids who were feeling shy or not very confident. I know how it feels going into new places, so I think it’s nice to help them feel welcome.”

Selah’s own creative interests range from drawing and fibre arts to pottery and animation. Her work often draws from the natural world and fantasy, including animals, hiking landscapes, and stories inspired by the books she reads.

Selah’s connection to the arts is part of a broader family story. Her mother, Anya Knechtel, and grandfather, Tracy Raynolds, are both practicing artists, each with their own relationship to artsPlace.

For Anya, seeing Selah move from participant to mentor has been especially meaningful. “Her confidence has grown over the years,” she says. “Volunteering has given Selah a chance to take on more of a leadership role, and being a mentor for the younger kids has been really positive.”

That growth reflects what a community arts centre does at its best, says Anya. It creates opportunities, not just for children discovering their interests, but for young people who are ready to take the next step.

“It really is about offering opportunities for people to be creative,” she says. “Providing meaningful access points—through camps, classes, performances, and events—allows people to discover their potential.”

That belief is rooted in her own experience. A ceramicist, Anya belonged to a pottery co-op in Ottawa before moving back to the Bow Valley. Since returning to Canmore, she has taken classes with multiple instructors, and she has volunteered at festivals and events.

“artsPlace was the one place that I could continue with pottery,” she says. “I think no matter what level you’re at, there’s always an opportunity to learn more from fellow artists. It’s really inspiring being around other people who are working in pottery and other mediums.”

Like Anya, artsPlace helped Tracy re-establish his practice while building relationships in a new town.

A printmaker who studied at Emily Carr, Tracy has devoted much of his life to art. “It’s been long, long term. I’ve been doing it for years,” he says. When he and his wife moved to the Bow Valley four years ago, he left behind his personal studio and printing press.

“artsPlace has been very important to me personally,” he says. “It gave me access to a press. And that was really significant.”

Just as importantly, artsPlace offered connection. In a new community, artsPlace became both a workspace and a gathering place for Tracy. He and his wife often attend MET Opera screenings and other performances.

Yet beyond his own practice, some of his most memorable moments at artsPlace have been shared with his granddaughter, Selah. He recalls taking a paper and printmaking course alongside Selah. When it came to papermaking, “not only were her sheets of paper better, but she was also much, much faster,” he laughs.

As artsPlace enters its second decade, families like the Raynolds Knechtels reflect what’s possible when creativity is supported at every stage of life.

Artists reconnect with their practice. Newcomers find community in a new town. Campers become mentors, guiding future generations of young creators with confidence. The future feels full of possibilities.

And on any given summer morning, that future is already taking shape.