Many of you will be familiar with lovely Lidia Kosznik, one of our fabulous registration desk staff. That’s because she’s been working at Place des Art for a long time . . . a very long time . . . 21 years long, as a matter of fact!
So, for those of you who know Lidia and those who have yet to meet her, we thought we’d share a few insights into her passionate, art-filled life.
Note how colour coordinated Lidia’s outfit is with her two paintings, which she displayed in our annual student exhibition this year.
Discovering Place des Arts
Lidia is originally from Poland where she trained as a swimming coach and taught Phys Ed. She emigrated to Canada in June 1988 with her family and landed in Maillardville. Lidia discovered Place des Arts shortly thereafter while searching for summer programs for her then nine-year-old daughter Kora.
Even back then, Place des Arts offered wonderful summer programs for children, so Lidia enrolled Kora in a weaving class taught by long-time (now retired) fibre arts teacher Irene Weisner. Kora thoroughly enjoyed the class, but it was Lidia who was most inspired. Seeing what Kora created in such a short time amazed Lidia. She says, “I was absolutely envious that she could create this woven coaster; I never had an opportunity to weave on a loom and always wanted to try!”
Lidia relayed her desire to Irene, who informed her about our adult weaving classes. She signed up for a fall session class and her love affair with Place des Arts took off! She took several sessions of classes in weaving and then pursued other arts mediums, including painting with Sue Cowan, piano lessons with Garth Preston and even a few pottery classes.
Impeccable style
None of this will surprise those of you who know Lidia. Always immaculately dressed—most often in outfits she’s re-designed using her unique, artistic flair—she is passionate about art and adores being “soaked in beauty.” She says she takes inspiration from the artwork, colour and music surrounding her at Place des Arts to piece together her beautiful wardrobe creations.
Artisan Shop wizard
Lidia’s love of Place des Arts motivated her to start working here in 1998. She was hired as a registration clerk, but immediately began applying her design wizardry to create striking displays in our Artisan Shop. Indeed, all the beautifully put together displays (often colour coordinated!) are Lidia’s creative eye at work.
Inspiration from surroundings
For one who has worked in the same place for so many years, it is refreshing to see how passionate she still is about the centre. She says, “Seeing the changing artwork in the galleries, interacting with artists, students and faculty, being exposed to their creations, these things inspire me daily.”
Our home is her home
We say Place des Arts is home to our arts community. This is an understatement when it comes to Lidia – it truly is her second home. She says Place des Arts feels like home, not only because of the beauty that surrounds her here, but also because she has had the opportunity to develop her passion through the lessons and classes she has taken over the years. “I live in Coquitlam, and I’m proud to say I work at Place des Arts,” she says. “It provides such an opportunity for self-improvement. For instance, weaving taught me patience that I never had before.”
Congrats, Lidia!
Well, we are equally proud of Lidia, and feel lucky to have someone as passionate, inspiring and creative helping our clients at the registration desk and making our Artisan Shop sparkle. Next time you see her, wish Lidia a happy 21st work anniversary!