KATE BOWMAN

ARCHITECT
CentreLine Design Inc.

At the conclusion of her thesis at the University of Waterloo School of Architecture, Kate was invited to join the Steering Committee for the School of Architecture project as the first staff member.  During this time, she learned how to navigate an extremely successful community project through the sometimes complicated funding and city processes.  During this time, she worked with some of the best mentors the city has to offer, learning from the guidance of Blaine Nicholls, Janet Gasparini, and Dr. David Robinson – to name a few.  In addition to the community experience, Kate has sits on the construction steering committee for the school which worked closely with the project architects and the Capital Development Team at the University to see the community’s vision for the school come through in the architectural design and eventual built form.

Following the six year commitment to help the McEwen School or Architecture come to life in downtown Sudbury, Kate interned at Yallowega Belanger Salach Architecture, where she furthered her Project Management skills through various architectural projects including various library renovations in operating high schools throughout the city, a complete re-façade of St. Francis Elementary, and the most complicated, St. David Catholic Elementary – where Kate shadowed an expert Project Manager, learning the necessary tools to see a new school’s construction from beginning to end.  After obtaining her license, Kate was invited to join CENTRELINE Design as their office architect.  There, she has helped to grow the firm from a residential office to full-services architecture firm. 

As a professional, Kate brings to the table experience and perspective from both government and industry, and excels in helping clients to navigate the territory in between. As a citizen, Kate tries to put her money where her mouth is. Be it a new community garden for people in Gatchell, working with Community Action Networks to help wards thrive, or helping artists to realize their visions through the Cultural Plan Steering Committee, Kate is happy to help.

She has been recognized by the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) for her design talent, and by the University of Waterloo with the Alpha Rho Chi Bronze Medal for leadership, service, and professional promise.

Don’t want to talk shop? Ask Kate about her Miniature Schnauzer “Ray” or her son George any time. 

JAMES ACRES 

FREELANCE INTERACTIVE DEVELOPER AND EDUCATOR
jamesacres.com | Twitter

James Acres is a freelance artist and programmer living and working in Sudbury. Originally from Ottawa, he co-founded Fuel Industries an ad agency whose clients included General Motors, Nike, and Panasonic. James left Fuel Industries in 2005 to pursue teaching as a professor at Algonquin College and ultimately jumped to full-time freelance in 2014. With a focus on creating interactive physical experiences, James blends design and technology through the creation of custom software combined with hardware such as lights, sensors, and VR. Within his work, he seeks to create interactions and experiences that are familiar yet unexpected. A believer in sharing knowledge and ideas, James does so through facilitating workshops, contributing to open-source projects, and mentoring. Recent projects he contributed to include a live visuals performance system for Peter Gabriel’s Back to Front concert tour, a projection installation for SXSW, and a large scale lighting installation for Science World in Vancouver.

BRETT LAIR

GRAPHIC DESIGNER
brettlair.ca | Twitter

After graduating from Cambrian’s Design Program in 2010, Brett gained valuable experience working at BMR in Sault Ste. Marie and 50 Carleton in Sudbury. On the side, he freelanced for agencies in both Sudbury and Toronto while also building up his own client base. In 2014 he walked away from his agency job to freelance full-time. This leap of faith has allowed Brett to work one-on-one with clients and agencies around the world on branding and packaging projects, and have his work featured on various design websites including InVision and The Dieline.