BUSINESS
“This is my happy place” Meet a few of the exceptional women working behind the scenes of Confederation Centre of the Arts By Alana Lauren Photos Sara Bakker ▲ Deborah Vail, Graphic Designer
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eborah Vail had a fast-moving corporate design career in Calgary and a nanny to help raise her young family, but traded everything to move east to PEI. She soon found the job she continues to adore and a peaceful life on the ocean. Fresh from a city of a million people, she couldn’t believe a city the size of Charlottetown was home to an aweinspiring facility like Confederation Centre of the Arts. “I was shocked. I remember thinking ‘Oh wow, I’ll actually be able to survive small-town life now,’” recalls Vail. It was 14 years ago that a door opened, and her career headed in a bold new
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direction becoming the only graphic designer at the Centre—a memorial complex to Canada’s founding and a national arts centre. Vail now spends her days designing everything from three-story banners to musical theatre and gallery promotions to corporate communications. She studied visual communications at the Alberta University of the Arts and wasn’t clear how her corporate experience would apply to Island living, but has no doubts the Centre is exactly where she was meant to be. “It’s a dream job for any designer,” says Vail. “It would be very hard to replace what I have here.”
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She loves that the Centre’s staff quadruples each summer as performers and guest artists fill the halls with music, dance, and theatre, and appreciates getting to work in such a warm, collaborative environment. “We have so many great women here at the Centre, and I’m honoured to be one of them,” says Vail. “This is my happy place.” Confederation Centre of the Arts takes up a full city block, both above and below the ground, and it requires a lot of organization to keep everything running smoothly. It’s Chief Operations Officer Kelly Dawson who manages the Centre’s many systems, using her software and IT background to