Candy Canning

​Candy has been an avid advocate and facilitator for the Arts for over 20 years. As a professional artist and educator, she's taught in public and private settings to students of every age; most recently, she's taught art integration as an adjunct instructor in Boise State University's Art Education program and is often a presenter at annual Idaho Art Education Association conferences throughout the state, receiving the honor of 2024 Idaho Community Arts Educator of the Year. Her passion for helping people learn and grow is all-encompassing, and her talent for connecting and inspiring others to work together helps make big dreams come to fruition. Her art expertise spans across many mediums, from sculpture, ceramics and mosaic, to photography, weaving, painting , and public art. She enjoys combining elements to create new and multi-faceted works that surprise and delight.

Prior to founding Catalyst, Candy co-founded The Gem Center for the Arts in 2016 and founded Art Project Boise in 2010, which includes 1,300+ members of the art community in and around Boise. Art Project Boise has worked on large-scale projects in collaboration with the Sierra Club and with the international Inside Out Project, which was exhibited at the Modern Hotel and Jack's Urban Meeting Place (JUMP). Candy has also spent many years curating exhibits and organizing large-scale events in the Treasure Valley.

A nature and animal lover, she enjoys hiking in her beloved Boise foothills and Sawtooth Mountains, singing, traveling and raising four ridiculously cute cats, Lucy, Savannah, Frida, and Freckles.