Kaya Kurz

Pronouns: She/her/hers
Role: Program Manager and Outreach Coordinator

Kaya Kurz is a queer, mixed-race Japanese-Canadian arts worker, musician, and garment sewist living on stolen Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh lands. Born and raised in Burnaby, she attended Capilano University and received a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies in 2020. In the music world, she makes up one-third of the indie-folk band The Shorties,  who released their debut album In Every Season on June 5, 2025.

With over five years of experience in the non-profit arts sector, Kaya has worked with a variety of equity-seeking organizations, including the Community Arts Council of Vancouver, Still Moon Arts Society, Health Arts Society, Helm Studios, Couch Jams Collective, and Future Arts Network. In addition to arts admin work, she has also adjudicated grants, coordinated festivals and other events, facilitated workshops, copyedited and culturally consulted for non-fiction and poetic works, and grantwritten on behalf of herself and others. 

Kaya is also an avid garment sewist, pattern designer, and owner of Soft Bodies Studio. She has two cats and consumes copious amounts of Earl Grey tea daily.