Painting through the pandemic: Wasaga arts and culture organization ready for next steps

The arts and culture sector is like a small stream running into a pond.

Create a dam that will harness its energy, and that small stream can energize a community.

That’s the analogy used by former Wasaga Society for the Arts chairperson Michael Jarrett, as the arts and culture organization emerges from a COVID-19 lockdown that shuttered its office only two months after opening.

“That is our ideal, to create an entity (in the WSA) that acts as a dam and reservoir, not just for creative talent, but for resources and assets that could be put toward the development of that creative talent,” said Jarrett, a writer and editor who publishes a magazine focused on the port economy of the Caribbean from his Wasaga Beach home.

In January, Stonebridge’s Mark Crowe provided the WSA with space at Two months later, the group had to shut the office because of COVID-19.

“It doesn’t mean things stopped. The thinking caps were still on,” said WSA board chairperson and president Steve Wallace, who took the reins from Jarrette in June.

The board continued to meet by online teleconference and, once the province eased restrictions, the doors reopened Aug. 1.

“Our approach was like a ‘ready, fire, aim’ management style,” Wallace said. “It was, ‘Let’s do something, and eventually we’ll get it sorted out.’”

Wallace said getting a curator, Sue Miller, who had experience owning and operating a gallery, was the final piece.

The WSA recently wrapped up its first art exhibition in the gallery. Its next — featuring artist Barbara Kendrick — opens Oct. 3.

The centre is open to the public Thursdays and Saturdays from 1-4 p.m., and has meeting rooms available for small groups.

Wallace said Jarrett — who is still very much involved as past chair — took the organization through its “formative years,” building a structure that established the group’s mandate and values.

Wallace said his task is to take the group to the “next level.”

“It’s like any organization: it takes awhile to build,” he said. “I think we’re very clear on our mission.”

That includes getting behind establishing a permanent arts and culture centre in the community.

“Whether it’s built by the municipality (or) private individuals or organizations … at some point, those kind of institutions require a registered charity to support their fundraising and operations, and we want to be that organization.”

WSA has applied to the Canada Revenue Agency for charitable status, and is seeking board members with experience in business, finance and law.

“We’re ready to make that leap — notwithstanding COVID and the challenges it presents,” Wallace said. “We still have to build the capacity to fulfil our mandate and achieve our goals.

“If we get the right mix of people, we’ll be ready for the next phase.”

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STORY BEHIND THE STORY: As part of our coverage of COVID-19, we’ve been looking at local non-profit groups and how they’ve been able to navigate the challenges of the pandemic.