Presented at the Annual General Meeting on March 24, 2010
Report on 2009

2009 was a year of success and growth for Gallery Stratford. Through the work of community supporters, Board of Trustees and staff, the Gallery continued to enrich the lives of those reside in and visit Stratford through visual art.

Gallery Stratford’s artistic vision is to bring the best of contemporary Canadian art to the community to foster learning and creativity. In 2009 this was highlighted by diverse presentations of works by national and local artists. An exhibition of works by celebrated photographer Edward Burtynsky featured 20 of the 39 works the artist gifted to the Gallery, and garnered the Gallery its first article in Canadian Art magazine in over two years. Special thanks to the Musagetes Fund, the Cleeve Horne Award Committee of the Ontario Society of Artists, and David and Jennifer Leaney for making the presentation possible with their support towards framing. Promoting the work of regional artists continued to be a priority for the Gallery, as the Insurance Central Perth Huron Exhibition was moved to the summer months to increase the profile of local artists to the tourist audience. The combinations of the Burtynsky exhibition and presentation of the local artists helped to increase the summer visitor attendance by 23% compared to the previous year. Thank you to Ken Nutt, Scott McKowen, Terry Manzo, Dr. Robert Martin, Ray Harsant and Tony Urquhart who gave important feedback on the Programming and Acquisitions Committee.

The Gallery takes pride in creating exceptional and imaginative educational programs to encourage the enjoyment of visual art in the community. The Gallery’s 2009 education mandate reinforced connections to ideas and techniques explored by exhibiting artists to public and school programs. Through the work of Education Officer Erin Haid, initiatives for all ages from 4 to 95, and all skill levels were made available. Exhibiting artists Michael Karn and Sarah Kernohan brought their expertise to the Gallery Studio, giving participants unique insight to the professional artists’ process through classes and workshops. New partnerships were forged with Community Living and L’Arche, along with continued support from the Huron Perth Catholic District School Board to increase the attendance of workshops and tours. The Gallery and studio were active with classes or lectures by Stratford artists Terry Manzo, Tony Urquhart, Virgil Burnett and Teddy Payne. A staple within the Education department is Open Studio, hosted by Ken Nutt. A program started by the Gallery’s first director, Ken continues to welcome established and young students to the life drawing sessions. The Gallery believes strongly in nurturing the talents of young artists, and celebrated their talents with four high school scholarships and Arts Alive bursaries.

The presentation of Gallery exhibitions were much improved due to significant facility upgrades. Through a partnership with the City of Stratford, Gallery 3 received an overhaul to the walls, floor, and an expansion to the permanent collection storage. This was later followed by the new floors in the foyer, and Gallery 1 and 2. These improvements vastly improved the spaces for the presentation of contemporary art. I want to acknowledge City Councilor Paul Nickel and City of Stratford staff David St. Louis and Jim Bryson for their support these projects. Kristene Steed and Marc Johnstone of Rheo Thompson Candies made another significant contribution in sponsoring the exterior sign. As the Gallery continues to increase its resources in the marketing area, the gift from the Steed Johnstone family is both timely and impactful to build local and program profile.

The growth of the exhibition and education programs requires a sound financial base. For the second year in a row, the Gallery staff and Board continued to operate within a financially responsible structure, supported by the generosity and good will of the community. Two bequests, from past member Helen Sinclair and artist Pauline Hall contributed to another surplus year. Pauline was a talented Stratford artist whose work was included in the SMALL IS GOOD exhibition. She will be fondly remembered for her support and her brilliant drawings and paintings. Despite a difficult economy, Gallery members increased to 248, and included the support of members in the Leaders category of Stratford Property Corporation, Steed Transport and Josephine and Jules Harris. Over 350 businesses, 60 volunteers, the Board of Trustees and the Auction Committee raised $56,000 for the 2009 Auction, which included the transition of the Gala to the Marquee venue of the Festival Theatre. Many thanks to Steve and Carolyn Rae and their CJCS 1240/107.7 Mix FM staff for contributing to the Auction and Gala, and for their Media Sponsorship. Further support was received on the municipal, provincial and federal level from the City, the Ontario Arts Council and the Gallery’s first grant from the Canada Council for the Arts in five years.

None of the progress would have been possible without the energy and efforts of the Gallery Board of Trustees. With a small staff, the Trustees are relied upon not only for their ideas, but also for their roll up the sleeve efforts. President Kevin Smith is to be commended for his hard work and for always volunteering for any tasks needed to help the Gallery. Treasurer Jacques Laurin, who is completing his term, created a structure for sound financial management at the Gallery and was a constant source of advice and support. My admiration go to Trustees Martine Becu, Heather Carruthers, Allan Davey, Nancy Davidson, Lisa Grogan, Ray Harsant, Lucinda Jones, Paul Nickel, Karen Schulman Dupuis, Mark Thibeault, Barbara Vallis and Carrie Wreford for their many contributions to Auction, marketing, fundraising, facility and planning projects.

I am grateful to have an incredible staff to work with on a daily basis. Office Manager Christine Lee has officially been at the Gallery for over two decades. From the Auction, to membership, to gift shop tasks; her work stretches well beyond her administrative duties to support all departments. The growth of the education programs is attributed to the skills of Education Officer Erin Haid and her work with her studio educators and docents who have the important job of building connections between artists and visitors. The spring of 2009 also marked the end of Jennifer Rudder’s time at the Gallery as Curator. The Gallery staff will continue to build on the relationships she fostered with local artists. Tarin Hughes and Matt Schust were a terrific installation crew, sometimes working well into the evening to complete the final details of lighting and hanging. And lastly to Amanda Brodhagen, Andrea Jennings, Keghan McKay, Wendy O’Brien and Cynthia Venables for doing such a great job of welcoming all of the Gallery visitors and participants in their visitor services capacity.

Thank you to Gallery members, sponsors, volunteers, Board and staff for a great 2009. Throughout the year, I was constantly reminded of your support, and the importance of the role the Gallery has in the community. There is so much to look forward to in 2010, as we work together to provide relevant and engaging visual art experiences for the community and beyond.

Zhe Gu
Executive Director