- by Allison Billings

Congrats to the whole The Georgian Bay Centre for the Arts team on a super successful opening gala last night! Every detail was exquisitely, lovingly attended to….just as one would expect from Alan Mcintosh and Morag Budgeon.

We first met Morag through the Owen Sound Artists Co -op, when we were fresh new members making jewellery and handbags. She was my absolute favourite part of the co-op and was so kind and generous and real with helping us settle into being members, supporting our growth into the wall art we make now, and helping us understand the show world (we met Alan our first Muskoka Arts & Crafts Summer Show and Morag was there when we won best booth at our first Summerfolk.

Morag continues to be one of the most humble people I have ever met but she’s brilliant. She’s a visionary and she changed the co op for the better (and Owen Sound!) and her true understanding of the life of a working artist and the barriers to studio access and arts learning in rural communities provides a through line of empathy in all she works for.

Her friendship with Alan, who is also a witty, funny, warm-hearted genius, is just the loveliest. This incredible thing they have done with GBarts rests on the foundation of a friendship of remarkable trust and respect. Last night, it was palpable how much their staff team and supporters are an intimately woven web of personal relationships of passion for the arts and community and absolute integrity.

Go to the Palette Cafe. Take classes at GBarts. It will feed your soul and every dollar goes back into the arts community and changes peoples lives. (Highly recommend any of Marcelina Salazar Restrepo’s classes, I’m going to take Amelia Kraemer Art Encaustic Photography and Laurie Skantzos Cold Wax. )