Our Mission

KLAC promotes awareness and appreciation of arts and culture in Kawartha Lakes. We are committed to a diverse approach to creative expression in all of its forms. We serve our community by advocating for a thriving creative sector, providing robust marketing opportunities for our members, and fostering professional development and training. We connect all stakeholders and investors in collaboration to discover and reveal our culture through the arts.

Our Board of directors

As a registered non-profit organization, the Kawartha Lakes Arts Council is currently managed by a board of experienced directors. Together, this team brings to the table a wealth of demonstrated skills and unique backgrounds. The individuals listed below continue to represent and advocate for all areas of the Arts found in our community.

  • Ray Marshall has lived full time in Lindsay since 1985 and has always worked with and for an Arts Board of Directors. He was very pleased to be invited to join KLAC. Ray managed the Academy Theatre from 1985 to 2006, and recently moved from Showplace Performance Centre in Peterborough as General Manager after 11 years. Ray and his partner, Sandra, have three children and reside in Lindsay.

lesley.jpg

  • Lesley is an artist, educator and curator who has been involved in the Kawartha Lakes Arts community since 1985. Retired from thirty years as Head of Arts at three area high schools, she continues as Director of the Kawartha Arts Network, our local artists’ co-operative (whose current “permanent” exhibition space is the Guild Room of the Academy Theatre). She has also worked in the Toronto commercial gallery scene, run the Visual Arts portion of the Trillium Lakelands Arts Enrichment Camp for 10 years and been Artist in Residence at three Ontario Provincial Parks. Her personal artistic strengths are mixed media painting, drawing and photography. Lesley currently resides in the booming metropolis of Janetville.

  • James Lukow is the owner/artisan of Your Dreams in Wood by James Lukow, operating since 2015, where he designs & creates custom furniture, wooden decor & giftware. Classic designs, solid construction, and attention to detail are a hallmark of his creations.

    James has been a Lindsay resident for over 50 years, and art has been part of his life along the way. He and his wife Lana hold a once-a-month studio day out of their home, under the watchful eye of their dachshund. They hope to connect with possible clients and offer handcrafted wooden goods for sale. You can find him at various area craft shows.

  • Susan Taylor has an educational background in fine arts and not-for-profit management and is the Executive Director of Kawartha Art Gallery. Susan was a founding Board member of the Kawartha Lakes Arts Council (KLAC), carrying the portfolio of advocacy for eight years, through two municipal elections.

    With broad representation from cultural organizations within the municipality, Susan helped establish and then chaired the Cultural Centre Committee. Its goals were to support the sustainability of cultural organizations and test the feasibility for the first purpose-built Cultural Centre to act as a community hub.

    Since its formation in 2015, the Cultural Centre Committee's advocacy resulted in the first Cultural Master Plan for the City of Kawartha Lakes which included an operational funding model for cultural organizations. In addition, the work of the Committee led to a feasibility study for a new Cultural Centre, with funding for the feasibility study being shared with the City and KLAC, and the allocation of an application based permanent funding program for not-for-profit organizations to aid with operating costs for economic development initiatives in the City of Kawartha Lakes 2024 budget.

    Susan sees her main role as advocating for the cultural sector and its ability to enhance the quality of life and increase the overall well-being for the individuals of the municipality of The City of Kawartha Lakes.

  • The connection between a community’s culture and history has always been an important lifelong objective for Beverly Jeeves when volunteering and working for local community organizations. Beverly believes that culture is not just found in a museum, but entwined within local churches, artwork, story telling, folk music and people. A local musician and historian, Beverly Jeeves retired to City of Kawartha Lakes in 2016 and quickly set out exploring and documenting the culture of this area. Beverly looks forward to expanding the community outreach for arts, culture and heritage through the KLAC board.

8.png

  • Pat Murphy, a Lindsay resident for over two decades, is deeply engaged in local arts and music alongside his wife Kerri and their three children. With a rich musical background spanning over five decades, Pat has played with various bands, including the London Symphony Orchestra and musical theater pit bands.

    Pat's commitment to the arts is evident through his tenure as KLAC chairperson, where he actively promotes cultural tourism in the Kawartha Lakes. He currently serves as a community member on the Cultural Centre Feasibility Taskforce, collaborating with the City of Kawartha Lakes and the Arts Council to assess and develop a cultural center.

Are you an advocate for the arts and want to make an impact in the Kawartha Lakes?

Reach out to us about joining our Board of Directors!

We respectfully acknowledge that the City of Kawartha Lakes is located on the Treaty 20 Michi Saagiig territory and in the traditional territory of the Michi Saagiig and Chippewa Nations, collectively known as the Williams Treaty First Nations, which include: Curve Lake, Hiawatha, Alderville, Scugog Island, Rama, Beausoliel and Georgina Island First Nations.

Kawartha Lakes Arts Council respectfully acknowledges that the Williams Treaties First Nations are the stewards and caretakers of these lands and waters in perpetuity, and that they continue to maintain this responsibility to ensure their health and integrity for generations to come.