ABOUT OUR TEAM

The Georgina Centre for Arts and Culture team is committed to providing a wonderfully complete, stellar experience of everything that the Centre has to offer. From initial contact, to queries regarding exhibits, workshops, programs and everything in between, our staff is passionate about ensuring clarity of information, ease of program enrolment, swift contact response, and providing everyone with a joyous, beautiful and welcoming experience.

Team Members

 

CHARLOTTE HALE
Artistic Director 

 

About Charlotte

Charlotte Hale is an established Canadian arts professional with over 20 years of combined experience as an independent art gallery owner, curator,  artist representative, writer, professor, associate dean and creative sector developer.  She is an award-winning portrait photographer.   Charlotte brings an in-depth understanding of how nuanced and unique an artistic experience may be and maintains that these are enriching for all people, however they may happen.   Her passion for showing art in dynamic spaces and bringing curious people to actively engage with an exhibition is a natural quality.  Charlotte is recognized as a hard worker and a creative thinker with strong visionary qualities. She is dedicated to the next generation of artists, photographers,  and collectors. 

SCOTT GENGE
Administrative Coordinator 

 

About Scott

Embarking on an exhilarating voyage of artistic exploration, Scott Genge has rapidly blossomed into a passionate connoisseur. In a mere span of months, he has delved fearlessly into the captivating realm of creativity, navigating diverse artistic expressions with unwavering enthusiasm. From tentative steps within galleries to the exhilaration of discovering hidden gems, Scott approaches art with an insatiable curiosity that breathes fresh life into his journey. Guided by this profound curiosity, Scott found himself drawn to the heart of the art world through active participation in the volunteer program. The experience has not only deepened his appreciation for the arts but has also sparked a captivating fascination with the intricate tapestry of artistic expression. A dedicated resident of Sutton throughout his life, Scott holds a treasure trove of cherished memories associated with the GCAC. Now, as he eagerly anticipates the next chapter of his artistic journey, Scott looks forward to creating new memories and contributing his passion as a valued member of the GCAC team. 

JULES HAYWARD
Communications Coordinator 

 

About Jules

Jules is a passionate and creative third-year graphic design student hailing from the small farming community of Goodwood, Ontario. With a keen eye for detail and a love for photography and logo design, Jules is on a mission to support small businesses that often get overshadowed by big-name companies. When she isn’t designing and studying, she enjoys drawing, crocheting, reading, playing guitar, and doing odd jobs for both the family farm and neighbouring farms in her spare time. 

Board Members

Mary Anne Cooper
Chair 

 

Susan Day
Vice-Chair 

 

About Susan

Susan Day is a Georgina resident whose family has cottaged on Lake Simcoe since 1897. Susan studied at Ontario College of Art and Design, where she studied material arts, including textiles, drawing, photography, and film history. She was co-owner and operator of a boutique-style retail store in the Beaches after working in Management with HBC and retired from Sobeys in 2019. She has been a member of the Georgina Studio Tour since 2020, sits on the planning committee and is a participating quilter/textile artist. Susan brings a wealth of retail and artistic experience to the GCAC. 

Madalyn Calzavara
Secretary 

 

About Madalyn

Madalyn Calzavara is a passionate community advocate who is excited to enhance the GCAC and better our community. In her day-to-day life, she is a marketing and creative professional who loves to help businesses better themselves through campaigns and strategies. She believes that the GCAC is integral to making the Town of Georgina and beyond a better place to live, create, and play. 

Tom Zsolt
Director 

 

About Tom

Canadian photographer Tom Zsolt has been documenting landscapes, towns, and life across North America for 50 years. His exhibition, Ontario Gothic, during Contact ’98 in Toronto, caught the imagination of publisher Kearns, Vander Meersch & Boulton, who in 1999 published County Matters, Zsolt’s first book. Showing the land, villages and people of rural Ontario, Country Matters was short-listed for the Roloff Beny Award for the best book of photography by a Canadian published that year.

Zsolt’s work was selected for a 2009 exhibition in Beijing, followed by a 10-city tour in China, titled Canadian Cameras at Work. Zsolt’s photograph Niagara Falls, depicting Asian tourists being photographed before Niagara Falls in winter, was selected as the poster image for the exhibition.

As part of Contact 2015, The Georgina Centre for Arts & Culture hosted Reluctant Subject, Portraits by Tom Zsolt exhibiting 40 years of his portraits, which was followed by the release of the book of the same title.

The Georgina Gallery (GCAC) selected seven of Zsolt’s images in 2023 for their exhibition and literary contest 7 STORIES. The exhibition, which featured very large photographs, was accompanied by a release of the book 7-STORIES, An Anthology, which included Zsolt’s photos with over 80 short stories and essays.

Tom Zsolt lectures on photography. His work has appeared on the cover of novels and in magazines and is collected by institutions, corporations, and private individuals, including The Image Centre at TMU (formerly Ryerson University), OMERS, Royal LePage and Borealis Capital. The largest collection of his photography is housed in the permanent collection of the Georgina Centre for Arts & Culture in Sutton, Ontario.

Tom Zsolt lives in rural Ontario in the Town of Georgina, with his wife Jennifer who is an artistic painter. Besides photography, Zsolt is passionate about sustainability, rural living and enjoys a brood of dogs, chickens, and horses on their farm. 

 Jacques Bergeron
Director 

 

Caird Urquhart
Director 

 

Anita David
Director 

 

Charlene Biggerstaff
Town Appointed Director 

 

Jodi Pridham
Town Appointed Director, Non-Voting