Article by Bronwyn Boyer / Photography by Josianne Masseau

In 1963, Bracebridge librarian Betty Reid polled the town in her newspaper column “Library Corner” about the possibility of a summer arts sale.

“What would you think of having an arts and crafts sale during the summer when visitors are looking for something to take home to remind them of their holiday?” Reid asked. “Properly organized, this could develop into an annual highlight of the summer season.”

Although Marge Donaldson was the only one who responded, it was enough to get the ball rolling. She hosted a meeting at her home to brainstorm ideas for the show. The handful of people who attended became the first committee for Muskoka Arts and Crafts, including Mrs. Douglas Howie, Mrs. Audrey Hammell and Mrs. Margo Paterson.

The first show that year was held August 16 and 17 at Memorial Park. Artists were asked to submit their wares for an entry fee of one dollar but initially only one application was received. The committee doubled their efforts to get more participants and they were able to secure fifty artists. The show was attended by an estimated 3,000 people, making it a success. A decade later, when the show had grown large enough to require a bigger space, it was relocated to Annie Williams Park, where it’s been each year since. The only exception was in 2020, when it had to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Fast-forward to today, the not-for-profit arts conglomerate is seeing many changes to update its operations into the modern age, using new technology to stimulate growth and expansion.

In 2021, Elene Freer retired from her 31-year career as executive director, bringing a significant turning point to Muskoka Arts and Crafts (MAC). Freer’s torch officially passed to Nichole Kitchen as the new executive director in 2022. Kitchen moved from Toronto to Bracebridge in 2020 but growing up in Elliot Lake gave her a familiarity with small town life. 

With a background in interior design, Kitchen was the project manager for many large construction projects in Toronto.

“I was on building projects for hotels, restaurants, offices and retail stores,” Kitchen shares. “But when the pandemic hit, everything changed. I grew up going to the cottage in Dorset, so the Muskoka area has always felt like home.”

After their son was born, Kitchen and her husband wanted to raise him in a small town that was accessible to Toronto. She worked remotely for the first two years on the Royal Hotel in Prince Edward County.

After that project ended, Kitchen felt a need for a career change. “I really wanted to do something more community oriented,” she says. “And my sister had sent me the job application for Muskoka Arts and Crafts, so I reached out to them. I think I had an interview the next day and got the job offer the day after that.”

The timing couldn’t have been better for Kitchen’s arrival. “I think at that point MAC was at a crossroads,” she recalls. “The executive director had just left and they were still recovering from the pandemic,” she says. “The board was faced with the question of whether or not the organization was worth saving. And they decided in the end that it absolutely was.”

Kitchen’s experience as executive director has been a full-time undertaking to revitalize MAC and develop innovative ideas to ensure its longevity. “I’m trying to rebuild and modernize our operations to make us more visible in the community,” she explains. “I want to offer exciting new exhibitions. This is a big year of partnerships.”

In February 2024, MAC’s new gallery space at 63 Manitoba St., called MAC On Main, had its official opening, and held its first exhibition on March 1st.

One of the first issues Kitchen wanted to solve was their lack of visibility and accessibility. “As adorable as the Chapel Gallery is, it was hard for even some locals to find,” Kitchen explains. “We had gone as far as could in terms of marketing it but we needed a spot downtown, to be able to participate more easily in community events.” 

Recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic has been a significant challenge for the organization. “Having things shut down really affected visibility because there wasn’t a huge online presence,” Kitchen explains. “It was hard to keep people engaged while they weren't able to gather. So, we’ve been trying to figure out how to pivot from that. The first task was to overhaul our website and social media presence.”

Over the past year, Kitchen has been working to access grants to help upgrade MAC and expand membership. This spring saw the launch of the digital version of the Muskoka Arts and Crafts guidebook, last published in 2019. “It’s a beautiful guidebook,” Kitchen says. “But really expensive to print. And now it would be double the cost. Making it digital also makes it more environmentally friendly.”

To that end, Kitchen launched a new app, where all MAC resources can now be found. “It’s a new piece of technology I’m really excited about,” she says. “It’s where people can purchase our summer show tickets this year at a discounted rate, as well as the guide with all of our featured artisans. We also highlight our member directory, our Shopify site, all of our calls for entries and all the other new things MAC is doing. It's also nice because I think most people are tired of email newsletters. Being able to send out notifications about events through the app is a better way to keep people informed.”

Creating new partnerships is also important. “This year, we’ve partnered with the Prince Edward County Art Council for our spring members show,” Kitchen explains. “They're going to be bringing their spring member show here in September. And then we're going to be taking all of our members’ work to their beautiful new gallery in downtown Picton.”

MAC will also be doing an art crawl in September, along with an arts and crafts market for youth in partnership with the Rotary Gardens. “Anybody 18 and under can apply,” Kitchen says. “Whether you're a musician, a visual artist or maybe you just want to sell lemonade, we want to provide opportunities for young entrepreneurs.”

In October, MAC will be collaborating with Craft Ontario, an arts organization out of Toronto to jury the show. The winner will get a spot in downtown Toronto on Queen Street for the end of November, which leads into the holiday market at MAC on Main.

MAC’s regular programs at the Chapel Gallery will resume in the fall, where a new residency program is also in the works.

Kitchen emphasizes the importance of partnerships with youth organizations to have student shows at the gallery. “We want to get more young people involved in the arts,” she states. “Shows for teens that focus on mental health issues, for instance, could be beneficial.”

Kitchen is also working on managing a mural project with the District of Muskoka. A new mural is currently underway in Gravenhurst and another will be installed in the new arena in Bracebridge. Pop-ups at Hospice in Port Carling and the Muskoka airport will also be happening this summer. 

Kitchen’s task is overwhelming but connecting with a creative community keeps her inspired. “I just keep thinking, we're in this amazingly beautiful place where people come to escape the city and seek solitude,” says Kitchen. “My hope is that as MAC grows, we find more platforms where like-minded people can create a tight-knit support system. I think that’s really important right now.”

Mixed media artist Col Mitchell became a MAC member in 2008, while she was the president of the Huntsville Art Crowd, which is now the Huntsville Art Society. 

“The Huntsville Art Crowd was talking about disbanding,” Mitchell recalls. “And I had just become a member, so I didn’t want that to happen. I got talked into the position and I had no idea what I was doing. It was really helpful to be able to connect with Elene Freer as somebody who was in a similar position. It was a very exciting time and it was very educational.”

The workshops MAC provided about becoming a professional artist, from how to do radio interviews, to merchandising and setting up booths gave Mitchell a lot of confidence for her first solo show at the Chapel Gallery.

“I was so particular about all the details of the show,” she recalls. “All their feedback and guidance gave me pretty high standards. That’s why I told Elene that she created a monster. I was the monster that MAC created.”

Mitchell grew quickly as an artist thanks in large part to the influence of MAC. “I attended a very inspirational workshop on working with paper on canvas,” she recalls. “That's where my own technique sprung from.”

According to Mitchell, being a member of MAC is a constant learning experience. “Artists share a lot with each other,” Mitchell explains. “They’re generous with tips and tricks about places to go and shows that are happening. We have opportunities to teach, as well as to show and sell our work. We’re not doing all the footwork to convince a business to display our pieces. Having MAC clear that path is a tremendous benefit because we can focus more time on being creative. It also creates jobs in the arts, which is great too.”

Another longtime MAC member is Bracebridge painter Wendie Donabie. “MAC is a wonderful, welcoming and very diverse organization,” she states. “And now even more so, primarily, I feel, because of Nichole. Of course, Elene did an amazing job for over 30 years. But it needed to move into modern times to attract a younger and broader range of artists. Now our membership isn't limited to Muskoka - anyone can join.”

Donabie is excited MAC now has members from Toronto and outside the province. “It's brought a different kind of energy,” she says. “And a different type of work too. Also, moving to the main street is very forward thinking. A lot of people who live up here don't even know that we exist. MAC on Main is also larger and allows for a variety of presentations, whereas the Chapel Gallery is limited to small-scale exhibitions.” 

While some members may struggle to adapt to the modernization of MAC, Donabie is all for it. “Some older members are kind of resistant to the new app,” she says. “But to me, it's exciting. I'm 73 and I love this technology because it means that people can easily access the artists. If they're interested in paintings, they just search for painters or if they want pottery, they can search potters. They can easily find what attracts them to the area.”

If Betty Reid could see what she started with her question in her newspaper column in 1963, she would be incredulous. MAC has become so much more than a small-town summer craft show and it will surely continue to reach new heights.