Article by Bronwyn Boyer / Photography by Josianne Masseau

Andrea Balmer named her arts studio “Let the Cat Go” after a twist on her maiden name, Lukachko. The phrase came from her mother, who told her kindergarten students, “just call me Mrs. Let-the-cat-go” when they couldn’t pronounce it.

“The joke isn’t as clear since my last name became Balmer, so some have wondered if I’m against cats,” she says with laugh. “I love cats; I have three of them.”

Let The Cat Go is an arts and crafts teaching studio located in The Annex in downtown Bracebridge. The Annex is an ever-evolving space where over 20 local artists and business owners can co-operate to sell their creations. The space can also be rented for small parties and events.

Balmer grew up in Kitchener, Ontario, where her creativity was never in question. “I come from an artistic family,” she says. “One side is artists and architects, so I grew up helping setting up art shows and then going to them on the weekends. I just thought everybody did that, it felt normal to me. Then the other side of family were teachers, so that part is in me too.”

After earning a degree in business and fine art from the University at Waterloo, Balmer worked for the YMCA, running Camp Pine Crest in Torrance with her husband Coel.

“After turning the camp into a year-round operation and raising our children there, we fell in love with Muskoka and never left,” Balmer recalls.

After settling in Bracebridge in 2012, Balmer’s entrepreneurial spirit soon took over.

“Having small children and being a taxi driver to sports and other activities, I realized Muskoka needed more education in the arts,” Balmer explains. “Even though there is such an amazing arts community, there wasn’t a lot of teachers. So, I took a chance and started a small studio and gallery in 2016, and it blew up.”

Balmer started with children’s classes for ages ranging from 18 months to older youth preparing their secondary school portfolios. Next, she added adult classes and paint nights.

“At the beginning I was nervous about teaching art, because I didn’t think I was qualified,” she recalls. “So, I hired an amazing group of teachers who helped build those classes and made our studio what it is today.”

Balmer feels that giving children an early exposure to art will set them up for a better future. “Kids need to learn something that is process-driven, experimental, messy, and impulsive,” she explains. “It sets the foundation for problem solving because it allows them to think creatively and try different things.”

On the other end of the age spectrum, senior painting students that attend classes all year long especially enjoy the social interaction while learning new skills and being constructive.

In 2019 Balmer discovered The Annex and took the leap. As the classes were expanding quickly, she needed a larger industrial space for multiple classrooms as well as a gallery.

“The gallery offsets the classes and vice versa, so it’s a com-patible relation-ship,” she says. “At that time, half the Annex was classroom space with classes running all the time, and then there was the gallery and a juice bar - it was great.”

Balmer also collaborated with Trillium Lakelands District School Board for elective programs, as well as Wahta Mohawks, the Parry Sound Mental Health Unit, Enliven Cancer Care, and Muskoka Arts & Crafts. And after Balmer’s career with the YMCA, offering a children’s day camp also made sense. 

Meanwhile, The Annex was becoming a vibrant arts community space the likes of which Bracebridge had seldom seen. An open space full of plants, colorful art and couches at the front gave creatives a comfortable spot to work, get inspired or just hang out.

“I started The Annex because I wanted everyone to be able to experience art without feeling like it’s pretentious,” Balmer explains. “I think it’s really important that everybody has an opportunity to see how art makes them feel.”

The COVID-19 pandemic shut down food sales and classes at the Annex, but it didn’t shut down Balmer.

“Since the big front windows are garage doors, it’s an open-air situation,” she says. “So, when we could only sell curbside, I stood there every day with a collection of everyone’s stuff and ran back forth to grab things people wanted to buy. It kept us afloat.”

Balmer also put together lesson plans and art kits to accompany them, which she delivered to everyone’s door, then recorded the lessons and posted them online.

“The videos were pretty basic,” she laughs. “But it kept people engaged with Let the Cat Go during a time when people really needed it.”

Running programs at Let the Cat Go inspired Balmer to focus on her own projects. “Through teaching, I found my stride and passion for art again,” she explains. “So that’s when I started Una Gallery.”

Una Gallery features Balmer’s own work as an abstract painter and fiber artist. The high ceilings at The Annex allow her to complete large 10’ x 10’ wall hangings and carpets, in addition to the canvases, handbags, pillows, and anything else she may take on.

Balmer creates pieces for the Princess Margaret Lottery House, One Of A Kind art show in Toronto and Muskoka Arts & Crafts show, as well as private clients. But feeding the creative spirit is an especially fulfilling part of her own studio.

“When I step away from a canvas or a frame and I wow myself, or surprise myself with emotion, that’s my definition of success,” she says. 

As a self-described “serial entrepreneur,” Balmer likes to keep things moving. “All three businesses form a controlled chaos that rely on each other and complement each other,” she explains. “I also want to feel like I’m doing my part to give back to the community any small way I can.”

Balmer is also committed to breathing new life into the heart of Muskoka. “The main street is exploding with art right now,” she says. “With three or four galleries on the main street, Muskoka Arts & Crafts moving into the area, and new murals going up, I feel like we’re getting there. I think it highlights the importance of having a collective business model where we help each other out.”

As for Balmer’s next moves, she encourages people to keep checking online to stay up to date. “Our classes change every six weeks as we add new instructors,” she says. “We like to keep things fresh.”