This past Friday, Susan Cook spent her last day at the Blue Mountain Foundation for the Arts (BMFA) before heading into retirement.
For this week’s edition of People of Collingwood, we spoke with Cook, 66, manager of the BMFA.
Q: Where did you grow up?
A: I was born in Scarborough, but I spent my childhood in Ottawa. I also spent some time in Markham.
I was single in the Beaches area of Toronto, and I’ve been in this area since my 20s.
Q: What brought you here?
A: Close friends. They had a cottage here, and I intended to come here for a winter, but just stayed.
Q: Were you always involved in the artistic community?
A: No. It was a very different community then. It was a manufacturing community in Collingwood. I lived in the Clarksburg area for a while.
I worked at Blue Mountain Resort when I first came here. I was one of the first supervisors of the water slide.
Q: Where did life take you after that?
A: I ended up getting married in Singhampton. I worked as a constituency assistant for Perrin Beatty for a number of years. I went into property management and was there for a number of years. The company I worked for was in Lighthouse Point as it was developing.
I was a school board trustee for six years as well.
Then, I ended up coming to the Blue Mountain Foundation for the Arts in 2010.
Q: Did you always have an interest in the arts? When did it start?
A: Yes. My mother was an amateur artist. My aunt was quite an artist. I’ve always had that interest, but I never thought I’d be involved as I am.
I always had an interest in charities and not-for-profits. It was my background in property management that landed me the job here, because then we were over on Hurontario Street and had three apartments, so there was a property-management element to the job.
Q: How have you seen the arts community in Collingwood change over time?
A: It’s changed dramatically. It’s grown. There’s a great appreciation across the community and it’s not as segregated as it was.
I would say the level of art, talent-wise, has grown. It’s much larger.
Q: How would you describe the arts community here now?
A: I think, in part, the growth in this community is due to the landscape because it is so picturesque.
You’ve got the trees, water, beaches and rock. It just lends itself to painting. People are drawn to it. That’s what people want to purchase, too. They want to buy iconic images.
Q: When you look back on your career at the BMFA, how do you feel moving into retirement?
A: Well, first of all, I’m not really retiring.
I am retiring from a full-time job and all the responsibilities that go along with that.
My kids are in property management. I’m going to be helping them part-time.
Q: When you look to the future of arts and culture in Collingwood, how do you feel? Are you happy about the direction Collingwood is heading when it comes to arts and culture?
A: Absolutely. I worked hard on that end.
I’m very proud of the fact that we were on the ground level and instrumental to help create the new arts network.
I see nothing but good things. We’re putting a lot in place to help artists in the future and arts organizations. I think we have area municipalities on board. Even if they’re not fully on board, at least they’re aware. They know how much tourists spend when they come to this area on arts and culture.
Q: Do you have any other hobbies or interests you’d like to talk about?
A: One of the things I’ve really enjoyed doing here is recognizing talent and being in a position where we could create from that and collaborate.
My son and his girlfriend are taking me to Europe at the end of January as a retirement gift. I’m very excited to go.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like people in Collingwood to know about you?
A: I’ve always been keenly appreciative of nature. I love hiking and animals. Being involved in the arts has given me a deeper appreciation of nature. I can stop and look at things with a little bit of an artist’s eye. I see things a little differently than I did before.
I don’t just pass through.
(A celebration for Cook’s retirement for BMFA members, friends and family will take place Jan. 17 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Press Room Gallery at 65 Simcoe St.)
For our feature, People of Collingwood, we speak with interesting people who are either from or contributing to the Collingwood community in some way, letting them tell their own stories in their own words. This feature runs on CollingwoodToday every weekend. If you’d like to nominate or suggest someone to be featured in People of Collingwood, email [email protected].
