Amanda Henry has taken the lead as the town’s new arts and culture co-ordinator, a move she says has been a homecoming of sorts.
For this week’s edition of People of Collingwood we spoke with Henry, 40, Arts and Culture Co-ordinator for the Town of Collingwood.
Q: Where did you grow up?
A: I grew up in the thriving metropolis of Rock Mills, Ont., just between Flesherton and Maxwell.
I was in a French Immersion program growing up. I went to Grey Highlands Secondary School in Flesherton.
Q: Where did life take you after that?
A: I went to the University of Guelph and studied studio art there and minored in art history and French. I was going to become a teacher, but I did a full 180 and went to Algonquin College in Ottawa for Applied Museum Studies.
That’s where I adopted a lot of skills that have got me to where I am. I learned about exhibition design, collections management and basically anything you would need to know to run a museum. I really liked their internship program.
Q: Did you always know you wanted to go into a career in the arts?
A: I always thought I was going to be a teacher, but an art teacher. When I decided I didn’t want to be a teacher, I decided to pick the brains of my friends. They were interested in that program too.
Q: What brought you back to this area?
A: It’s so funny. I was working as a supervisor of retail operations at Ingenium Canada (Museums of Science and Innovation). They run the National Aviation, the National Museum of Science and Technology and the National Agriculture and Food museums starting in January 2020. I worked for about six weeks and then COVID hit and we shut down for five months.
My long-term plan was always to come home by the time I turned 45.
When I saw the posting for Collingwood’s arts and culture co-ordinator and I thought, for fun, I’d shoot my name out there.
My five-year plan turned into a five-month plan really quickly.
I’m never one to let an opportunity pass me by. Everything fell into place. It was great.
Q: So is this a bit of a homecoming for you?
A: It is, in some respects. It’s also about re-discovering the area. I spent the better part of 15 years in Ottawa and Eastern Ontario, but I did come back and forth. Lots of things can change in a short amount of time.
My youngest brother works for the Municipality of Southgate. He works for parks and recreation too, which is funny. A lot of the kids he works with are the children of people I went to high school with. It’s something I have to get used to. It’s a little weird. (laughs)
Q: Why is important that municipalities invest in arts and culture?
A: With bottom lines and economic growth, in an area such as Collingwood, this is a tourist town. The population doubles in the summer.
It’s important... to engage communities. It supports inclusion, especially with new people coming in. It’s a diverse cross-section here. There’s so much talent. It’s an opportunity to foster that talent and put it on display.
It’s fun!
If COVID has taught us anything, if we didn’t have artists and cultural things going on in our lives like music or film, think about what that would be like. Arts and culture should be ingrained.
Q: Do you have any ideas about where you’d like to see arts and culture go in Collingwood?
A: This is a bit of a career change for me.
I really like to make sure I get a good feel about what’s going on at present. That’s basically my goal. So, I’ve been here for about five months now. I want to make sure I meet everybody and know all the players and really get into the community before I start shaking any trees.
There’s a new mayor and council. There’s a feasibility study underway for a new recreation and culture centre to be built. There’s the medical village coming down as well.
All these things are opportunities. I’m still trying to get my legs under me, but that doesn’t mean I don’t daydream here and there.
Q: Do you have any hobbies outside of work you’d like to talk about?
A: I’m an avid art collector. I’ve been very fortunate to work in a lot of different galleries and museums. I love sculptural works – anything crazy and kooky. I love film and going to galleries.
I also make art. I do print making and sculpture.
I have nieces and nephews I love to hang out with. Now that I’m back, I’m much closer with my family. We’re pretty tight-knit.
Not having to drive seven hours to see everybody is awesome.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like people in Collingwood to know about you?
A: I’m an introverted extrovert.
I like my time alone with a big cup of tea and a movie, or cooking by myself. But, I also like to chat it up with people I meet at the grocery store.
For our feature People of Collingwood, we speak with interesting people who are either from or are 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].
