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50th Annual General Meeting
All members are invited to attend Craft Ontario's 50th Annual General Meeting!
Coming up on Wednesday, June 24 at 6:00pm, members will gather to reflect on 50 years of Craft Ontario, thank outgoing Board Directors, confirm the Board for the 2026-2027 year, and look ahead to what's next.
This year's AGM is a milestone on two counts. It marks our 50th anniversary, and it will be our final AGM at 1106 Queen Street West before the shop closes on July 31 and we begin preparing for our new flagship at 401 Richmond Street West, opening in 2027. We hope you'll join us to mark the moment.
We will be hosting the AGM both in-person at 1106 Queen St. West, Toronto, and online via Zoom to support participation and accessibility across the province. Please RSVP for either option below:
This is an event for you – as a member-based organization, your participation makes all the difference.
Not a member? There's no time like the present! Join today
Once you have registered for the AGM, you will receive an email reminder closer to the date along with meeting documents for review.
Please note that if you cannot attend the AGM, you can use the proxy ballot form below to submit your member vote, which can easily be filled out online and submitted by Tuesday, June 23, 2026, 11:59pm ET:
Outgoing Directors:
Celeste Scopelites, José Niaison, Nikesh Shah, Christian Bernard Singer
New Slate of Directors:
Darcie Kennedy, Eric Mutrie, Erin Lynch, Joyce Byrne, Marie-Louise Chartrand, Raechel Wastesicoot, Regina Sheung (biographies listed below)
Directors continuing in their terms:
2nd year/3rd term: Jeanette Romkema
1st year/2nd term: Darryl Kyte, Jon Packer
2nd year/1st term: Annette Borger-Snel, Dianne Lee, Sam Mogelonsky
Incoming Board Director Biographies:
DARCIE KENNEDY
FENELON FALLS AND TORONTO, ONTARIO
Darcie Kennedy is an arts administrator, educator, and curator with extensive experience in gallery leadership, programming, and community engagement. Kennedy holds an Honours BA, Specialist in Art & Art History, from the University of Toronto, a Diploma in Art & Art History from Sheridan College, and an MFA from the University of Ottawa. Splitting her time between Toronto and the Kawarthas, she is the Chair of the Fenelon Arts Committee and spearheads The Downtown Sculpture Exhibition, a seasonal public art initiative in Fenelon Falls. Most recently she was Curator, Public Art at the City of Pickering and the Managing Director of Colborne Street Gallery. Her previous roles include positions at Canada Council for the Arts and the Toronto Entertainment District BIA in addition to teaching roles at Sheridan College and the University of Ottawa.
ERIC MUTRIE
TORONTO, ONTARIO
Eric Mutrie is the Executive Editor of Azure magazine, based in Toronto, Canada. After studying architecture in university, he developed a lasting enthusiasm for telling stories about design. Over the course of his media career, he has interviewed industry titans like Frank Gehry and Faye Toogood, identified new talents and trends at international furniture fairs, and cast a spotlight on the social and sustainable change-makers who are moving the world forward. Eric was a key force in planning Azure’s Human/Nature conference on climate change and design, and he has moderated panels at ICFF in New York, NeoCon in Chicago, IDS Toronto, and the Toronto edition of the Architecture and Design Film Festival. In 2023, his writing was recognized with a Silver National Magazine Award (B2B Edition) and he has received additional NMAs as part of Azure's editorial team. His past editorial positions include roles as the Managing Editor of Sharp and Associate Editor of Designlines, and he has also written for Cottage Life, the Toronto Star, and the York University Magazine.
ERIN LYNCH
ALGONQUIN HIGHLANDS, ONTARIO
Erin Lynch has worked in the creative sector in Haliburton County for 25 years. Currently serving as Senior Operations and Programming Manager at Haliburton School of Art + Design, she has held several roles at the college, including instructor and Senior Studio Technologist.
A freelance writer and jewellery artist, Erin founded The Art Hive, an award-winning cooperative that hosted a gallery, studios, workshops, and events. The artist-run centre operated in Haliburton County for nine years. Erin has also participated in trips with ArtsCan Circle, travelling to remote fly-in communities in Northern Ontario with teams of artists to facilitate arts programming.
Active in a variety of capacities with Arts Council Haliburton Highlands and the Dysart et al Cultural Resources Committee, Erin is passionate about social justice and advancing arts and culture within a rural context.
JOYCE BYRNE
TORONTO, ONTARIO
Joyce Byrne is an award-winning veteran of the Canadian magazine industry. She is based in Toronto and has led publishing, creative, marketing and sales teams and boards in Toronto, Edmonton and Calgary, and has worked on nearly every type of magazine, from literary to light industrial, with consumer, business, visual art, health and cannabis in between. She is the recipient of the National Media Awards Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement (2018), the Alberta Magazine Publishers Association Achievement in Publishing Award (2018) as well as the NABS Honour Roll (2013) and Advertising Club of Edmonton Fellowship Award (2014). Joyce is the executive director of the International Regional Magazine Association, and produces and hosts the Strategies for Canadian Magazines series. Her personal brand is I Love Magazines.
MARIE-LOUISE CHARTRAND
OTTAWA, ONTARIO
Marie-Louise Chartrand is a Chartered Professional Accountant (Retired) with expertise in auditing, financial services and reporting, budgeting, labour relations, human resources and procurement. As well Marie-Louise acquired extensive experience as an appointed member to the Ontario College of Teachers and the Ontario College of Dietitians, where she was nominated to the Finance (Chair), Discipline, Fitness to Practice, Investigation, Election and Nominations committees. Marie-Louise resides in Ottawa and has served as director on many local boards. Marie-Louise is currently a member of the board/committee of a local community health centre, a medical clinic and a retiree association. Marie-Louise is an enthusiastic supporter of the arts and music, deeply appreciates the creative process, and enjoys discovering new work.
RAECHEL WASTESICOOT
TORONTO, ONTARIO
Raechel Wastesicoot (Bonomo) is a mixed Kanyen’kehá:ka interdisciplinary poet, beadwork and textile artist and public art community builder. Following a teaching passed down to her: from the land, for the Land, and by the Land, her contemporary beadwork style features upcycled, vintage, and harvested materials. The Land, conservation and sustainability is at the centre of her practice. The pieces Raechel creates aim to have as minimal an impact on the environment as possible, often highlighting gifts from the Land, including antler, fur, hides, and porcupine quills. Her work has been displayed in galleries and museums across Ontario, both in solo and group exhibitions. She is also passionate about building and healing community through public art praxis and engagement, and is experienced in facilitating beading circles and workshops both in person and virtually.
REGINA SHEUNG
TORONTO, ONTARIO
Regina is the founder of Etiquette Purveyor and a long-time advocate for independent arts and craft in Toronto. Her approach to service was shaped at her grandparents’ restaurant in Hong Kong and refined through founding Propaganda and Labour of Love. For over 25 years, these spaces served as community hubs and vital testing grounds for independent artists, hosting workshops and exhibitions that went beyond conventional retail.
Regina recently completed two strategic spatial design projects for the Toronto Railway Museum and their gift shop, revitalizing overall designs for fixtures, functionality, and operations through a lens of intentional hospitality. An active volunteer and docent at the Textile Museum of Canada, she also contributes her time to Native Earth Performing Arts. She is a recurring juror for the Cabbagetown Art and Craft Show and offers pro bono mentorship to artists and newcomers as a way of practising the craft of consultation.
Regina brings a unique "people-first" perspective, combining decades of operational resilience with a strategic vision for the craft sector’s future. She is committed to supporting Craft Ontario’s 2025-2028 Strategic Plan, ensuring the organization continues to champion makers and fosters an inclusive, sustainable cultural ecosystem for all.
Returning Board Director Biographies:
ANNETTE BORGER-SNEL
TORONTO, ONTARIO
Having educated and mentored thousands of communications professionals, Annette has been on the leading edge of innovative, strategic, and memorable stories and events for over 20 years. She has a global perspective, a commitment to meaningful communications, and an entrepreneurial drive rooted in helping others achieve success. Her ability to build authentic relationships enables her to create positive change and amplify voices needing to be heard in the world. She is an award-winning educator currently heading one of Canada’s leading PR training programs at Toronto’s Humber College.
DIANNE LEE
TORONTO, ONTARIO
Dianne Lee is a Toronto based ceramic artist and graduate of OCAD University. After graduation, Dianne lived and worked in England, during which time she interned with British potter Deborah Baynes. Later, Dianne worked in New Zealand where she was a member of the Wellington Potter’s Association. Dianne uses clay to explore and examine process art, personal narratives and the vessel. She explores this through functional objects, installation and multimedia. The notion of the vessel and its historical relationship to narratives further informs her practice as she creates work that examines ideas of containment, fragility, and permanence. Dianne has exhibited internationally, and sells locally. She teaches out of her studio in Toronto’s east end.
DARRYL KYTE
TORONTO, ONTARIO
Darryl Kyte brings a wealth of experience in communications, entertainment, media, and law to his role on Craft Ontario Board of Directors. He started his career at the CBC where he distinguished himself as a host and producer on the award-winning television series Street Cents. Darryl continued his career working as a journalist on several investigative television series which include the CBC’s flagship program The National. In 2010, Darryl transitioned to a career in law cultivating his legal expertise in entertainment law at a top firm in Toronto. Darryl has worked with an array of creative entities, artists, and musicians at all levels of their careers. While he still works with clients in the arts his professional focus now centers on class action litigation. He remains deeply engaged in the arts community and is currently working on a variety of creative endeavors which include podcasts and documentaries. Darryl also volunteers his time and expertise to mentorship programs, educational initiatives, and charitable organizations; he hopes his contributions can help empower the next generation of aspiring artists and advocates.
JEANETTE ROMKEMA
TORONTO, ONTARIO
Jeanette Romkema is an educator and artist, with a long history of volunteer and community involvement. As an educator, Jeanette currently holds a Masters Degree in Education, serves as Strategic Director and Senior Partner with Global Learning Partners, Inc., a global education and training firm, and is adjunct faculty at the University of Toronto. As an artist, Jeanette earned her Bachelors in Fine Arts in Michigan and a graduate degree in fine arts from Belgium with a focus on photography. In her vocation, she has always woven education and art together. As a customer of Craft Ontario, Jeanette has long admired the craftspeople whose work is featured in the Shop and desired to make a contribution to the craft community. As she has served on several Boards in leadership roles, she brings a wealth of governance experience to the position at Craft Ontario. Jeanette further brings a special interest in the collection and appreciation for Indigenous art and artists. Her profession has allowed her to travel extensively around the globe, and she has a solid collection of artwork from many corners of the world.
JON PACKER
TORONTO, ONTARIO
Jon is an experienced senior communications professional. As an entrepreneur he founded and operated an award-winning Canadian public relations agency with a particular client focus in the areas of culture, design, and the built environment. Jon now partners with select executive leaders in Canada and globally on marketing and communications activities focused to influence positive business and social outcomes. Jon is a part-time faculty member at Seneca Polytechnic in the Corporate Communications program. Educated in the UK with a speciality in 3-D Design (ceramics), Jon is a long-time, passionate advocate for the arts as a writer, educator, supporter, and sometime maker. He served three terms on the Board of Directors at the Gardiner Museum, Canada’s ceramics museum, and is closely involved with the Toronto School of Art, an independent, non-profit offering an array of accessible arts programming. Jon continues to expand his Board governance experience as an active Board member with the Impakt Foundation for Social Change.
SAM MOGELONSKY
TORONTO, ONTARIO
Sam Mogelonsky is a Toronto-based artist, curator, designer and arts professional. She holds a BFAH from Queen’s University and an MFA from Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design. Sam is the Director of Arts, Culture and Heritage for the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto and works with the Kultura Collective, a network of contemporary Toronto-based Jewish Arts, Culture and Heritage organizations. In addition, Mogelonsky specializes in promoting the visual arts, combining her art-world wisdom with her marketing and design acumen. In her artistic practice, Sam’s sculptures use embellishment to speak to notions of craft production and decoration, while also engaging the dialogue between the mass-produced and the handmade. She has received grants from the Toronto Arts Council, the Ontario Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts.
