The Barrie Arts and Culture Council was incorporated as a non-profit in November 2010. Our mission is to support arts and culture in Barrie by Advocating on behalf of the arts community, Analyzing cultural options and best practices, and Advising the City of Barrie on matters related to arts and culture.
We are a volunteer organization comprised of dedicated individuals working with limited resources. We are not a funding body, but we are open to partnerships and collaborations of all kinds. If you can help out, let us know!
We currently meet on the second Thursday of every month, usually alternating between lunch and evening. All regular BACC Meetings are open to the public; our meetings with the Department of Culture are not. Our calendar below lists our meetings and events, both public and private.
Our currently active members:
Chad Ballantyne is the Creative Director of Rhubarb Media, a musician, writer and producer. Rhubarb, one of Barrie’s newest design firms, is located in downtown Barrie and has become a creative studio for many companies in the Barrie area and beyond. Rhubarb Media is a proud of local arts groups in the City, including the Kempenfelt Community Players and Moving Art. Passionate about the arts, Chad has been singing, playing guitar, writing and producing for over 20 years. Prior to Rhubarb, Chad was a pastor for over 13 years, focusing on youth and the arts.
Marc Hill is the principal of MHConnect, a public relations and social media marketing company based in Barrie, a patron of the arts and a community volunteer. Through MHConnect, Marc has worked in Canada, the US and Asia in marketing, public relations and new media with a range of clients from start-ups to multinationals, and from non-governmental organizations to every level of government, on major public policy initiatives. Marc is an active participant in the Barrie arts sector, a former board member of the Barrie Performing Arts Centre, and a former member of the Barrie and District Arts Council, amongst others. He is also a volunteer fitness leader and fundraiser with the YMCA of Simcoe County, and a long serving volunteer with Out-of-the Cold Barrie.
Sarah Lochhead is the founder and Artistic Director of Simcoe Contemporary Dancers – a professional dance company based in Simcoe County ON. She has performed contemporary dance independently and with HNM Dance Company, the York University Dance Ensemble, Menaka Thakkar Dance Company and Collective HEAT. Lochhead studied dance at University College Chichester in England and is a graduate of York University’s BFA honours dance program. She is also the Seasonal Programmer for recreational dance programs for the City of Barrie.
damian lopes is a poet, fiction writer and editor. To date he has published three print books of poetry and two online books of poetry. He is currently completing his first book of fiction, The Mango Stone. For more information, please see his website www.damianlopes.com
Jill Price is an award winning visual artist and arts educator who recently moved to Barrie from London Ontario. She paints, teaches and runs workshops through Jill Price Studios in downtown Barrie. Not only a former member of the London Arts Council, Jill served as the Communications Officer and then the Director of the Council. She was also the Director of London’s artist-run centre, the Forest City Gallery, worked as an Arts Writer for Scene Magazine, and then opened a co-op art gallery in downtown’s Covent Garden Market.
