Matt Follwell (Chair), is a Radiation Oncologist and Chief of Oncology at the Simcoe Muskoka Regional Cancer Centre. He is an art lover, collector, and supporter. Matt was a Board member of Gallery TPW in Toronto from 2005-2009, is currently a committee member of Art@RVH (2014 present), and has been a Board member of the RVH Foundation since 2016. Matt is passionate about the arts and the continued success of the MacLaren Art Centre and committed to supporting the Board, leadership, and staff to strive for curatorial excellence and community engagement.

Kathy Chen is the Controller at Canadian Base Operators Inc. and four affiliated companies under Black and McDonald Limited. She is currently pursuing her MBA at Queen’s University (Class 2025). Kathy has lived and worked in Barrie and the surrounding areas since 2007 and enjoys volunteering with focuses on seniors and youth groups. She is currently a Board Monitoring Committee member at Catulpa Community Support Services, a registered non-profit agency serving children, youth, adults and families with special or unique needs. In the past, Kathy was the funding treasurer for Rotaract Club of Barrie as well as a treasurer for Simcoe County Young Professionals Association. In addition to art appreciation, in her spare time, Kathy practices hot yoga and spends time with her husband and daughter.

Angela Aujla is a South Asian Canadian visual artist. Her mixed-media, narrative artwork explores the complexity and interplay of history, memory, culture, and identity with a focus on diasporic and material culture. Aujla’s artistic practice is influenced by her academic study of visual culture, anthropology, and feminist postcolonial theory. She is a Professor of Sociology specializing in Critical Race Studies, Gender Studies, and Postcolonial Theory with a demonstrated history of working in postsecondary education at Simon Fraser University, York University, Humber College, and Georgian College. Aujla has extensive experience in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion policy and initiatives and currently works in the Equity, Diversity, and Belonging Office at Georgian College. She believes that the MacLaren is an integral part of the community and looks forward to collaborating with other community members, and to contribute her experience and expertise for the betterment of the MacLaren Art Centre and by extension, the community.

Amy Bagshaw (she/her) is a practicing visual artist and educator from the Simcoe region. She earned her BFA from Queen’s University in 2002, and MFA from Stony Brook University, New York, with a focus on fibre installation and intermedia in 2006. A Graduate Women’s Studies Scholar, her art practice extends to Intersectional Feminism and contemporary craft practices. She has exhibited in Canada, the United States, and Europe and has created public art for the City of Barrie and Alliston, ON. Amy has received an Ontario Arts Council Grant, has had a Residency at The Banff Centre and her work can be seen on the cover of Feminist Time Against Nation Time (Dietrich and Hesford, 2008) and Brava Kilo’s album cover Hang On, You Demons (2018). Her paper “Notes from the Portal: Feminist Teaching Strategies in/post-pandemic Art and Design Classrooms,” was published in Teaching in a Post-COVID Era (Springer, 2021). She currently teaches in the prestigious Interior Design department of Toronto Metropolitan University, (formally known as Ryerson) and is an instructor and Program Coordinator of the Museum and Gallery Studies Program at Georgian College. She lives in Alliston with her family. Amy joined the Board of Directors in 2019 and is currently serving as the Chair of the Programming Committee.

Jessica Larche is the Managing Director at Larche.

Michael Kuluva is a fashion designer for his namesake fashion brand. He has shown his fashion collections on the runways at New York Fashion Week for over ten consecutive years. Michael graduated with a degree in fashion design from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) in Los Angeles, CA. Michael is also a retired professional figure skater. While active, he toured over 600 cities and 40 countries with shows such as Disney On Ice and Holiday On Ice. He was part of the 1998 Jr. Olympic Team; the 2001 US Figure Skating Team; and he is the 2004 Major League Figure Skating Professional World Bronze Medalist. Michael currently serves on the patient council for Creaky Joints Canada and has sat on numerous boards for arthritis research and activism. He is committed to expanding fashion in the Barrie and Simcoe community in addition to advancing LGBTQ+ initiatives.

Gary Pearson is the Principal of Pearson Engineering Ltd, a civil consulting and engineering firm providing municipal consulting services and land development services to private sector clients. He has a Bachelor of Applied Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Ottawa. Gary is a member of numerous industry associations including Simcoe County Home Builders’ Association and Building Industry and Land Development Association. Supporting the community has always been a top priority for Gary. He is pleased to sponsor local hockey and baseball teams as well as events such as the Barrie Film Festival and the Lakeside Party organized by the Gilda’s Club Simcoe Muskoka. Outside of his professional life, Gary enjoys playing golf and spending time at his family cottage on Georgian Bay. He joined the MacLaren Board in 2018, and is a member of the Marketing and Development Committee.

Craig Nixon was elected as Ward 2 Councillor in the 2022 Municipal Election. He is currently serving his first term as Ward 2 Councillor.