MEET OUR TEAM!
The Chester Art Centre wouldn't be what is is today without the support of its committed staff and board members. Meet the team that dedicates their time to bringing life, colour and vibrancy to our community through art.
Executive Director
In Hiring Process
Chester Art Centre is actively seeking a dynamic and visionary Executive Director to lead our organization into its next chapter. If you are passionate about the arts, community engagement, and fostering creativity, we invite you to apply and be part of our vibrant and dedicated team.
Help us shape the future of arts and culture in Chester! Send resumes to gordon@chesterartcentre.ca to apply.
OUR BOARD
Gordon Stewart, Chair
Gordon's early education includes degrees in Fine Art; Art Education and Environmental Design. He has a background in consulting, businesses in retail, manufacturing and real estate and worked extensively managing the restaurant sector in NS. Gordon was the founding President of the Tourism Industry Association of Nova Scotia, past Vice-Chairman of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) and has served on a wide variety of Boards & Commissions related to the tourism & other industry sectors. His hobbies include gardening, Folk Art, reading and collecting and refinishing antiques.
Favourite saying: “Good things come to those who wait…but only after those who have hustled”
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Manny Blair, Vice Chair
Manny Blair brings over 30 years of art experience as a practising visual artist, art fair organizer and member of several arts boards both in Canada and overseas, to the Chester Art Centre.
As an artist, Manny Blair is passionate about the value of arts in the community, promoting creativity and encouraging critical thought and discussion.
He has been a CAC board member since February 2024 and became the catalyst for the People’s Portrait Prize.
Outside of the Chester Art Centre, Manny works for the Municipality of the district of Chester, is an avid woodworker and continues his art practice.
Manny Blair is excited to expand on the range of exhibition and program opportunities the Chester Arts Centre delivers.
Gordon Shupe, Treasurer
Gordon C. Shupe is the President of Coastal Door & Frame Inc. in Halifax. He graduated from Dalhousie University with his BComm and obtained his Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designation in 1987.
He was previously Chair of the NSCC Foundation Board, Chairman of the Maritime Lumber Bureau, Chairman for the Atlantic Canada Chapter of Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and sat on the Executive committee of the Canadian Wood Council and on Boards of many other community organizations.
Gordon developed a passion for Art in the early 80’s while working on an Art Gallery in Nova Scotia providing financial counselling. The Chester Art Centre passion and voice grabbed my attention and my interest with its fantastic line-up of courses and exhibitions. The artistic talent that exists within our communities here in NS is highlighted at our Centre and I am very fortunate to be part of its wonderful history and story.
Cindy Strecko, Secretary
Cindy joined the Board of the Chester Art Centre in early 2024. Although she’d been aware of the Centre since moving to Chester in 2022, it wasn’t until Cindy joined the Board that she began to fully appreciate the scope of the programming and art exposure the Centre brings to South Shore residents and artists.
As a journalist, lawyer, business owner and long-time volunteer, Cindy’s excited to support the Centre as it continues to create new opportunities for art exploration and enjoyment in our community.
Outside of the Chester Art Centre, Cindy enjoys writing, travelling and exploring the South Shore.
Janet Creaser, Chair, Fundraising
Janet believes in the transformative power of art and its ability to enrich and unite communities. As Chair of the Development Committee at the Chester Art Centre (CAC), she is dedicated to making art accessible to all while enhancing the cultural landscape of Chester and its surrounding areas.
Janet’s passion for the Centre has guided her involvement in many facets of its operations over the years. She is currently focused on event planning and fundraising efforts, working closely with the CAC’s creative team to ensure the Centre’s continued growth and success.
In addition to her work at the CAC, Janet is an active community volunteer with a particular interest in youth, lifelong learning, and arts and music initiatives. With a background in hospitality, she brings a strong organizational and people-centered approach to her volunteer work.
Janet is excited to continue advocating for the growth of CAC’s outreach programs and to champion initiatives that make art a central part of the community’s identity.
Bunch Fraser, Chair, Building
Bunch Fraser brings 5-10 years of building management and 20 years drafting and architectural design to the Chester Art Centre.
As a building manager and artist-of-sorts she welcomes all kinds of challenges in the everyday operation of the Art Centre & ensures it is up and running so it can be used for making and showcasing lots of local and regional art and artists.
Bunch has been involved with the Centre since 2008 and helped out with ALL the Art Centre functions except for those in 2013-2015 when she was sailing, cooking and diving around the South Pacific.
Outside of the Chester Art Centre, Bunch is self employed as an architectural draftsman and is also a keen sailor, varnisher and part time cartoonist.
Bunch is excited to be in the start up phase of adding studio work space to the existing Art Centre so we can enjoy classes in a great art-y space concurrently with wonderful exhibits of well known and up and coming artists.
Victoria McGregor, Board Member
Victoria spent her informative years working in the film and television industry. A life long lover of the arts she now spends her time dabbling in photography, mucking about with tiny textiles and painting rather poorly. She can be seen most days being dragged around Chester by her two rescued potcake dogs Missy and Max.
Audrey Nicoll, Chair,
Exhibitions & Programs
Audrey Nicoll grew up in Vancouver and moved to the South Shore in 2000 with her artist husband, Bill Marshall. Audrey is a NSCAD and UBC Fine Arts graduate, and her studio practice consists of large scale mixed media drawings focused on environmental issues, which she has shown throughout the Maritimes.
She has taught art in the public school system for thirty years starting in Vancouver and recently retiring as the IB Art teacher at Park View Education Centre. Retirement gave Audrey the time to join the Board and bring her experience of art making and teaching to the Chester Art Centre.
Audrey has twenty-five years of experience on the boards of various artist-run centres, and provincial arts organizations in both Vancouver and Nova Scotia. The opportunity to help the Chester Art Centre flourish and continue to provide access to an engaging art experience is an essential reason Audrey chose to join the CAC Board.
Emily Petley-Jones, Chair, Public Relations & Marketing
Emily Petley-Jones brings a dynamic background in Public Relations and Marketing to the Chester Art Centre Board. After joining the board in September 2024, she hit the ground running on social media, content collection, fundraising projects and a branding refresh. While studying Public Relations at Mount Saint Vincent University, Emily interned with J.D. Irving Corporate Communications, and Clarksons Shipbrokers in London. After graduating from MSVU, Emily joined the Offshore Sale & Purchase desk at Clarksons in London as a Ship Broker.
Now at the helm of her own media distribution and network provisioning company, Emily also manages rental properties and Airbnbs. Her PR philosophy is simple but powerful: internal communications reflect external communications—a belief that shapes her approach to branding and stakeholder engagement.
With deep roots in a family of artists and creatives, Emily is passionate about fostering vibrant connections between the arts and the community, ensuring that the Chester Art Centre’s message reaches and inspires as many people as possible.