Toronto, June 15, 1999 -- Julia Foster, former Chair of the Board of Governors at the Stratford Festival and Peter Pennington, co-founder of the Kawartha Arts Festival, have just been appointed to the Board of the Ontario Arts Council (OAC). Ms. Foster fills the role of the Vice-Chair, which has been vacant since 1997. With these appointments, OAC now has a full board of 12.
"We are delighted to welcome both Julia and Peter," said The Honourable Henry N.R. Jackman, Chair of the OAC. "They are both long-time supporters of the arts with strong connections to their communities."
Julia Foster, most recently President of the Canadian Olympic Foundation, has served on the boards of the Toronto International Film Festival and the Shaw Festival. She currently serves on the boards of the Bata Shoe Museum and the Hospital for Sick Children.
Peter Pennington is a painter, printmaker and designer. He has worked as an architect on a number of buildings in Ontario. In 1996, he won the Ontario Association of Architects Community Service Award.
"Over the years I have had the privilege of working with several extraordinary arts organizations," said Ms. Foster. "I look forward to bringing that experience to OAC’s boardroom table."
"In one form or another, the arts have always been a big part of my life," said Mr. Pennington. "I am happy to join a board committed to ensuring the vitality of Ontario’s artistic community."
OAC is financed through an annual grant from the Ontario government’s Ministry of Citizenship, Culture and Recreation. Each year, OAC distributes this money to approximately 1000 individual artists and 640 organizations in almost 250 communities across Ontario.
OAC Media Contact: Kirsten Gunter, Manager of Communications
Tel: (416) 969-7403. Toll-free outside of Toronto: 1-800-387-0058, ext. 7403.
E-mail: kgunter@arts.on.ca