Written by Kristy Elik, Director Communications, CreativeHub 1352
With the building she and others fought valiantly to save on the brink of a new and exciting chapter in its storied history, Diane LaPointe has decided it’s time to turn the page and begin the next chapter of her own life. She officially left her position at the end of July.
Beginning as a Board Member in 2015, Diane has served as Executive Director for CreativeHub 1352 (formerly the Small Arms Society) since January 2020. Previously she held the role of Board Chair for the Small Arms Society since 2016. Under her leadership and the support of her board, this tenacious group and many community collaborators, successfully advocated for the renovation and establishment of a 1940’s, 43,000 sf industrial armament building into a creative cultural space for community use, now the incredible Small Arms Inspection Building.
“ One can never underestimate the power of people working together to make their community better. I was honoured to be a part of bringing this unique space to life through the InSitu Multi Arts Festivals, Mississauga Festival of Trees, Lakeview Farmers’ Market, and the Mississauga Creative Craft Beer Festival along with many public programs and educational projects. Key to our success has been to create multi-disciplinary projects that connect the arts, environment and heritage in our programming mix. I am very proud of our achievements since the building was officially opened by the City of Mississauga in 2018.”
“Volunteers, educators, community and business leaders along with all levels of government supported our vision; I was so fortunate to work and develop new friendships with many talented people. Their time, expertise and dedication made it so worthwhile.”
“While challenges still lie ahead, our new strategic plan for 2022-2024 aims to harness the momentum we have built over the last decade and position the organization for long-term growth. I look forward to seeing CreativeHub 1352 drive an even greater impact in community cultural development.”
Previous to this success, Diane has held positions in both senior government and the private sector utilizing her marketing, operations and project management talents in the sport, recreation, arts and culture sectors. Career accomplishments include leading the development of numerous multi-million-dollar capital public infrastructure projects, enhancing organizational performance in large organizations, improving service delivery and perhaps most importantly, developing programs and events that enhance people’s lives.
She is a keen supporter of community driven approaches that engage people and foster positive changes at a local level.
She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oregon and completed the Schulich School of Business, Municipal Management program at York University. She has received past leadership awards and most recently was awarded the 2019 Community Leadership Award by the federal government for her work in the Mississauga community. Diane’s personal love of the outdoors is expressed through her involvement in outdoor gardening. She believes more should be done to support sustainable urban farming to improve the availability of locally grown produce. Diane is an avid hiker and considers the joy of walking in nature to be one of the all-time simple pleasures in life. She has hiked 780 kilometres of the Camino Frances in Spain and enjoys hiking Ontario’s Bruce Trail system, having walked over 885 kilometres, from Niagara Falls to Tobermory. She is a past member of the Clarkson Society of Artists, paints when time allows and enjoys exploring the creative process on canvas and through other hands-on projects.
So what’s the plan for Diane’s next chapter? “ The next year, I look forward to taking time pursuing some of my personal passions and visiting family in Saskatoon. I doubt if I can stay away from undertaking some type of creative project in the future; time will tell.” One thing’s for sure, though—she says she wants to paint more, now that her responsibilities have changed. We’d love to see your work, Diane!
Goodbye and we hope to keep in touch.
As a gift from her board, Diane received "Seasons Change", a Mixed Media piece on wood panel, 2022, by Luvs Moises. Moises was one of the original artists who created several beautiful wall murals from Creative Hub 1352’s first InSitu Multi Arts Festival in 2016 and again in 2018. The scene of the Water Tower is inspired by the heritage protected water tower located just east of SAIB.
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