The City of Cornwall is pleased to announce the appointment of Jeffrey Hughes as Arts and Culture Coordinator. Raised in Cornwall, Hughes brings nearly three decades of experience across arts, education, and community development to the role. In his new position, he will help lead the opening and future growth of the City’s new Arts and Culture Centre while strengthening local cultural programming.
“We are delighted to welcome Jeff back to the City of Cornwall,” said Shauna Baggs, Supervisor of Tourism, Arts and Culture. “We look forward to working together as we prepare to welcome the community into our new Arts and Culture Centre and create opportunities for residents to connect through arts and culture.”His municipal arts career began locally with seven consecutive summers as a student in the City’s Summer Playground Program. After earning a Fine Arts degree with a specialization in Arts Education from Concordia University in Montreal, Hughes served as Cornwall’s Leisure Arts Coordinator from 1997 to 2006. During this time, he managed arts programming at the Kinsmen Municipal Centre, led major summer initiatives including Arts in the Park, the Kinsmen Music Day Camp, and the Kinette Creative Arts Day Camp, and coordinated facility bookings for the Bandshell and several community parks.
Hughes held educational leadership roles with Conseil scolaire Viamonde from 2006 to 2019, leading cultural programming across 52 schools, and worked in education services and special education with Conseil scolaire de district catholique de l’Est ontarien (CSDCEO) from 2020 to 2026. From 2024 to 2026, he also consulted for Le Centre franco, delivering Additional Qualification courses for educators supporting students with communication needs and autism spectrum disorder.
Returning to the City of Cornwall, Hughes is proud and excited to come full circle, reconnecting with the community where his lifelong passion for arts, culture, and education first began.
“Returning to Cornwall feels like coming full circle,” said Hughes. “This is where my passion for arts, culture, and education began, and I’m excited to give back to the community that helped shape me. I look forward to working with local artists and residents to make the new Arts and Culture Centre a welcoming place to create, learn, and connect.”
Interested artists can submit an expression of interest via the online form or contact Jeff directly at [email protected].
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