There are thousands of excellent reasons for one to visit the Collingwood Public Library.
Now, there are 60 more thanks to soon-to-be-placed, aerial photographs in an exhibition called “The A,B,Cs of Our Changing Collingwood”.
In 60 photographs on three separate panels, the enlargements – some in black-and-white, some in colour – will show parts of Collingwood as they appeared years ago and as they appear now.
The bird’s-eye views are tied to a recently-published book, “Our Changing Collingwood” by local author-photographer, George Czerny-Holownia, who was once publisher of The Enterprise-Bulletin newspaper in Collingwood.
Now retired, Czerny-Holownia has published other books of aerial photographs, a travel guide “George’s Georgian Bay”, a book “Kiss The Ground You Walk On, Canada!”, which decries voter apathy and now “Our Changing Collingwood”.
“The A,B,Cs of Our Changing Collingwood” exhibition provides viewers with a look at the many changes in Collingwood’s landscape going back some 40 years.
Back in the early 1980s, the Collingwood Shipyards was a backbone industry to the town’s economy.
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Czerny-Holownia took aerial photographs, as well as many others, of the Collingwood Shipyards.
Back in the 1985, the lagoon upon which Mariner’s Haven residential area was developed, on the west side of Collingwood harbour, had no houses on it.
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Czerny-Holownia took aerial photographs which show that lagoon with no buildings on it.
As the years passed, he took other photos which show bird’s-eye views of various parts of Collingwood.
Now, selected photographs which show “then” and “now” bird’s-eye views appear in the upcoming “The A,B,Cs of Our Changing Collingwood”.
In addition to the Collingwood “then” and “now” aerial photographs, Czerny-Holownia has included some views of the Village at Blue area at Blue Mountain Resorts which also show the “then” and “now”.
George, as he prefers to be known, hopes to have his exhibition open by Friday, November 3, and it will be on display throughout November and December, 2023. He credits Leigh Ann Epp, a Collingwood Public Library staff member, for helping him organize his exhibition.
“Our public library is a tremendous community resource,” said George, adding that he is as excited about his exhibition as he is to see the diversity of services offered by the “community hub of our library”.
George expects to be on hand for certain hours of his exhibition in order to chat with visitors about his photographs. However, at this writing, dates for him being on hand have not yet been set. Updates, about his being at the exhibition, will be provided and checking with the library is encouraged.
Librarian Leigh Ann Epp notes that while George has 60 more reasons to visit the library, there is yet another reason. It is in the work of artist David Warren of Wasaga Beach who will be presenting paintings of places and things to do with Collingwood, as well as nearby Craigleith and Blue Mountains.
David Warren, formerly of Toronto and 15 years in the Caribbean, has an exhibition which will open at the end of next week. Warren’s art will give viewers his interpretations of the Collingwood Shipyards, Collingwood’s Great Fire (1881), the grain elevators, Collingwood Terminals; The Lady Elgin, the Nottawasaga Lighthouse, Collingwood’s first railway station, The Gayety Theatre, the federal building and other historic landmarks.
As the two exhibitions prepare to open, Czerny-Holownia reminds visitors to the library to bring along a non-perishable food item, or bread, and donate it to the library’s food-pantry program.
Photo: One of many bird’s-eye views of Collingwood and Blue Mountain Resorts’ area, by photographer George Czerny-Holownia, this shows a view looking southwest across part of Downtown Collingwood. At upper-left, the large roof of the Eddie Bush Memorial Arena is visible and just below it – just left of centre-photo – is the Collingwood Public Library building. It’s at this library that Czerny-Holownia will soon have an exhibition called “The A,B,Cs of Our Changing Collingwood”.
For more details, contact:
George Czerny-Holownia,
(aka George Czerny),
50 McKean Crescent,
Collingwood, Ontario, L9Y 0C2.
Telephone: 705-293-1569.