Philosophy

KW|AG's exhibitions and programs are built on the mission of connecting people and ideas through art and the Gallery's vision that art is the catalyst for shared experience, dialogue and imagination. The Gallery emphasizes contemporary art, often premiering works by Canadian and international artists. KW|AG develops programs from a base of local community issues and interests, and connects the work of regional artists to the global world of art and ideas. With our roots in the community, eyes on the world, KW|AG finds interesting opportunities to enable the cross-fertilization of ideas, media and disciplines by linking arts, science, social commentary and history. Partnerships with Perimeter Institute, The Children's Museum, Joseph Schneider Haus, Kitchener Public Library, KW Multicultural Festival, Open Ears Festival and Visual Arts Alliance, to name a few, promote arts and culture as a vital role in Waterloo Region. Visit our Community Partners page for more information.

Operating Principles

• Art lives at KW|AG. We make art available to the widest possible circle of interest in an environment that is consistent with the artist's intention and comfortable for the visitor. Every encounter need not be "comfortable", but properly experienced and rewarding.
• The soul of the Gallery is people and ideas. We are all constantly curious. Vision and innovation leads us forward.
• The Gallery programs form a base of community histories and issues, and links these to the global world of ideas and creativity. We think globally and act locally; thereby, creating a respected centre of excellence for encountering contemporary visual art.
• Art is about sharing human imagination and experience. We want to help further that process through cross-disciplinary projects in and outside of the Gallery's social space.
• The Gallery is working towards a sustainable operating model and planning for a stable, self-sufficient future over the long-term.
• KW|AG is a unique institution offering innovative programs and events that are gaining recognition for their effective community connections and collaborations. Such collaborations create relationships, connections, and new ideas, which expand the scope of thinking and access to wider groups of audiences.
• The Gallery celebrates the fertile possibilities occasioned by the collision of ideas, media and forms. We encourage people to make their own connections, create relationships with other people, their experiences, and their ideas in the hope that new perceptions, ideas, and prospects will emerge from the exchange.
• KW|AG believes in collecting as a catalyst. A new acquisitions policy directs the Gallery to only collect works that have relevance to the Region, especially works created by commissioning national and international artists, or through purchasing from KW|AG selected exhibitions. Read our Collecting FAQs.
• KW|AG celebrates the dynamic field of experience and ideas, and draws from the past while projecting towards the future. We travel at the speed of Art.