Our Mission, Vision & Mandate

Mission

The Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery connects people and ideas through art. Its nationally-acclaimed exhibitions and programs welcome all to be inspired and challenged through a deepened understanding of ourselves, our cultures, and our communities.

Mandate

For the benefit of current and future generations, the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery collects, preserves, researches, interprets, and exhibits the visual arts. It offers dynamic public programs that inspire creativity and an appreciation of the visual arts in the Region and beyond. Established in 1956 and incorporated in 1968, the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery is a non-profit organization open to the public and administered in the public trust.

Vision

KWAG will enrich lives across our community and nation through the creation and experience of contemporary art. It will flourish as a recognized leader and exceptional cultural presence at the intersection of contemporary art and civic life by:

  • Amplifying the voices of diverse artists
  • Expanding access to art’s transformative impact
  • Securing and strengthening its distinctive legacy for future generations

 

2022-2024 Strategic Plan

In the spring of 2021, KWAG launched a planning process to guide our work for the next three years. This new Strategic Plan continues the trajectory of the previous one, expanding the Gallery’s goal to be a centre for the intersection of contemporary art and civic life. It builds on our past and what we have learned and unlearned.

Through this new Strategic Plan, the Gallery will incorporate what it has learned from the crises of 2020, and continue to develop and advance its standards of excellence in exhibitions, collecting and learning. This plan outlines new initiatives to deepen our impact on individual lives, improve the health and wellbeing of our community, and ensure equity and vitality through the diversity of our programming, staff, and Board.

View the 2022-2024 Strategic Plan (PDF)