Community Partners

Alliance for a Grand Community
Alliance for a Grand Community is a collaborative of nine cultural institutions of Waterloo Region, dedicated to the development of tools and mechanisms for sharing resources, building capacity, strengthening community connections, and leading the regional cultural sector and the community at large towards further excellence. The founding partners of the Alliance for a Grand Community project are: Centre In The Square, the Grand Philharmonic Choir, the Kitchener-Waterloo Opera, the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Theatre & Company, Cambridge Galleries, the Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery, and the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, with the Waterloo Regional Arts Council serving as lead partner.

Centre for International Governance Innovation
The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) is an international think tank that was founded in 2002. CIGI's main purpose is to address international governance challenges through world-class research. CIGI strives to identify and generate ideas for global change by studying, advising and networking with scholars, practitioners and governments on the character and desired reforms to multilateral governance issues. Through conferences, workshops, publications, public events and technology, CIGI aims to raise capacity to effect change in public policy both in Canada and around the world. CIGI and KW|AG have partnered to offer art exhibitions during SpOtlight, a weekend of free art activities in Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and Guelph.

Contemporary Art Forum | Kitchener and Area
The Contemporary Art Forum | Kitchener and Area (CAFKA) presents innovative art within a civic space. CAFKA invites the public to encounter and engage with artists of today and the art that they create. CAFKA encourages innovative artistic projects, welcomes interactive programming, and nurtures new and existing audiences. CAFKA is dedicated to artistic growth and offers opportunities for regional, Canadian and international artists. CAFKA builds community partnerships and connections. Committed to high artistic quality, CAFKA activities culminate in a biennial thematic forum of visual and media arts.

Culture Days
Space @ KW|AG available for Culture Days. As part of our contribution to Culture Days, KW |AG is offering free use of our co|lab space for area artists and art projects. The space is available on Friday September 30 and Saturday October 1st, during regular Gallery hours. KW|AG can provide a table and 2 chairs for each participant, and depending on the nature of the projects, up to 3 artists could be accommodated on each day (artists can also book both days). Activities must fit within existing KW|AG policies, and be suitable for the space itself. Participants are responsible for their own set up and clean up.  Interested? Give us a call! Contact: Caroline, coliver@kwag.on.ca, 519-579-5860 ext 218.

Greater Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber of Commerce
As the voice of business for the greater Kitchener Waterloo area, the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce is a strong advocate for continued development of our community and a partner for prosperity. By working together and focusing on initiatives that support growth, the Gallery uses the services of the Chamber as an important catalyst for their business success. Recognized as a leader in one of Canada´s most forward-thinking business communities, the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce strives to be the best Chamber of Commerce in Canada.

KidSpark
KidSpark is a free festival that provides entertainment, educational learning experiences and lots of fun to children in our community. KidSpark promotes fellowship amongst the diverse groups that make up our community, and creates opportunities for participation for all children. The Gallery offers fun, interactive art activities for children and families at KidSpark. Be sure to visit our tent in Victoria Park.

Kitchener Public Library
The Kitchener Public Library (KPL) connects the community to a world of imagination, information and discovery. They respond to community needs, embrace innovation, and value their customers, staff, volunteers and partners. KW|AG and KPL collaborate for the Gallery's Family Sunday events. KPL librarians provide "story time" readings with a selection of materials that complement the Gallery's current exhibitions. Read about the Civic District Vision and plans for the Central Library Expansion.

Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Festival
Every summer Waterloo Region celebrates ethnic diversity and all its wonders in June at the Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Festival, hosted by the Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Centre. The Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery is an important participant in the festival bringing love of art and innovative art projects to Victoria Park for all to enjoy.

Kitchener-Waterloo Society of Artists (KWSA)
The Kitchener-Waterloo Society of Artists focuses on arts and artists in the region. Over 78 years old and with over 60 members, KWSA is a long-lived and popular organization with many part-time and full-time artist members mainly in the Waterloo Region area of Southwestern Ontario, Canada. As a social organization, KWSA meetings are oriented towards conversation, presentations and announcements. Networking among fellow artists is the foundation of KWSA, and they always welcome new and prospective members. 

Macdonald Stewart Art Centre (Guelph)
The Macdonald Stewart Art Centre serves a community of 160,000 (Guelph, Wellington County and the surrounding area) by providing a balanced program of temporary exhibitions of contemporary and historical art, craft and design drawn from regional, national and international sources. KW|AG and Macdonald Stewart Art Centre collaborated to co-present Will Gorlitz's nowhere if not here exhibition. The exhibition will tour to the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, the Macdonald Stewart Art Centre, the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (Toronto), Glenbow Museum (Calgary) and Winnipeg Art Gallery in 2009 and 2010.

Open Ears Festival
Presented by the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony in conjunction with NUMUS concerts, the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery and other local organizations, this biennial Canadian and international festival features the use of unusual venues and a very eclectic range of musics from new classical music to electroacoustics, musique actuelle and sound installations. The focus of all events is the act of listening. Featuring a mix of local, national and international artists, concerts have featured traditional ensembles, outdoor electroacoustic events, multi-media, dance and the Ensemble Karel bicycle orchestra from Montreal. Sound installations are an integral part of the festival. The 'inner Ear' festival-within-a-festival presents a variety of work in collaboration with the K-W Art Gallery, the KOR gallery and students from Wilfrid Laurier University and University of Waterloo. In 2007 Montreal's Steve Heimbecker was artist-in-residence and created Songs of Place: Kitchener, the most recent in a series of works inspired by cities across Canada and Europe.

Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
In 2005, KW|AG and Perimeter Institute formed a partnership to bring cutting edge visual art presentations by distinguished artists and cultural figures to Waterloo Region. The commitment to the world of ideas shared by both institutions, and the desire to see art as part of the constellation of contemporary discussion was the basis for this new partnership. Each presentation is hosted by Robert Enright in a lecture and interview format. Enright has a distinguished career as a writer, broadcaster, and Editor-at-Large for Border Crossings Magazine. American artist Shirin Neshat was the eighth speaker in this prestigious series in 2009 and Janine Antoni will be the ninth speaker in the series in May 2009. Other artists have included Edward Burtynsky, Eric Fischl, Rebecca Belmore, Jim Dine, Guy Madden, Ann Hamilton, and Stan Douglas.

Princess Cinemas
KW|AG and Princess Cinemas have co-presented My Kid Could Paint That with an accompanying exhibition of student artwork from the Gallery's Youth Studios workshops and classes. They have also co-present Edward Burtynsky's Manufactured Landscapes.

Prosperity Council of Waterloo Region
The Prosperity Council of Waterloo Region is a federation formed to collectively create an environment that supports opportunities for prosperity in Waterloo region. Prosperity, for the purposes of this Council, involves initiatives and policies that support wealth creation, supporting the objectives of enhancing our standard of living and overall quality of life. The Gallery's Director General is a member of the Prosperity Council of Waterloo Region, actively attending meetings and giving input to this Council.

RENDER
RENDER (University of Waterloo) and KW|AG have partnered to co-present exhibitions, most recently, The North Star Talking Picture House by artist Seth. The focus of RENDER's program is the production and dissemination of contemporary art projects that emphasize innovation, critically engage the use of new technologies, address current social and cultural concerns and contribute to a dynamic learning environment at the various campuses and facilities of the University of Waterloo and throughout the Waterloo Region. The program places a particular emphasis on cross-disciplinary activity and collaboration and is concerned with expanding the platform for artistic presentation and engagement. RENDER's main exhibition space is located in East Campus Hall, just outside the main campus of the University of Waterloo, at 263 Phillip Street.

Shadow Puppet Theatre
Shadow Puppet Theatre is a troupe of actors and shadow puppets that perform in Waterloo Region and the Ottawa area. Shadow Puppet Theatre is available to perform at any venue which can hold a 6ft x 7ft theatre, a few actors, and large amount of puppets. KW|AG has collaborated with Shadow Puppet Theatre for Faust and Macbeth in a puppet-making workshop at KPL. The performances were followed by a one-hour puppet-making workshop led by artists and actors from Shadow Puppet Theatre.

University of Waterloo Fine Arts Department
University of Waterloo's Department of Fine Arts  offers undergraduate degrees in studio art, art history and film studies.  The majority of students are enrolled in the studio area that includes courses in drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography and computer imaging. The Fine Arts program offers a solid foundation in the visual arts and opportunities for "real world" experience. Graduates have gone on to successful careers as artists, designers, illustrators, animators, art historians, educators, writers, art librarians and art administrators in galleries and museums. KW|AG partners with faculty from UW's Fine Art department and RENDER on various exhibitions, projects, art talks and student tours.

Visual Arts Alliance
The Visual Arts Alliance was established to increase awareness and support for visual arts activity in the Region of Waterloo and includes Cambridge Galleries, the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, Homer Watson House & Gallery, the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery, the Waterloo Regional Arts Council, CAFKA and Brush with Art. Subsequent developments led to the creation and launch of the Get Off On Art campaign by the galleries.

Volunteer Action Centre
Serving people in Kitchener, Waterloo, and the Townships of Wellesley, Wilmot & Woolwich, the Volunteer Action Centre believes in a community enhanced by volunteers who share their time, resources and talents. The Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery is a member of the Volunteer Action Centre.

Waterloo Historical Society
The Waterloo Historical Society aims to foster the recognition of Waterloo Region's unique heritage and to diligently encourage heritage preservation. Since that modest beginning nearly 90 years ago, the Society has grown to over 270 members and has a set of bylaws relating to the transaction of its affairs. Activities include four public meetings with invited guest speakers held in various locations within the Region, the publication (continuous since 1913) of a volume of local history articles, four newsletters, special dedication of historical plaques, and the publication of important, fully illustrated books on significant historical topics. The WHS is an affiliate member of the Ontario Historical Society, a founding member of the Waterloo Regional Heritage Foundation and is a non-profit volunteer organization. KW|AG partners with WHS for public tours throughout the year.

Wilfrid Laurier University Press
Founded in 1974, Wilfrid Laurier University Press has established a reputation for excellence in scholarly publishing in the areas of history, literature, sociology, social work, life writing, film and media studies, aboriginal studies, women's studies, philosophy, and religious studies. They publish 28—30 titles a year and have over 220 titles in print. Wilfrid Laurier University Press has been typesetting books electronically since 1984, and in 1994 became one of the first scholarly publishers in Canada to establish a Web presence. Their electronic books appear through netLibrary, Questia, Ebrary, MyiLibrary and Gibson Library Services/Canadian Electronic Library. We are also participants in Google Print. Will Gorlitz's monograph, Will Gorlitz: Nowhere If Not Here, published by Wilfrid Laurier University Press, is available during the nowhere if not here exhibition tour throughout 2009 and 2010. Edited by Director and Curator of the Macdonald Stewart Art Centre, this major publication features essays by Bruce Ferguson, Peggy Gale, Jeffrey Spalding, and David Urban.