The 15/150 Grant
 |
The Arts Fund announced the 15/150 Grant to mark two special anniversaries in 2017: the Arts Fund's 15th anniversary of Making Art Happen and Canada's 150th anniversary, our Sesquicentennial.
This one-time only grant was an opportunity to reflect and celebrate these two special occasions, with projects taking place during 2017. |
The 15/150 Grant was open to all performing, visual, media and literary arts disciplines in the Region of Waterloo.
The 15/150 Grants were made possible when Regional Council approved an increase of $150,000 in additional funding to assist the Region of Waterloo Arts Fund’s anniversary projects. As part of the Regional Council’s programs to celebrate the 150th anniversary, Council has also approved an increase of $150,000 in ongoing funding past the 2017 anniversary.
The 6 special proposals selected for full or partial funding from the 15/150 Grant are:
Sue Sturdy, $15,000 for The Grand Woolly River Ride, a celebratory event along the Grand River featuring a flotilla of 150 canoes decorated with donated knitting, sewing and crocheting. The occasion, which attracted participants and spectators of all ages, reflected on the importance of how the country was opened up through its rivers, and the founding local industries of mills and textiles.
In Cambridge, launching at Linear Park, and docking at Riverbluffs Park Assembled at Dickson Park
2017 is also Ontario's 150th anniversary. In recognition: Textile artist Sue Sturdy received a community achievement award from Kathryn McGarry, MPP Cambridge |
Neruda Arts, $12,000 for Canada 150 Commemorative Mural: Multiculturalism at the Crossroads, a large-scale public art mural celebrating diversity, equality, social justice and respect for cultural differences, ideals that Waterloo Region shares with the rest of Canada. The colourful artwork, to be installed in the Mill-Courtland neighbourhood, will provide a sense of community with a lasting impact on its viewers.
Charles Street East at Madison Avenue, Kitchener
The Multicultural Theatre (MT) Space, $15,000 for Celebrating Canada: Past, Present and Future, an event that commemorated Canada’s 150th anniversary by bringing together its past narratives, its present stories and visions of our shared future. In partnership with Joseph Schneider Haus Historic Site, and using interactive programming, there was a series of original site-specific works and youth-led theatre presentations created for children, families and all ages.
The MT Space Young Company performed at the
Family Pavilion, Schneider Haus
Eva McCauley, $15,000 for the Face to Face Project, to create and exhibit a suite of 30 original paintings of Canadian youth. Half the portraits are of University of Waterloo students, contemporary faces, painted in colour, and half are portraits referencing archival materials of students from 1867 painted in monochromatic black and white. The portraits reflect the spirit of Canada’s increasing diversity, communicate the human condition and invite positive dialogue.
|
 |
Penderecki String Quartet, $5,000, for PSQ’s Quartetfest 25th Anniversary Reunion Concert, a special PSQ performance featured an alumni string orchestra playing a new work by local composer Colin Labadie, plus a new composition by Kelly-Marie Murphy to mark both the quartet’s 25th and Canada’s 150th anniversaries.
|
Nota Bene Baroque Players, $8,000, for A Grand Journey: a Celebration of the Grand River, in Words and Music, a multidisciplinary project drawing together the artistic worlds of music, visual art and storytelling in a concert presentation. Based on traditional aboriginal stories of life in the Grand River watershed, the performance featured the premiere of a new work by Indigenous composer Spy Dénommé-Welch and Catharine Magowan
|
Thanks to Meta Media Productions Inc. for their participation in the 15/150 Grant project.
Each of the six videos were posted on completion.