More than any other factor, the hands, hearts and minds of a city’s people determine its successes. Curiosity and intelligence. Courage and grit. Dexterity and flair. The ability to innovate with intent. See for yourself what our makers are making right now, in Kitchener.
Ruby Eagle, a multimedia artist in Kitchener, spent much of her undergraduate degree digging through the University of Waterloo archives. She wasn’t studying, or writing a paper though. She was on the lookout for the next great piece for her patchwork style of art.
The Digital Innovation Skills Certificate (DISC ) Program was a collaboration that provided an immersive training program to assist companies with building their digital marketing and e-commerce skills using real-world projects.
Cynosure: “an object that serves as a focal point of attention or admiration.” The curious term, which sounds like it might only be spoken when pulled from the depths of dictionary, came to Kitchener’s maker scene through exactly that process. Cynosure Jewelry Design Studio found their name when Juan Bohorquez, who co-owns the company with Shannon Kennedy, flipped through the pages of the old Merriam-Webster.
Hanging laundry to dry, leaving the car at home once a week, eating more local food, or making a rain garden are examples of simple actions residents can take to be more climate friendly. This year’s artist in residence is inspiring citizens to document their commitment to the environment by making a personal mosaic.
“I do it because I can, and because I have hope,” says Cathy Farwell, visual artist and the driving force behind Art$Pay, a non-profit that educates artists and citizens alike on the value of creative work. We chatted with Farwell to get a sense of how Art$Pay came to be, and the kind of impact it’s having in Kitchener.
For this installation of the Make it Kitchener blog, we posed some questions to Nik Harron, an Irish born, Kitchener-committed painter and interactive artist. While many have encountered Harron’s art through the festival scene, the community-minded motivations behind his work aren’t always on display.