Artists create cultural experiences
“Slow down. Put your phone down. Look around for a minute. Search inside a hollow tree and see what’s in it.”
That’s the advice of Kitchener’s 2016 artist in residence, Sarah Granskou, as she embarks on a year-long project that will bring community members together to explore the city’s natural areas while contributing their observations to a life-sized “tree troll” doll.
As the city’s artist in residence, Sarah is following in the footsteps of other makers who have been cultivating interesting and inspiring cultural experiences since 1995. Past projects, like Neighbourhood Voices by Dwight Storring , The LITTER-ARTI Project by Susan Coolen and The People's Museum of Kitchener by Jefferson Campbell-Cooper have helped build the city’s identity as an engaging and dynamic place.
The connection between engaging, artistic and authentic cultural experiences and a thriving economy are countless. Artists and makers have a knack for identifying, articulating and reflecting the things about a community that make it an interesting and compelling place. Inspired by their environment, they also often engage the community in their work – building a connection between citizens and their city, often leading people to learn something new about themselves, and the city they live in.
Titled Our Fibres, Our Forest: adventures in felting and song, Sarah’s project involves hand felting hundreds of leaves using wool-dyed plants grown and foraged locally. Citizens from across the city will help with this task, and Sarah will host interactive demonstrations throughout the year - from felting workshops, to performances and nature activities. Her goal is to engage as many community members as possible in the creative process and encourage people to take a moment from their busy schedules to enjoy the outdoors and learn about the environment they live in. As of June 2016, 300 community members have made leaves for the tree troll marionette, including school children, market shoppers and hikers. The final project is expected to be completed in December 2016 in the City Hall’s Berlin Tower ARTSPACE.
Sarah Granskou has an established career as a performance artist, integrating verse, song, Norwegian folk instruments and puppetry in a fluid narrative. She began creating puppets during her residency at the Joseph Schneider Haus in 2013 to illuminate her stories, leading her on a path to upcycling, carving and finally felting. Since then, she has walked this path with dedication, teaching puppetry in schools and the community.