For 29 years, Arts Awards Waterloo Region has celebrated the diversity of talent, skill, and achievement this community is home to. Now we want to hear from you.

Community consultations will take place in three different sessions across the Region, you are free to attend one or all of the sessions.

CAMBRIDGE

• 11AM – 1PM
• Idea Exchange, Queen’s Square
• 1 North Square, Cambridge

KITCHENER

• 2PM – 4PM
• Conestoga Room, Kitchener City Hall
• (right behind the Rotunda)

WATERLOO

• 6PM – 8PM
• Waterloo Memorial Recreation Centre, Room 101
• 101 Father David Bauer Dr

The scope of Janis A. Barlow & Associates’ involvement will include conducting a series of interviews with arts practitioners and organizations, three community consultations which will be held respectively in Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge and a survey of the arts community to determine the needs of the sector in relation to Arts Awards and its program.

“Janis Barlow and her team bring a wealth of knowledge and experience in providing consulting services to arts organizations,” said Board chair C.J. Allen, “and it was important for us to work with a consultant that is coming into our Region and community with a clean slate. We wanted an unbiased perspective to help guide us through this process of community engagement and we believe we have that in Janis.”

Individual interviews with members of the arts community were completed in September and the three community consultations, which will be open to the public, will be held on February 7th, 2018 in each of the Region’s cities. Further details about the times and locations of each community consultation are forthcoming.

“Providing the opportunity for members of the arts community to be heard, for this process to be transparent and thoughtful are incredibly important to us,” Allen said, “we’re excited to learn from artists and arts organizations and to position Arts Awards Waterloo Region in such a way that best serves Waterloo Region.”

Arts Awards Waterloo Region (AAWR) is a non-profit arts organization whose purpose is to recognize honour and celebrate the arts sector in a meaningful way that highlights and showcases creativity in the Region of Waterloo.

We have celebrated excellence in the arts and arts organizations for the past 28 years with annual public nominations, independent juried adjudication and gala events to recognize artists and present awards.

The organization expanded by electing a new Board of Directors to oversee its current and future development, while also successfully carrying out the Arts Awards program in 2016.

With a new Board of Directors come new perspectives and new ideas.  As a result, we want to find ways to do more for our community while preserving our mandate.

After discussion and thoughtful deliberation, the Board of Directors has decided to forego the 2017 gala and enter a period of strategic planning to evaluate the direction and the future of Arts Awards.

Looking at our processes and incorporating new and exciting ideas requires us to pause and consider the most appropriate way forward.  This process will include community consultations, input from our stakeholders and an organizational assessment.

The nominations that have been submitted for consideration this year will be held on file for the next awards submission period.

We thank all of our volunteers, participants, municipal and corporate sponsors, for their participation and support thus far. We will contact our stakeholders with more information.

We look forward, with excitement, to this next phase of Arts Awards.

For more information, please see our FAQs Page or contact any of the following Board members:

We have celebrated excellence in the arts and arts organizations for the past 28 years with annual public nominations, independent juried adjudication and gala events to recognize artists and present awards.

The organization expanded by electing a new Board of Directors to oversee its current and future development, while also successfully carrying out the Arts Awards program in 2016.

With a new Board of Directors come new perspectives and new ideas.  As a result, we want to find ways to do more for our community while preserving our mandate.

After discussion and thoughtful deliberation, the Board of Directors has decided to forego the 2017 gala and enter a period of strategic planning to evaluate the direction and the future of Arts Awards.

Looking at our processes and incorporating new and exciting ideas requires us to pause and consider the most appropriate way forward.  This process will include community consultations, input from our stakeholders and an organizational assessment.

The nominations that have been submitted for consideration this year will be held on file for the next awards submission period.

We thank all of our volunteers, participants, municipal and corporate sponsors, for their participation and support thus far. We will contact our stakeholders with more information.

We look forward, with excitement, to this next phase of Arts Awards.

For more information, please go to the FAQs section or contact anyone of our Board members: