50/50 Garden of Resilience
24 May - October 2025
Organized by KWAG Curatorial + Public Programs Departments
The Garden of Resilience is the newest addition to the KWAG Sculpture Garden. This hybrid model explores the model of the community garden as a platform for radical sustainability and mutual aid on a community level. In a place where 10% of our neighbor’s face food insecurity on an annual basis, the Garden of Resilience will be a refuge of direct action, grounding the possibilities of small-scale, urban food production and community strength through intergenerational exchange and learning.
KWAG understands the garden as site, model and gallery. As a site, it is a functioning community garden that will grow organic fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers. As a model, it is a decolonial gesture that inverts capitalist expectations of land value and outdated conceptions of aesthetic value and landscaping. As a gallery, the garden will be regularly programmed, activated and cared for, just like our internal gallery spaces. KWAG seeks to learn from the garden and understand how we can best position ourselves to care for our immediate neighbors and local ecologies.
We will also be launching a unique Gardener-in-Residence opportunity for a local artist to steward one of our plots for the summer. If you would like more information on this program and opportunities to get involved, please message Darryn Doull, Curator: Exhibitions & Programs, at ddoull@kwag.on.ca
RELATED PROGRAMS:
Garden Information Sessions
Thursday, 17 April, 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, 27 April, 2:00 p.m.
These sessions are an opportunity to learn more about the project and add your name to a first-come, first-served list for folks who are interested in participating as gardeners in 2025 or to be a part of our Garden Committee.
Official Garden Launch Celebration
Saturday, 24 May, 12:00 p.m.
Celebrate the first full day of gardening and activation of the Garden of Resilience during our launch weekend!
Gardener-in-Residence – Call for Submissions
Apply by: 2 May, 2025 at 11:59 p.m.
The 50/50 Garden of Resilience is a community garden project dedicated to addressing two critical social challenges: ecological sustainability and food security. It will serve members of the Old Berlin Neighborhood and others who live within a walking distance of KWAG. Participating gardeners will have the opportunity to grow organic vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers, in their own plot or a plot shared with another gardener (to be determined pending overall interest in the project). Through this initiative, we aim to create a space that fosters intergenerational, experiential learning, artistic engagement, and mutual aid through community collaboration.
About the Gardener-in-Residence Program
The Gardener-in-Residence program uniquely blends contemporary art with ecological engagement, fostering creative expression, environmental activism, and education. This residency provides an opportunity for artists to explore eco-conscious art-making through the use of natural materials, upcycled waste, and regenerative agriculture techniques within the garden.
The Gardener-in-Residence will be a local artist who is available to tend to a plot in the garden over the course of the summer. This plot can be used for personal use, or can be grown with artistic practice in mind, with harvested materials to be used in community experiences or in other creative applications. In exchange for receiving a plot in the garden, the Gardener-in-Residence will work closely with KWAG staff to develop no less than 3 programming activations to occur in the Garden of Resilience. These activations could be lectures, workshops, concerts, or tea ceremonies, for example. We encourage applicants to think experimentally and aim for innovative approaches. The only concrete framework is that activation themes must be kept in some way related to ecological sustainability and/or food security.
This program transforms the 50/50 Garden of Resilience into a dynamic art space, where living plants, natural cycles, and environmental processes become integral to the artistic dialogue.
Residency Goals & Expectations
The purpose of this residency is to raise awareness about food security and ecological sustainability through art by fostering a creative dialogue between artists, the environment, and the community.
This residency aims to:
• Encourage Critical Reflection – Artists will create opportunities to challenge perspectives on food production, consumption, and sustainability, inspiring deeper discussions on the social and environmental impact of the food industry.
• Promote Sustainable Practices – Working directly within a community garden setting, artists will explore sustainability in a variety of forms
• Foster Community Engagement – The program invites our neighbours to engage with art in ways that connects them to nature, food sovereignty, and ecological resilience.
• Transform the Garden into a Creative Space – By integrating artistic interventions, performances, and installations, the residency understands public green spaces as centers for cultural expression, environmental education, and collective action.
• Bridge Art and Activism – Through this initiative, the Gardener-in-Residence will act as both an artist and an environmental steward, advocating for a more sustainable and just food system through creative storytelling, visual narratives, and/or interactive experiences.
Eligibility & Who Should Apply
This opportunity is open to:
• Local artists from the Kitchener-Waterloo community
• Artists working in any medium, including but not limited to sculpture, installation, performance, and land art
• There is no physical studio space as part of the residency, and the Gardener-in-Residence is not required to keep any specific studio hours beyond the commitment to maintain their plot throughout the summer. The plot will be 2 x 8 x 2 feet.
Applicants should have a strong interest in environmental issues, community engagement, and site-specific artistic practices.
Residency Benefits & Support
• Duration: 24 May – October 2025
• Funding: $4,000 Artist Fee + $525 Artist Talk Fee
The artist will be responsible for any expenses for their garden plot
The three activations are also part of this Artist Fee
• Resources: Access to tools and materials, KWAG staff as needed
• Community Collaboration: Opportunities to engage with community members, schools, and Indigenous groups.
Application Process
Interested applicants should submit:
• A project proposal outlining their vision to be the Gardener-in-Residence
(up to 250 words)
• An artist statement describing their practice and connection to environmental themes
(up to 250 words)
• A portfolio showcasing relevant past work
(up to 10 images and/or 5 minutes of video)
• A summary of potential programming activations. This is an important part of the application and will be heavily weighted during evaluations. We are looking for approaches that are innovative, intergenerational, and that take place in the garden. Please embrace experimentation and creative solutions.
Key Dates:
• Application Period: KWAG will be accepting applications from 7 April to 2 May, 2025 at 11:59 p.m.
• Submission Method: Please submit all materials in a single PDF to garden@kwag.on.ca
• Notification Date: Selected artist(s) will be notified by 9 May 2025. The selected artist will be required to submit a bio photo, a biography, and 3 sample images of their work (as well as any necessary credit information) within 1 week of being selected for communications.
• Garden Launch: The 2025 growing season will launch on 24/25 May with a weekend of activities at KWAG. The successful Gardener-in-Residence should plan to be available on 24 May between 12:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Selection Process
Applications will be reviewed based on the following criteria:
• Artistic merit and originality of proposed activations
• Relevance to core themes (ecological sustainability and food security)
• Potential for community engagement and impact
KWAG Curatorial Staff will evaluate all of the applications and will notify all interested artists of their result within a week of the intake period closing.
Contact Information
Applications will be reviewed based on the following criteria:
• Artistic merit and originality of proposed activations
• Relevance to core themes (ecological sustainability and food security)
• Potential for community engagement and impact
KWAG Curatorial Staff will evaluate all of the applications and will notify all interested artists of their result within a week of the intake period closing.
For inquiries and additional details, please contact garden@kwag.on.ca. There are also two general garden information sessions on Thursday, 17 April, 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, 27 April, 2:00 p.m. These sessions will cover the actual garden as well as the Gardener-in-Residence program, and can be a place for questions and clarifications in advance of the submission deadline.
Images: Feature and header from - Ron Benner, Trans/mission: 101, 2016. Photographic /garden installation. Installation view at the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery. ©Ron Benner. Photo: © 2016 Scott Lee.
The 50/50 Garden of Resilience is funded by the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation and WRCF’s Community Grants program.
