An art museum like ours has an important role to play in recognizing and challenging historic oppression; we believe that our exhibitions, collections, knowledge, and values can serve to address the issues that matter to our communities. The first priority of our new Strategic Plan for the next three years centers on adopting an inclusive, equity-seeking and anti-racist lens in all of our activities to affect transformational change.
The Gallery has taken meaningful, intentional actions to remove barriers to inclusion through accessibility initiatives, tours and hands-on learning opportunities that brighten the lives of the people we serve.
Our plan is to present enhanced programs that will welcome underrepresented communities into KWAG. Why? Art sparks conversations and brings people together to see the world from new perspectives, building bridges of understanding in a way that nothing else can. Every donation you make enables underrepresented voices to be heard and seen, and amplifies stories that brings us all closer together.
Because the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery is not a government or municipally-run art museum, we rely greatly on the generosity of our donors to support our community-based programs and uphold our mission of connecting people and ideas through art.
Your donation will help to make the following possible:
Youth Outreach
KWAG’s Youth Council has grown from its inception in 2012. Through collaborative projects and mentorships with local arts professionals, we cultivate a future generation of artists while developing creative skills that will benefit youth in any field they choose.
Touch Tours, Descriptive Tours, ASL Tours, Sensory Free Saturdays
In partnership with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, Autism Ontario and the Canadian Hearing Society, the Gallery is developing accessible programming for visitors who are blind or have vision loss and visitors who are deaf or hard of hearing. Tactile and multisensory tours and ASL interpreted tours are offered for each exhibition module, while our interactive screens in the Education Hub provide digital access to the Permanent Collection and introduce our current exhibitions in multiple languages including ASL. Sensory Free Saturdays and our Sensory Friendly Room offer a safe and comfortable environment for neurodiverse visitors, including visitors on the autism spectrum, people with sensory processing disorder, or those wanting a more sensory-friendly experience.
Seniors Supporting Seniors
Seniors Supporting Seniors offers workshops and exhibition tours designed by seniors for seniors in partnered organizations throughout the community. Programs offered on-site, off-site and online provide seniors with opportunities to be part of the social fabric of their communities by learning the skills required to lead their own arts-based workshops.
There are many ways to support KWAG’s mission to connect people and ideas through art. Whether you are an annual donor, donating to a fundraising campaign, making an in-memoriam gift or setting up a legacy donation, your contribution helps to deliver important art experiences in your community.
Your support is crucial; every donation, large or small, helps to provide moments of insight and inspiration for our audiences. Every donation you make enables underrepresented voices to be heard and seen and amplifies stories that brings us all closer together.
