I am still reveling in all the excitement and fabulous-ness of my time spent last evening at the Waterloo Region Arts Awards Gala that took place at Centre in the Square.
kwartzlab was nominated in the Open category, and we took home the prize! A beautiful (and heavy) sculpture called The Denney. What a fantastic honour, we are so grateful to receive this award.
They literally had a red carpet rolled out for us as we arrived. I was so impressed with how well organized the event was. The local catering sponsors treated us to some amazing food, there was no shortage of musical entertainment, photographers, and just really good people. It was so great to see some old friends, and to meet some new ones too. A huge THANK YOU to everyone that was involved in making this evening come together!
I want to especially thank kwartzlab for having me represent them at the event, and for all the opportunities that I have been given through my connection with this organization. I am so thankful to have a place that allows me to contribute to bettering the community through my passion for the arts.
I’m feeling sentimental this morning, so I want to share with you the letter of support that I wrote back in March of this year:
To Whom It May Concern,
My first official involvement with kwartzlab was when I exhibited my artwork on their Art Wall back in 2011. The following year, they began their Artist in Residence Program which provided free spaceto artists for 2-3 months at a time, and gave them access to tools that otherwise they might not have.My residency got me “hooked”. After learning to use the laser cutter and other tools, I really couldn’tsee myself not being a member. I was able to make artwork with those tools that I could only havedreamed about before. I had by that point also become more involved in the communal aspects of beinga “member” of the lab, and felt a real sense of belonging. I ran a Learn to Embroider workshop that wasopen to the public as part of my residency that allowed me to become a mentor to others, passing onmy knowledge and introducing a new creative skill.
From this point, I quickly gained momentum in my rise to kwartzlab stardom. As the year came to aclose, Robert Gissing had convinced me that I was a perfect fit to take over as the Art Program Directorfor the following year, a role that he had instituted at the lab. He saw the qualities in me that would leadme to take the “job” and run with it. Becoming the Art Program Director has made me the automatic“go-to” person for any arts related inquiries that come to the lab. This has given me direct line to somany opportunities to become involved with the community, both within the lab and in KW. Someof these include: Steel Rails, NIGHT/SHIFT, Family Hack Jam, Hacky Halloween and Mini Maker FaireWaterloo.
After a literal “huge shift” over to our new location on Kent St. in January 2013, I made sure that theexistence of our Art Wall and Art Programs remained at the forefront of how kwartzlab was presentedto the world. Decked out in my painting clothes for days, I transformed the front room to ensure that wehad a suitable “gallery” to exhibit art work. They say if you build it, they will come. And sure enough wewere able to attract many new artists and new members to the space. Since moving we have more thandoubled in membership. Some of these new members are our former Artists in Residence- proof thatletting them have a “free taste” really works!
By the end of last year I reached one of my long standing goals of organizing more craft relatedworkshops. I approached two members that were experts in their “craft” to assist me in organizingand teaching a series of workshops that I entitled, Handmade Holiday. At the core of my idea wasthe desire to use my knowledge and skills to get other people engaged in learning to make awesomethings. I also wanted to make sure that I could engage my fellow makers, giving them a moment toshine as instructors and experts in their field. I also wanted to make sure they were paid for their time- supporting artists financially is so important to me. I was able to accomplish my goal with the support ofkwartzlab- using their space and tapping into their network of people to advertise my events.I am excited for what the future of kwartzlab will be, and feel so fortunate to have found a place that Icould feel so at home in. In fact, I have decided that this year I will move from my home in Hamilton tobe a full time KW resident.
Sincerely,
Agnes Niewiadomski
www.agnesmakes.com
Looking forward to next year’s event!