Mennonite Heritage Week 2025
The year 2025 marks 500 years since a group of young radicals gathered secretly in Zürich, Switzerland. They had fallen out with city and religious officials about issues such as the baptism of children and the separation of church and state. At that meeting, two of the young adults baptized each other, marking the first adult baptism in early modern Europe and the start of the Anabaptist movement. Despite facing persecution and death, the movement spread across Europe. Anabaptists now include Mennonites, Amish, Hutterites, and Brethren in Christ. The people and the religious movement have now spread around the world.
This year, for Mennonite Heritage Week, Conrad Grebel University College has prepared a self-guided Mennonite Art Tour for visitors interested in learning about the history, culture, values, thought, and religion of Mennonites.
In 2019, the Canadian Parliament declared the second week in September to be Mennonite Heritage Week. This occasion offers Conrad Grebel University College at the University of Waterloo an opportunity to share about Mennonite history and culture. Read more about Mennonites and Mennonite Heritage Week at Grebel.
Self-Guided Mennonite Art Tour at Grebel
What makes art Mennonite? This question doesn’t have a straightforward answer. In 2020, Magdalene Redekop wrote a book called Making Believe: Questions About Mennonites and Art. In a book review for Mennonite Life, Rachel Epp Buller noted that Redekop addresses this question in her book, asking “What is Mennonite art? Who is a Mennonite artist? Does a Mennonite artist self-identify or is there some inherent shared quality to art created by those of Mennonite heritage?”
Grebel’s art collection reflects the multiple possibilities that can define Mennonite art. As part of the on-site Mennonite Archives of Ontario, Grebel collects works of art that contribute to a greater understanding of Mennonite history and culture with emphasis on Ontario themes or artists. Some art at Grebel depicts Mennonite life from the past, both locally and globally. Some art uses traditional Mennonite techniques and symbols to ask questions on contemporary themes. Other works in the collection were created by artists who were Mennonites (either ethnic or religious) but might not necessarily reflect overt Mennonite themes. Visitors may notice the variety of ways that artists address their own questions of heritage, faith, identity, and community.
Comprising quilts, sculptures, paintings, and photographs, most of the collection was donated to the College or commissioned on behalf of Grebel. Additions to the collection are considered by an internal art committee. While some of Grebel’s art pieces are stored in the Archives or in offices, much of it is accessible to be viewed by the public during regular business hours (Monday-Friday, 9:00 am-6:00 pm). This a guide to the easily accessible pieces and includes the primary details available about the art and artists, as well as the location of the works (although the locations may change without notice).
For more information about the Self-Guided Mennonite Art Tour, contact:
Jen Konkle, Marketing and Communications Manager
jkonkle@uwaterloo.ca | 226-339-6830