How the university’s fine arts space on Philip Street has emerged as a unique place marker in the community
Betty Anne Keller (BA '69) developed a deep interest and passion for the arts during her time as a student at the University of Waterloo. Over the past five decades since then, she has been dedicated to nurturing a vibrant and diverse arts community in the Waterloo Region. In 2022, she produced the documentary film ‘Rock This Town,’ which celebrates UWaterloo’s impact on the local rock scene. Her significant contributions have earned her numerous accolades, including the Oktoberfest Rogers Women of the Year award for Arts and Culture in 2022, and her recent induction into the Waterloo Region Hall of Fame.
Works of art provide instant and unique impact as place markers in our communities. In a time when the “geography of nowhere” creeps into urban development, how can cities and institutions carve out a unique identity for their communities?
Before my retirement in 2013, I served the City of Waterloo as the Manager of Arts, Culture, Festivals and Events – a very broad mandate that included Waterloo’s festival and events, but also cultural planning, grants, and public artworks. With a central focus on community development, I was motivated to leverage the work of artmakers toward enriching and animating the experience of people who live here – including permanent residents and students on campus. The goal was to add joy and a sense of belonging.
Seeing the universities as community assets, I looked for ways to break down perceived boundaries between campus and city. UWaterloo’s Humanities Theatre, Theatre of the Arts, and Wilfrid Laurier University’s Maureen Forrester Recital Hall and Robert Langen Gallery are all wonderful creative spaces for fine and performing arts – for both artists and audiences. Although I no longer have a professional or official role in municipal cultural planning, I continue to advocate for public awareness of the cultural venues on campus.
At Waterloo, I have always appreciated the location of the galleries at East Campus Hall on Philip Street for its street profile. From 1999 to 2006, I was fortunate to have an ally in curator Carol Podedworny at the University of Waterloo Art Gallery (UWAG), and during those years, we attempted a collaboration to raise the community profile of the gallery. Our idea was to install a mural on the exterior of the building – an irresistibly blank wall. I dug deep to find a little money, and Carol used her excellent network of contacts to recruit the artist. David Blackwood (Newfoundland artist, 1941-2022) gave permission to reproduce one of his spectacular images of a whale underwater. It would be breathtaking. Most importantly, it would give the East Campus Hall a clear identity as a place for artists and art audiences. Unfortunately, the idea was squelched by the office at the University responsible for exterior signage and other issues related to building maintenance. Carol gave the money back to the City of Waterloo. No mural.
Imagine my delight now, to see recent changes at East Campus Hall – bright red flags welcome everyone to UWAG, artworks are visible from the street, and the SAIL (Student Art Innovation Lab) Airstream trailer is seen about town. Plus, the new and celebrated Longhouse Labs provides a valued venue and resource for Indigenous communities here and beyond. In particular, I am so impressed with “Tamarack Drive” – a collection of oversized photographs taken by Roy Francis in 1969 and curated by Roy’s grandson Aaron T. Francis (MA ’14, PhD candidate). Now installed in the windows facing Philip Street, this exhibition provides a spectacular “street story” and most importantly, it expands the gallery’s public profile in a very meaningful way. The nostalgic images of a Waterloo family mark a place and time and remind passersby of the rich diversity within the City of Waterloo’s history, and the University of Waterloo’s history too. I’m delighted to see the boundaries between town and grown coming down at last.
With the leadership of Fine Arts staff and faculty such as Ivan Jurakic (UWAG director) and professors Logan MacDonald (Longhouse Labs) and Tara Cooper (SAIL), the artmakers’ space on Philip Street has emerged as a unique place marker in our community. Many thanks and congratulations.
Banner image: Aaron Francis, “Tamarack Drive”, 2021-ongoing. Photo: Scott Lee. Courtesy of University of Waterloo Art Gallery.
