Phase 1 of Indigenous Longhouse Renovation project - demolition of Waterloo's East Campus Hall building (ECH)
A multi-use creative-research lab space designed to house a prolonged and sustainable Indigenous artist residency program is scheduled to open its doors in the Fall of 2023.
The vision for Longhouse Labs (LLabs) within the University of Waterloo’s department of fine arts is a collaborative campus-wide program with broad and positive impacts for Waterloo students and faculty as well as the Kitchener-Waterloo and Southern Ontario regions through strategic community engagement.
Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Art Professor Logan MacDonald secured support for the project from several funding sources, including the Government of Canada’s Incremental Project Grant (IPG). Phase 1 of LLabs renovations was completed in March 2022, and with the IPG funding, Phase 2 of renovations will be completed by March 2023.
Annually, the artist residency/faculty fellowship program will lead to an intersectional and intergenerational cohort of three Indigenous artists, based on campus while focusing on their creative practice, who will engage with students and faculty alongside regional community members.
The Longhouse Project will help meet university commitments detailed in the 2020-2025 Strategic Plan which outlines a priority goal of supporting Indigenous inclusion.
June 2022