How will having two new art leaders in Kitchener help local artists and boost events?
CBC
Two arts leaders in Kitchener will work together to promote local talent and put the city's art and entertainment “on the map."
Carin Lowerison is co-founder of the local theatre company Green Light Arts and will now take on a role with the city as manager of arts and entertainment venues.
Will Muir, who has previously worked at Centre in the Square as a senior leader and worked alongside various local musicians, is the city's new music officer.
Although they’re in charge of different aspects of local entertainment, the two say they already have a vision for the city and upcoming artists.
“The city has experienced so much growth and there's so much amazing talent here. And so it's about building infrastructure and pathways for allowing that to happen,” Lowerison said in an interview on CBC K-W's The Morning Edition with host Craig Norris.
"There there is just such a such a wonderful collection of artists of varying disciplines," she added. "The city has this opportunity to facilitate making their art happen and kind of putting arts and entertainment on the map."
Muir says his focus will be on getting artists to see Kitchener as a place to start and grow a music career.
It’s something he knows firsthand, as he launched his own music career in the city, starting a recording studio in 2010. He noted the city has a number of music festivals, particularly in the summer such as Kitchener Blues Fest and Endless Summer, where local musicians can shine.
“I think having the opportunities to layer in local as much as possible in some of these larger festivals is going to be instrumental in an artist’s career and their growth,” Muir said.
Muir pointed to George Seara as an example of someone who started out in Kitchener. Seara has been nominated for nine Juno and three Grammy Awards, and he won the Recording Engineer of the Year Juno Award in 2012.
Muir says he wants to get local artists on stages earlier to give them the confidence to perform at other festivals in Ontario.
Muir believes this will give artists more confidence, and will help get their name out.
“When an artist is on a bill with some larger headliners, right, in that marketing spend, in that marketing sort of trajectory of a festival, their name then gets out there a little bit more and more,” said Muir.
Lowerison is aiming to help artists get their art into the community through venues and a new online platform, Kitchener Live.
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