Everyone welcome
Our Main Library will soon be home to two new art installations, and you're invited to participate in the design and creation of each. Artists Suzanne Del Rizzo and Pamela Rojas will be working on their individual pieces with the help of our community through July.
At this drop-in workshop, participants are invited to join Artist Pamela Rojas and contribute to the design of her Urban Pulse in Waterloo mural. The mural will be a whimsical mixed-media mural with ceramic details emulating our city. This collectively imagined and artistically constructed city will visualize the possibilities of sustainable urban planning and development. It serves as an open invitation to engage in meaningful discussions about the housing crisis.
In this workshop participants will participate in interactive art activities focusing on the town's most representative buildings and the visualization of our city's future. Participant creations will be used to guide and inspire the mural.
Everyone is welcome to participate in this drop-in event, and children under 10 must be accompanied by a caregiver.
Urban Pulse in Waterloo Concept and Description:
Rojas' Urban Pulse series navigates the Canadian urban landscape, characterized by grays and cement tones. The vibrant colors and energy of city life are often hidden in urban spaces, waiting to be revealed in alleyways, neighborhoods, sidewalks, libraries, community centers, and museums—places where people connect and create community. As a muralist and visual artist, this duality frustrates and inspires Rojas. Through her art, she aims to uncover the city's vibrancy, fostering more color, vitality, and joy in our region.
The concept is informed by years of exploring architectural features and urban planning strategies, examining how they both foster and inhibit connections. Vibrant visualizations of the city create opportunities for community engagement and inclusive conversations on social issues such as affordable housing, diversity and inclusion, and environmental justice.
Artist Bio:
Rojas is an international visual artist, Immigrant, Social Activist, Art Educator, Community Builder, Artist in Resident, and entrepreneur in the art sector. A muralist with over 25 years of experience, having lived in four countries on three continents, she successfully brings a fresh perspective to the Latin American mural movement, including leading groups in community projects, community consultation, and consulting services for private Companies/City/Agencies—member of different art associations and board members.
Being raised in Chile shaped her perspective on social activism and inspired her to develop a naive Folk Art style to explore feminism, integration, social work, identity, and environmental issues in our society.
Since 2014 she has been the Artist Director of Creative Space/Resilience Project in the Family and Children's Services of Waterloo Region and Artist facilitator in Reception House.
Located in the heart of Uptown Waterloo, the two-storey building features a separate children’s area, ample study space, the Ellis Little Local History Room and WPL’s largest collection of browsable materials.
